And here's the rundown on what ethnicities and cultures are represented in each Disneyland ride, with notable mentions when normal humans (not humanoid aliens) appear in a prominent role in an attraction.
For the Fantasyland dark rides, I just am noting the country that each fairy tale came from, and we can surmise that an Italian fairy tale portrays Italians, an English fairy tale portrays Britons, etc.
But first, a little refresher from our friends at the US Census Bureau on the current racial and ethnic makeup of the United States in 2020.
United States Racial & Ethnic Statistics - Circa 2020
58.6% White
18.4% Latino/Hispanic
12.8% Black/African-American
6.1% Asian/Pacific Islander
3.2% Mixed Race
0.9% American Indian or Eskimo
Disneyland Attractions Racial/Ethnicity/National Representation - Circa 2020
Main Street USA = 1 White Male American
- Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln - 1 White Male Animatronic
Adventureland = 18 African Males, 3 White Males, 1 White Female
- Enchanted Tiki Room - Fantasy Based, But Includes Caricatures from England, Germany, France, Mexico
- Jungle Cruise - 17 Black Males, 1 White Male
- Indiana Jones Adventure - 1 White Male, 1 Egyptian Male
- Tarzan's Treehouse - 1 White Male, 1 White Female
New Orleans Square = 37 White Males, 5 Hispanic Males, 5 White Females, 4 Hispanic Females, 1 Asian Male
- Pirates of the Caribbean - 30 White Males, 5 Hispanic Males, 4 Hispanic Females, 1 Asian Male, 1 White Female
- Haunted Mansion = Fantasy Based Ghosts, But Includes Portraits of 7 White Males and 4 White Females
Critter Country = No Direct Human Representation
- Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes - Named After White Male Who Liked Tight Pants With Fringe
- Splash Mountain - Fantasy Based, American South Literature
- Winnite The Pooh - Fantasy Based, British Literature
Frontierland = 1 White Male, 8 Indian Males, 4 Indian Females
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Fantasy Based & No Human Representation
- Mark Twain Riverboat, American Literature, 8 Indian Males, 4 Indian Females
- Sailing Ship Columbia, American History, 8 Indian Males, 4 Indian Females
- Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, American Literature, 1 White Male
Fantasyland = No Direct Human Representation (
dolls, dwarves and princesses aplenty however, and a snowman)
- Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Thru, British Literature
- Snow White's Enchanted Wish, German Literature
- Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Italian Literature
- Peter Pan's Flight, British Literature
- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, British Literature
- Alice In Wonderland, British Literature
- Mad Tea Party, British Literature
- King Arthur's Carousel, British Literature
- Dumbo Flying Elephant, American Literature
- Casey Jr. Circus Train, American Literature
- Storybook Land Canal Boats, A Mish-Mash of Everything "Disney" of the last 70 years
- it's a small world, Literally Everyone
- Matterhorn Bobsleds, Fantasy Based on a Swiss Alps Icon
Mickey's Toontown - 1 White Female
- Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Fantasy Based, 1 White Female
- Gadget's Go Coaster, Fantasy Based
- Meet Mickey, Fantasy Based
Star Wars Land - 1 White Female, 1 Black Male, 1 White Male
- Millennium Falcon: Target Run - Fantasy Based, No Human Representation
- Star Wars: Rise Before Dawn - Fantasy Based, 1 White Female, 1 Black Male, 1 White Male
Tomorrowland - 1 White Male, 1 White Female
- Star Tours - Fantasy Based, No Human Representation
- Space Mountain - Fantasy Based, No Human Representation
- Astro Orbiter - Fantasy Based, No Human Representation
- Autopia - Fantasy Based, No Human Representation
- Monorail - Transportation, No Human Representation
- Submarine Voyage - Fantasy Based, 1 White Female
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - Fantasy Based, 1 White Male
So, what does that get us? Roughly speaking...
94 humans appear in Disneyland attractions prominently, either as animatronics or notable visual presentations.
And of those 94 humans that appear prominently in Disneyland's attractions....
77 Are Males = 81%
17 Are Females = 19%
44 Are White Males = 46%
19 Are Black Males = 23%
9 Are White Females = 9%
8 Are American Indian Males = 8%
5 Are Hispanic Males = 5%
4 Are Hispanic Females = 4%
4 Are American Indian Females = 4%
1 Is An Asian Male = 1%
30 Attractions at Disneyland are set in a specific country or use a specific countries literature/culture to tell the story :
18 Are American Stories/Locations = 60%
8 Are British Stories/Locations = 27%
1 Is German = 3%
1 Is Italian = 3%
1 Is Swiss = 3%
1 Is Australian = 3%
What does that all mean?...
From a quick breeze through those numbers, Disneyland is way over-representing the males.
And Asians and Latinos are vastly under-represented in attractions, compared to American demographics.
The Black representation currently is well above it's share of American demographics, but most of those may be considered "negative depictions" because they involve rural Africans appearing in a ride about rural Africa. And if they really do remove all of the Africans from the Jungle Cruise, there will be only one Black character appearing in a prominent role in Disneyland; the brief interaction we get of Finn hiding behind the crates in Rise Before Dawn.
The national/cultural breakdown was no big surprise. This is, after all, an American theme park dedicated to America and beloved by a majority of Americans (but a minority of people who live in Sacramento).