While still in existence, The Jungle Cruise has undergone a fair amount of changes since it opened with the Magic Kingdom in 1971. Despite the Disneyland version of the attraction having a more serious tone initially, it was eventually rewritten by Imagineer Marc Davis in the 1960s to become the version that the Magic Kingdom would open with.
In January 2021, it was announced that the attractions on both coasts would be closing to undergo changes. These changes included a new story, an animatronic skipper, new characters, and some changes to existing scenes. Additionally, inappropriate and problematic depictions of Native people were to be removed, including Trader Sam.
The first changes began in April 2021, with the attraction still operating. These included the removal of the Trader Sam animatronic, the removal of natives from the former “Boats & Baits” scene, and removal of the tree and characters from the Rhino scene.
When it reopened in August 2021, it did so with many changes, a comprehensive list of which can be found on the Jungle Cruise Wiki!
