Jungle Cruise Re-Imagining

champdisney

champdisney

Well-Known Member
JoeCamel said:
When has Disney ever moved a ride because it fits better there. Or plussed one after moving it?
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As I said in my previous post.


champdisney said:
Overall, I wish Disney would be more bold. It’s not Jungle Cruise that needs changes, it’s Adventureland that needs it. If Jungle Cruise were to move over to DAK, they can essentially start from scratch and give us something new while keeping its tone and charm in tact. I’m in no way referring to theming it after the upcoming film, rather keeping it about the animals. If there has to be humans involved, then you bet they’ll get it right for DAK. It’s known for that.

However, that’s not happening. Some may come forward and say “Disney will never relocate an attraction!” To that I say, how would you know? It’s never been done. Have em’ take a crack at it and at least let them try.
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Not trying to sound arrogant here but please try to keep up. In my post I recalled sentiments I made prior to the one you responded to. You didn’t bother to read it, not even... you didn’t even bother to properly read the post you responded to.

I suppose you’re going to refer me to the Imagineering section of the forum. 😂
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Trader Sam at MK is also similar to a sight gag in Peter Pan (also using a native)

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How he's dressed is part of the joke. The contrast between "savage" and "civilized" clothing as viewed by Victorians/Edwardians.

Marc Davis was a directing animator on Peter Pan, though I'm not sure if he drew this scene or was responsible for this gag.
 
Sharon&Susan

Sharon&Susan

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
Trader Sam at MK is also similar to a sight gag in Peter Pan (also using a native)

View attachment 546285

How he's dressed is part of the joke. The contrast between "savage" and "civilized" clothing as viewed by Victorians/Edwardians.

Marc Davis was a directing animator on Peter Pan, though I'm not sure if he drew this scene or was responsible for this gag.
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I think it was Ward Kimball who worked the most on the Natives? I know Marc in those days was more known for animating leading ladies (good or bad) than for humor.
 
champdisney

champdisney

Well-Known Member
LittleBuford said:
The issue isn't authenticity, though. Even the modified version of the ride is going to be silly and farfetched—that's what makes the Jungle Cruise so much fun to begin with. A serious version rebuilt in Animal Kingdom would be a different experience altogether.
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You’re misunderstanding, friend. It’s not about making it serious. It’s about incorporating the “right” representation of the indigenous people they want to feature within the attraction. I say this due to Disney’s seriousness in correcting certain misrepresentations throughout their attractions.

Taking away the humor and charm of the Jungle Cruise is essentially stripping it away from its identity. All I am suggesting is a move and it’s a hypothetical suggestion at best.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Brer Oswald said:
The issue is the context of which the character is presented in. How he's a head hunter. How they play the whole shrunken head bit off as a joke. That I understand, and I think it warrants his removal.

But the whole bit about the cartoonish design and "exaggerated features" I don't understand. The face mould just looks like a human in that particular 60s WDI human artstyle. It isn't like the indigenous caricatures that intentionally play up certain features in comparison the the other humans. For instance, in JC, Pirates, and HM, all of the humans have big noses, regardless of ethnicity.
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According to Blaine Gibson who sculpted many of these figures (particularly the heads), Walt wanted figures that looked realistic enough to be seen as humans, but he wanted to stay true to Marc's caricatured designs as well. He did his best to thread the line between those two schools of opinion. That's why all these rides made around the same time with the same artistic leads have a kind of house style.

There's a long chapter on Jungle Cruise in Marc Davis: In His Own Words. Much of it is spent on Marc's learning curve about staging scenes and the audience's ability to read them in a matter of seconds, which is how long these various vignettes take place.

Trader Sam has an exaggerated, somewhat dopey smile so that his friendly personality, contrasted with his morbid career choice, is easily seen by those sitting in the boat. We can argue about whether the gag is tasteless or not, but the design is another great example of Marc knowing how to make the most of what is essentially a static figure through humor, costuming and known cultural points of reference. It was a major improvement over the Disneyland equivalent which, despite a more realistic design, ends up looking more like a wax figure staring blankly into the distance.
 
Sharon&Susan

Sharon&Susan

Well-Known Member
champdisney said:
You’re misunderstanding, friend. It’s not about making it serious. It’s about incorporating the “right” representation of the indigenous people they want to feature within the attraction. I say this due to Disney’s seriousness in correcting certain misrepresentations throughout their attractions.

Taking away the humor and charm of the Jungle Cruise is essentially stripping it away from its identity. All I am suggesting is a move a hypothetical one at that.
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There isn't going to be a "right" representation of indigenous people in the new version though, so far it seems like it's sticking solely to goofy animals and explorers without a native in sight.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
champdisney said:
I’m just not all that entertained by it these days.

For clarity, I’m not suggesting that Disney should completely axe the Jungle Cruise but rather relocate it to DAK where they can bring new things to the table. DAK is all about authenticity and I believe if Disney is this serious about not offending anybody of any race, then why not build a bigger and grander one at a park where the animals, people, cultures and life in general are celebrated?

There can be animatronic animals incorporated while mixing in some live ones. Accurate depictions of people from different places. And riverboats that don’t sink, lol. To me, an overall better version of the Jungle Cruise. Just a fun blue sky idea that I’ve thought about for many years now. No one is ready for such a thing. I get that we tend to hold on to the classics with the inclusion of Disney not being all that bold to make such a move. But hey, one can dream.

As I previously said, it’s not necessarily the Jungle Cruise that needs some changes, it’s Adventureland.
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I don't think it would work at all in Animal Kingdom. No one would care about seeing AA animals when they can see real versions instead (which is actually a big part of the reason it doesn't work at Magic Kingdom either IMO).

I would be very happy to see the Jungle Cruise axed and that land used for something better, because it's a hokey ride that people only enjoy because of the bad and not remotely entertaining (IMO, of course) jokes.

Since that's not going to happen, though, I'm actually looking forward to the changes. They will at least get me on it once to see the new scenes, although I doubt I'll want to ride it much more than that.
 
champdisney

champdisney

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
I don't think it would work at all in Animal Kingdom. No one would care about seeing AA animals when they can see real versions instead (which is actually a big part of the reason it doesn't work at Magic Kingdom either IMO).

I would be very happy to see the Jungle Cruise axed and that land used for something better, because it's a hokey ride that people only enjoy because of the bad and not remotely entertaining (IMO, of course) jokes.

Since that's not going to happen, though, I'm actually looking forward to the changes. They will at least get me on it once to see the new scenes, although I doubt I'll want to ride it much more than that.
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My pitch would’ve seen live animals mixed in with a varied amount of animatronic ones. The animatronic animals would serve to deliver the necessary functions to perform what the scene requires out of it. Where the live animals are just themselves in between those scenes.

Granted, this is far fetched but this is something I would do. If not, I would axe it completely. It’s only the matter of knowing how many folks enjoy the Jungle Cruise, makes the situation complicated.

I sense that once the changes are put in place, it’s going to leave a lot of guests feeling underwhelmed.
 
G

GimpYancIent

Well-Known Member
If humans are soooo controversial and its an amusement ride I like the use of primates idea, i.e. the sunken boat, only be diverse in the primates represented and not just feature chimps.
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
There are enough plot points in the Jungle Cruise tied into Indigenous people that would make HUGE holes in the storyline... The removal of all native cultures would pretty much strip a third of the ride...And those points would all need some sort of replacement... What we have seen so far is art for other areas that don't currently include the jungle native village and attacking natives... The Temple Drive through seriously needs an overhaul ....and overall the whole attraction needs a little thrill element... to balance out the whacky jokes... So it has humor, but is not a 15 minute joke making fun of the attraction....
 

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