Jungle Cruise Update

SSG

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Why oh why didn't they name The Rock's character Sam? Frank Wolff is a name you should get used to if you're a Jungle Cruise fan. It will be to this ride what Jack Sparrow was to the POTC.
His full name is Frank Samantha Wolff

the rock 80s GIF
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
It seems to me this new chimp scene is just a slight revising of the recent 2010's scene that had the exploding dynamite in the river and crazy chimps firing guns as you passed by.

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Because when you go to Africa, you don't need firearms to protect you from charging wild animals. You just need a paint set to capture their diversity and inclusion. ;)
 

britain

Well-Known Member

D23 interviews Chris Beatty who says, no, the movie is not influencing this redo.

The 'skipper' animatronic is this guy:

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And apparently this is different from the gorillas trashing the camp scene because these are chimps - animals never before seen in the Jungle Cruise!
 
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mickEblu

Well-Known Member

D23 interviews Chris Beatty who says, no, the movie is not influencing this redo.

The 'skipper' animatronic is this guy:

View attachment 526633


And apparently this is different from the gorillas trashing the camp scene because these are chimps - animals never before seen in the Jungle Cruise!

Really glad to hear the movie will probably only have Easter eggs.

LOLing at “how do we make sure it’s done in an authentic ways FOR the chimpanzees.”
 

BuzzedPotatoHead89

Well-Known Member

D23 interviews Chris Beatty who says, no, the movie is not influencing this redo.

The 'skipper' animatronic is this guy:

View attachment 526633


And apparently this is different from the gorillas trashing the camp scene because these are chimps - animals never before seen in the Jungle Cruise!
Thanks for sharing. Reading this over a few quick highlights:
-I’m pleased to see most of the gags including the “backside of water” and skipper jokes will remain.
- I think the chimps and gorilla scenes are fairly similar but I suppose there are multiple elephant scenes so oh well, I suppose. 🤷🏻‍♂️
- There will be no movie tie-in changes (for now). Though I have to predict they may have originally been planned before the pandemic delayed the film, and the potentially chilling effect on future BO receipts.
-Unlike Splash this is being fast tracked for “this year” at both U.S. resorts.
 
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Dr.Cheeto

Well-Known Member
These changes seem completely fine to me. I only wish Disney didn't feel the need to make big press releases out of minor upcoming changes like this and left them as a surprise. When I was a kid I assumed imagineers were constantly making changes to update the park and looked forward to new things every visit. This news seems so minor and inevitable that I'm sure none of us would bat an eye if we saw it in person without having months to analyze the press release on these forums. Sure we can argue that they're removing original (outdated) Marc Davis gags, but that's only scary to fans because there doesn't seem to be anyone left at WDI today with the same caliber of draftsmanship, posing, and wit as Davis to update the gags. I'm happy to see them continue to update the original Jungle Cruise and glad it's not being completely scrapped for a Frozen, Moana, or their new "The Last Dragon" overlay.
 

castleparker

Well-Known Member
The changes seem fine, but I am having trouble rationalizing the need for a story to be added. I doubt though that the story will be that heavily involved.
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
The artwork is surprisingly nice.

That's the biggest takeaway- that they did actual concept art. Let's compare this to Fantasmic '17, or Avengers Campus-

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I mean, it's still a far cry from Marc Davis's original sketches for the '60s Jungle Cruise enhancements. While less detailed, his sketches do a remarkable job of depicting the gag and feel of the scene immediately. But it's nice to see improvement on the concept art front.

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BuzzedPotatoHead89

Well-Known Member
The changes seem fine, but I am having trouble rationalizing the need for a story to be added. I doubt though that the story will be that heavily involved.
As cited in the D23 article, the story revolves around the individual people climbing up the post and their backgrounds (including their individual careers).

Look very carefully at the picture of the old “rhino” vignette and compare it to the new artwork. The new design and backstory is designed to avoid negative perceptions/stereotypes of the characters ethnicities and the implied “hierarchy” for which they were originally placed from top to bottom.
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Of course I'm pleased by this news. The change is welcome and way overdue.

Now can we get some black and indigenous people in POTC please? I never understood how a show that takes place in the Caribbean, of all places, could so unashamedly erase black people without anyone noticing or raising a fuss.

Can I ask why a black pirate is better than an African tribe waving their spears?
 

CaptinEO

Well-Known Member
Of course I'm pleased by this news. The change is welcome and way overdue.

Now can we get some black and indigenous people in POTC please? I never understood how a show that takes place in the Caribbean, of all places, could so unashamedly erase black people without anyone noticing or raising a fuss.
I mean the pirates are robbers and are bad guys. I don't think Disney would get any sympathy for championing that an under represented group needs to be portrayed as criminals.
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Yeah, as long as they don’t ruin the Elephant Bathing Pool or the Hippo Pool, I’m fine with this. Jungle Cruise has a long history of change, mostly for the better. And the native scenes should have been ditched years ago. They should be replaced by an adaptation of the fire and water finale from Hong Kong.
 

D.Silentu

Well-Known Member
Trader Sam and the Headhunters are supposed to be gone in the new version of the attraction.
It was just a matter of time before the 'Headhunters' got the boot. Personally, I feel like removing the skull pile, native attack and all associated references would have been enough to clear anyone's conscience. Sam is a different matter. He is as renowned as the 'Redhead', enough so to get his own bar! The "..two of his for one of yours," gag is just behind the stretching room spiel in terms of Disneyland quotables. I hated to see him lose his tribal mask years ago, but removing the heads really takes away something iconic. I get the feeling that Sam will stay, albeit with some variation of the Red treatment. I hope Imagineers use this is an opportunity to show that they can do better this time.
Again it seems weird to recycle a similar joke using similar apes
Precisely my first thought! There's a literal jungle of animals to choose from, why not create a gag surrounding a creature never before seen in the ride? Wouldn't any Imagineer leap at the chance to create a brand new Marc Davis style vignette? Why make a new scene if it's redundant?

On that note, I feel like there are better uses for the budget than redoing the rhino gag. I appreciate that it's staying though. Moreover, I appreciate that neither piece of concept art seems inspired by the upcoming movie, though I realize that storm is on the horizon. I'm more concerned about the skippers facing a repeat of the '90s, when management doggedly policed their spiel, resulting in firings. It doesn't seem out of the question that ties to the new movie may become mandatory in the ride script.

Also, I feel a tinge of concern for the pistols. They went away once and against all odds they came back years later. I was thrilled to say the least. Hearing them go off as you're waiting outside at the ticket booth is just as sentimental as the train whistle for me. Furthermore, they represent the ideal compromise when dealing with a controversial topic at the park. Before the pistols were removed, skippers shot at the hippos. Since they've come back, a warning shot is now fired instead. The key element is still there, but it's distanced from the element considered an issue. I can only hope that the upcoming changes are in this vein. I'll end on an optimistic note, as I really do love the piranhas they added for the fiftieth anniversary and perhaps similar additions are in store.
 
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