Disney World Shutting Down Historically Racist Attraction at Magic Kingdom

The Walt Disney World Resort will close another one of its historically controversial and problematic attractions later this year, the next in a string of summer season shutdowns.

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Disney World’s summer season may seemingly be slow at the moment, but crowds will surely gear up as international guests embark on school break vacations and Halloween events begin.

That said, despite the inevitable rise in crowds in the coming weeks, Disney will be closing several of its high-profile attractions for routine maintenance and refurbishment, as well as complete updated theming–as is the case for EPCOT’s Test Track ride.

It has only been a few weeks since The Walt Disney Company unveiled its latest addition at Magic Kingdom Park. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure officially opened on June 28, 2024, after a round of cast member and Annual Passholder previews.

The journey to Princess Tiana making a permanent footprint on the attraction landscape of Walt Disney World Resort was a long and arduous one. Replacing the historic Splash Mountain, which debuted in Frontierland in 1992, Disney drew significant backlash for its retheme–but more on that later.

The backlash generated by the removal of Splash Mountain is rooted in Disney’s so-called “woke agenda.” That is, the notion that the Mouse House is centering its efforts on diversity and inclusion over storytelling.

It is not just theme parks that have received these accusations; studio output has also suffered in retaliation for so-called inclusion efforts. While Disney has not corroborated these allegations, Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger recently said that while messaging was important, the story must come first.

Disney World and the Central Florida theme parks have received several updates over the years that eradicate historic racism rooted in the century-old legacy company.

Disney World Is Closing Jungle Cruise This Summer

At 52 years old, Jungle Cruise (formerly Jungle River Cruise) is amongst the prestigious category of Walt Disney World opening day attractions.

Nestled in Adventureland alongside the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and even the highly secretive and mysterious Club 33 Jungle Cruise welcomes guests on an exploration through the jungle.

Those onboard will enjoy the humorous quips of a skipper who regales stories of the jungle and the people and animals that inhabit it.

However, in just over a month, Disney will indefinitely shutter its popular Jungle Cruise attraction. No reason has been given for the Adventureland ride’s closure, but chances are it is for routine maintenance.

The official Jungle Cruise page on the Walt Disney World Resort website marks the attraction’s closure on August 26, 2024, with its last day of operation being August 25.

The Disney World calendar only goes as far as September 8, and Jungle Cruise remains closed until then. Once the calendar opens for the rest of the year, it will be clearer when the attraction will reopen. At present, the shutdown is deemed indefinite.

Jungle Cruise is a classic for a reason, and it remains extremely popular with guests five decades later. However, the version visitors experience in 2024 is not the same one that those encountered just a few years ago.

In 2021, Disney announced plans to overhaul Jungle Cruise’s problematic and culturally insensitive elements. Having been a Disney park staple since its debut on the opening day of Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, Jungle Cruise’s controversial elements were carried over to the East Coast.

Originally, Jungle Cruise included Trader Sam, his shrunken head kiosk, and African “headhunters.” The portrayal of Indigenous peoples drew intense scrutiny in more recent years thanks to the overhaul of the Song of the South-inspired Splash Mountain.

At the time, Disney spoke out about “removing tribal caricatures and ‘negative depictions of native people,'” per Variety. The House of Mouse expanded on why it was reimagining the boat ride.

“As Imagineers, it is our responsibility to ensure experiences we create, and stories we share reflect the voices and perspectives of the world around us,” said Carmen Smith, an employee of Walt Disney Imagineering, in 2021 (via Smithsonian Magazine).

It is unlikely that Disney will be making these types of large changes for the upcoming closure; chances are the August shutdown will see technical and cosmetic updates made to Jungle Cruise.

The 2021 changes to Jungle Cruise, including the removal of racist elements, became a part of Disney’s ongoing effort to amend experiences to reflect the world around them. But not without criticism.

Disney World’s Diverse Developments

Peter Pan’s Flight

On July 9, 2024, Disney World’s iconic Peter Pan’s Flight ride went dark. Until late August, the popular Magic Kingdom ride will be unavailable to all resort guests while the attraction undergoes updates.

It is not clear what updates Disney is making to the attraction inspired by the 1953 Peter Pan movie at this time, but it’s not the first time changes have been made, especially in the name of inclusion.

Like many other Disney movies, Peter Pan was a product of its time. As such, elements that do not align with the values of the present were included. In Peter Pan‘s case, the portrayal of Indigenous people was incredibly insensitive.

It was so insensitive, in fact, that Disney called out the content themselves, now including a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie on its streaming service, Disney+.

On its “Stories Matter” webpage, The Walt Disney Company notes that representation matters.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, we are in the process of reviewing our library and adding advisories to content that includes negative depictions or mistreatment of people or cultures,” the Mouse House writes. “Rather than removing this content, we see an opportunity to spark conversation and open dialogue on history that affects us all.”

“We also want to acknowledge that some communities have been erased or forgotten altogether, and we’re committed to giving voice to their stories as well,” Disney added.

In the case of Peter Pan, Disney writes:

“The film portrays Native people in a stereotypical manner that reflects neither the diversity of Native peoples nor their authentic cultural traditions. It shows them speaking in an unintelligible language and repeatedly refers to them as ‘redskins,’ an offensive term. Peter and the Lost Boys engage in dancing, wearing headdresses and other exaggerated tropes, a form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples’ culture and imagery.”

Peter Pan’s Flight still includes Native American people, but a recent permit filing for the installation of set elements has got Disney fans thinking that change is afoot in Never Land.

Back in 2022, Disney World made a small change to the Peter Pan wall mural, replacing the “Indian Camp” location with “Never Land Tribe.”

It will be interesting to see what set elements have been updated when Peter Pan’s Flight reopens on August 21, 2024.

Country Bear Jamboree

Frontierland, the land neighboring Adventureland, has also had its fair share of closures. Presently, the Country Bear Jamboree—one of the attractions that Walt Disney himself participated in—is closed at the Disney park.

The permanent closure of Country Bear Jamboree commenced in January 2024, paving the way for a new version of the experience to open later in the year. The last day of operation was marred by significant technical difficulties, leaving part of the overwhelming crowd disappointed following the cancellation of the last performance of the day.

Related: Video Shows “De-Wokeified Magical Kingdom” as Disney Becomes “DeSantis World”

Named Country Bear Musical Jamboree, the new experience is set to open on July 17, 2024. The updated musical experience will see familiar faces return in the form of Big AL, Henry, Trixie, Wendell, Teddi Barra, Ernest, and Terrence “Shaker.”

One bear, however, has received a name change. Formerly known as Liver Lips McGrowl, the first official poster of the Jamboree cast revealed that his character has been renamed Romeo McGrowl. Disney has not explicitly shared why the name change occurred, but we can look at the meaning of “liver lips” to see why.

“The term ‘liver lips’ has been used to describe an individual’s swollen and red lips due to heavy alcohol consumption,” writes The Street. “‘Liver lips’ is also considered a ‘derogatory’ and ‘offensive’ racial slur that has been used against African Americans to describe the color or shape of their lips as sickly or unhealthy.”

The closure of the original Country Bear Jamboree was announced at last year’s Destination D23 event that took place at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Disney World. The end of the current Jamboree era was included in an announcement of changes hitting Disney World over the next few years.

Disney World will be losing Test Track in EPCOT, and over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the entire DinoLand, U.S.A. area is set to rethemed to the Tropical Americas, including attractions inspired by the Encanto and Indiana Jones franchises.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Perhaps the most divisive change to Josh D’Amaro’s Disney Experiences (formerly Disney Parks, Experiences and Products) brand was the complete retheme of Splash Mountain.

Disney has closed the popular and beloved three-decade-old attraction Splash Mountain at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. While the new iteration, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, is not yet open at the former, the latter revealed the new experience in late June.

In 2020, Disney announced that Splash Mountain would be undergoing a major transformation. No longer would the likes of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Bear, and Br’er Fox entertain guests on the log flume ride while the Oscar-winning “Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah” played, but instead, Princess Tiana and her own critters would take over.

The problem with Splash Mountain was that it was based on the animated sequences of arguably Disney’s most controversial movie, Song of the South (1946). It was adapted from the stories of Uncle Remus, which in turn were adapted by Joel Chandler Harris and received intense criticism for its portrayal of African Americans and plantation life.

As such, the Mouse House has never released the film on home video, and it is unavailable on the Disney+ streaming service.

Upon the news of Splash Mountain’s removal, Disney was lambasted with “woke agenda” claims. Even during the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the Save Splash Mountain movement is still going strong.

Imagineer Senior Creative Producer Charita Carter led the charge on the retheme, with Splash Mountain’s original creator, Tony Baxter, on hand as creative advisor. While The Princess and the Frog-inspired retheme was announced years ago, it wasn’t until the New Orleans ESSENCE Festival that Disney revealed the attraction would be called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

The new ride is unique in that it acts as a direct sequel to The Princess and the Frog (2009). The future Tiana series on Disney+ continues the story even more, creating a trilogy of sorts.

For Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Anika Noni Rose, Jenifer Lewis, and Michael-Leon Wooley return to voice their animatronic characters, Tiana, Mama Odie, and Alligator Louis, respectively.

Related: ‘Inside Out’ Land: Major Update Follows Disney World’s $17 Billion Expansion Announcement

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure features songs from the animated movie, including “Almost There” and “Dig a Little Deeper,” but also features an original song called “Special Spice.” The ride charts the journey of Tiana and Disney World guests finding her missing critter band ahead of a Carnival season celebration.

It’s clear that Disney is updating its offering to significantly reduce negative portrayals of groups and individuals. Traditionalists will argue that eradicating this representation, offensive or not, is erasing history, but Disney resorts were created as a place where everyone should feel welcome, not mistreated.

What do you think of the widespread changes being made to Walt Disney World in the name of diversity and inclusion? Let us know in the comments down below!