With all the attention lavished on the rejuvenated Tiki
Room and rebuilt Space Mountain, there’s been precious little publicity
for the considerably more noticeable changes coming to Disneyland’s first
E-ticket attraction, the Jungle Cruise.
Disney wants not only to freshen up the classic attraction in time for
the park’s 50th anniversary celebration, but also to make the trip more
realistic and interactive. In too many of the old scenes, the animatronic
animals interact only with each other. Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI)
scoured the jungle for ways to involve the boats with each scene (similar
to the encounters with the squirting elephant, the charging hippo, and
the attacking natives).
Here is the new Jungle Cruise as Imagineering hopes it will reopen May
5, time and budgets willing…
Let’s hop aboard our vessel—no need to wait for the “special”
boat with gold accents—and head down the fabled Irriwaddy River of
Asia. We immediately notice that the heavy brush and bamboo have been
seriously thinned. In fact, much of the old greenery has been replaced
with foliage native to the countries portrayed in each scene.
As we enter the tropical rainforest, we receive a much lighter soaking
than during our last trip through these parts. A new mister has been installed
in the upper branches to more closely replicate the light mist of a real
jungle.
Passing the Indiana Jones queue, we see that bushes have been added to
deter shorebound crowds from staring at our boat and interrupting our
illusion. The Temple of the Forbidden Eye is still visible in the distance,
although plants have been draped over most of the cargo net near the ride’s
exit.
Approaching the Ancient Cambodian Shrine, we notice that “Old Smiley”
the crocodile has been moved from the left to the right side of our boat
to make it appear as if we’re surrounded by crocs. A newly added cobra
is also uncoiling in the temple. Our boat slowly motors past a giant,
sticky spider web draped from the temple column closest to the shore.
Turning into the Elephant Bathing Pool, we see a new elephant or two
have been added, while the old-timers have been rearranged. Then, just
after we pass the squirting elephant, we hear a loud explosion ahead.
We soon discover the ruckus is coming from the Safari Outpost, but not
from the mischievous, jeep-flipping gorillas. No, either a pack of baboons
or a baby gorilla has joined the camp coop and is throwing dynamite into
the river. As we cautiously make our way past the scene, a burst of fire
explodes through the water’s surface. We narrowly escape, as we veer right
at Schweitzer Falls.
In the African Veldt, the animals have been repositioned to create a
more “realistic setting.” Zebras, for instance, typically don’t
hang out real close to hungry lions—at least live zebras don’t.
At the Hippo Pool, we’re happy to see that the once-grimy hippopotamuses
have all been given a nice scrubbing. There’s also a half-sunken boat
at the far side of the pool, suggesting what the hippos are capable of
and reminding us why the skippers got their guns back.
From there, we travel past Headhunter Country and under an entirely rebuilt
Schweitzer Falls. The new falls look identical to their 50-year-old forerunner,
since the replacement was unplanned. Unfortunately, early last week, while
WDI was working on the termite-infested wood and crumbling plaster, the
structure collapsed onto itself.
Into the treacherous rapids of Kilimanjaro, our intrepid skipper cautions
us to keep our hands inside the boat. It’s not so much because of the
churning whitewater, but due to the man-eating piranhas. To demonstrate,
the captain tosses into the water a fish tied to a string. Seconds, later
he yanks it back up, to reveal nothing but fish bones at the end of the
line.
Around the bend, the water buffalo has been relocated back into the bushes
to keep the focus on the python, which features a new interactive effect.
And finally, we bid farewell to Trader Sam and his new assistant, a baby
elephant.
Hopefully, Disney is proceeding with most of these proposed enhancements
and in six weeks our beloved skippers will have plenty of fodder for new
material.
