Jungle Cruise getting a major makeover at Disney World, Disneyland

The Jungle Cruise, an attraction celebrated for the corny and punny jokes told by the skippers and for a journey that goes around, and around, and around, and around, and around, and around. . . the rivers of the world, every 10 to 15 minutes, is getting an update.

The change, which will take place at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World and Disneyland, will have a new original storyline created by Walt Disney Imagineering.

For the first time the skipper role will not only be that of a live person leading the tour, but also represented by a show figure within the attraction, Disney Imagineer Kevin Lively said. We will also find out what happened to some of the boats – Mekong Maiden and Kwango Kate – that used to make their way around the river, but have disappeared.

Here are some of the new concept art:

“As Imagineers, it’s our responsibility to ensure experiences we create and stories we share reflect the voices and perspectives to the world around us,” said Carmen Smith, executive creative development and inclusion strategies for Walt Disney Imagineering. “With Jungle Cruise, we’re bringing to life more of what people love — the humor and wit of our incredible skippers while making needed updates.”

No dates for the changes have been announced. In addition to this classic ride, Disney announced last year it was retheming Splash Mountain to the “The Princess and the Frog” to change it from the controversial “Song of the South” theme.