Oh No! Disney Is Tweaking Another Iconic Ride
It's not just Splash Mountain that will be going for a makeover at Walt Disney's (NYSE: DIS) domestic theme parks. The world's leading theme park operator announced on Monday that Jungle Cruise will be tweaked later this year. A new storyline and fresh themed elements will eliminate some of the depictions of spear-wielding tribesmen and a shrunken head trader that have failed to pass cultural sensitivity sniff tests over the years.
The move will be similar to what Disney did three summers ago at Disneyland and Disney World with another signature boat ride, Pirates of the Caribbean. The ride was taken down for a three-week refurbishment to replace the controversial "We want the redhead" scene where rope-bound women were being auctioned to pirates as "brides." The new scene recasts the redhead as a strong-willed pirate herself, putting up her pillaged rum against villagers auctioning off their belongings and livestock.
It's just another day of Disney fitting an old ride into new mores. It's a balancing act of meeting modern standards without distancing nostalgic fans. In the end it's the right thing to do, and if Disney plays this right, it will also be doing right by its shareholders.
Source Fool.com
