6Disneyland Resort guests watched in awe on Tuesday as a helicopter carefully delivered a refurbished elephant animatronic to The Jungle Cruise. The update comes just months after fans called for censorship on the ride, calling some of its themes “offensive.”
Notably, outdated depictions of Indigenous people were removed from the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom Park in 2021. While some Disney history fans were upset about the changes, others were happy to see the Disney parks fixing past mistakes. “It may not be offensive to YOU,” one Disney Park fan argued. “But perhaps there are individuals who it genuinely does.”
“Nice to see they’ve gone almost completely animal animatronics only,” another fan said. “Much less problematic.”
But this Jungle Cruise update had little to do with previous controversies about the ride. Instead, it relieved Disney Parks fans who’d been concerned for weeks.
In a video shared on TikTok by @adorian89, a helicopter slowly lowered the elephant animatronic back into the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland Park:
@adorian89 This was a fun, unexpected surprise this morning! 🚁🐘✨✨✨ #Disney #disneyland #disneylandcalifornia #junglecruise #elephant #helicopter #airlift #disneyparks #disneytiktok
On X (formerly known as Twitter), @TheHorizoneer shared these photos of the once-in-a-lifetime event. It appeared to take place shortly after sunrise:
anaheim is great because what do you mean you just saw a helicopter lowering a jungle cruise elephant
anaheim is great because what do you mean you just saw a helicopter lowering a jungle cruise elephant pic.twitter.com/OfauVotIyf
— Phil • The Horizoneer (@TheHorizoneer) January 16, 2024
The elephant animatronic disappeared in December 2023.
More on The Jungle Cruise at Disneyland Park
Disneyland Resort proudly hosts the first-ever edition of The Jungle Cruise. In the decades since its 1955 opening, Walt Disney Imagineering created versions of the ride for Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland. The Adventureland attraction also inspired a 2021 film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt.
“Cast off on a guided tour of the world’s most remote rivers where adventure abounds—and the animals get the last laugh,” the official Disneyland Park ride description reads. “Board a canopied tramp steamer and leave civilization behind on a tongue-in-cheek journey through the globe’s most ‘treacherous’ rivers—and oldest gags… Throughout your voyage, you’ll enjoy lively narration from your brave and trusty skipper. It’s a sometimes perilous, always hilarious 10,000-mile journey you won’t soon forget!”
Should Walt Disney Imagineers further update The Jungle Cruise? Share your thoughts about the attraction with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks guest experiences. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.