Photos show an adventure at Disney’s updated Jungle Cruise ride
Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo makes a joke as she leads the Jungle Cruise past an animatronic elephant during its reopening at Disneyland Park on Friday. The official reopening will be next Friday.
Skippers at the newly updated Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland entertained some park attendees Friday while on a first look journey.
Los Angeles Times photographer Allen J. Schaben was able to catch a ride on Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo’s boat during a media preview, where he encountered the trees of the jungle, wildlife and even a wreckage overtaken by chimpanzees.
In January 2021 Disney announced it would close the ride and attempt to revamp features assessed to be racist and negatively depict Indigenous peoples. Attractions such as Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean have undergone similar modifications to remove outdated features and tableaus.
Disney’s goal is to make a more inclusive experience for everyone in hopes that all who come to visit the ride can connect personally to the characters and ride itself. The renovated Jungle Cruise will open officially to the public and general park attendees on July 16.
One of the remaining opening-day attractions Walt Disney oversaw himself, the Jungle Cruise will return with less racially insensitive depictions of other cultures.
Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo leads the Jungle Cruise during a media preview Friday in Anaheim.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Riders pass “through the backside of water” at Schweitzer Falls on Friday during the Jungle Cruise ride in Disneyland in Anaheim.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Riders view bathing elephants during the Jungle Cruise ride Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Monkeys view and catch butterflies that were presumably lost in the jungle on the Jungle Cruise ride Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo makes a joke as she leads the Jungle Cruise on a journey past a safari of explorers who are chased up a tree after the expedition comes under attack by animals on one of the new sections of Jungle Cruse in Adventureland inside Disneyland Park in Anaheim on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
A skipper fires a warning shot blank in the air while approaching wreckage from a boat floating among hippopotami during the Jungle Cruise ride in Disneyland in Anaheim on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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A view of floating wreckage from a boat among hippopotami during the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Riders pass in front of the Schweitzer Falls during the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
A view of an expedition’s wrecked boat that was taken over by chimpanzees is seen from the Jungle Cruise ride on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Guests clap for the skipper after being led on the Jungle Cruise ride on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
A view of a crocodile amid ruins as viewed from the Jungle Cruise on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
A baby elephant sprays water at a Jungle Cruise boat as they pass by Trader Sam’s Gift Shop on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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A media preview of Jungle Cruise during its reopening Friday. The ride has new scenes and an expanded storyline. The official reopening will be next Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
A media preview of Jungle Cruise during its reopening in Disneyland on Friday. The official reopening will be next Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo leads guests on a journey past a Bengal tiger amid ruins on the Jungle Cruise on Friday. The official reopening will be next Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Passengers disembark the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland on Friday. The official reopening of Jungle Cruise will be next Friday.
Los Angeles Times staff photographer Allen J. Schaben is an award-winning journalist capturing a wide range of images over the past 34 years. Before joining The Times, he honed his craft at the Detroit Free Press, Dallas Morning News, Wichita Eagle and Connecticut Post. Schaben earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1993.
Taylor Arthur was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. She moved to Los Angeles in 2015, where she received her associate’s degree in journalism from Los Angeles Pierce College. Arthur joined The Times’ in 2017 and currently works as a photo editor for Daily Calendar, Envelope and The Times’ digital platform.
