Sunday, January 07, 2024

Jungle Cruise SNOOZLES™

I am sorry to say that it is time for more SNOOZLES. It's like eating your vegetables, it has to be done. 

All three of these are from April, 1974, and feature "way too dark" images from the Jungle Cruise (we see a lot of Jungle Cruise photos on Snoozle Sundays, I admit). 

We'll begin with this elephant, found over at the Sacred Indian Elephant Bathing Pool. It's hard to see here, but Mama Elephant is sheltering her baby, who is squirting water from its trunk. 


More pachyderms at the Bathing Pool! The elephants should have had a video arcade too, with Ski Ball, Pac Man, Asteroids, and Space Invaders. And one of those claw machines.


It's too bad this is a crummy photo, since all of the "headhunters" have been removed from the Jungle Cruise. I have no doubt that it is for the best, but I will always have fond memories of these scenes from my childhood.


13 comments:

JB said...

"Jungle Cruise Snoozles"... Jungle Croozles!

The strands of hair on the mama elephant make her look super realistic. An excellent example of the Disney artisans going the extra mile to make a Disney attraction so much more than your average theme park.
The elephant in the background is pretending to be a geyser from Nature's Wonderland.

It occurs to me that the elephants look more realistic in these still photos than they would in a video. Their movements tend to be somewhat robotic, mechanical and stiff. (Robotic, Mechanical, and Stiff would make a great name for a law firm.)

I don't really understand why they removed the headhunters. Who were they offending? How many headhunters are going to ride the Jungle Cruise attraction and be offended? Did the Headhunter's Union issue a cease and desist order? I think the Park would be more concerned about all those signs on their trashcans urging us to "waste paper"! Or do something about the Park's rodent problem; giant mice roaming around in broad daylight! Oh well.

Thanks for the Jungle Croozles, Major.

Lou and Sue said...

^
LOL!

TokyoMagic! said...

To continue with the theme from my comment on yesterday's post, Disney should have replaced the headhunters with animatronics of Gilligan, the Skipper too, the millionaire, and his wife, the movie star, and the rest. They must own the rights to that I.P., since they own the rights to pretty much everything.

Stu29573 said...

Ah the dark dark.....DARK jungle!
Actually no headhunters were offended. There was, however, some confusion with an overly sensitive recruiting firm and some overly zealous lawyers.

TokyoMagic! said...

I don't really understand why they removed the headhunters.

JB, to quote Lisa Simpson, "They revamped this ride, because of massive complaints from two people."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivDPKuBEcjw&t=31s

Bu said...

Happy Snoozley (tm) "First Snoozle" (tm) of 2024! Jungle Cruise photos in the dark seem more realistic than high key MGM "Wizard of Oz" lighting. Kind of like: Riding the Jungle Cruise at night is better than during the day: so I am enjoying these photos. It's very fancifully sweet that the little tiny elephant is giving the smiley a drink, while still being protected by mummy E. Sight gags like that are so subtle, and possibly this would happen in nature: ...possibly...animals do funny things in nature. Since the rivers of the Jungle Cruise represent many rivers throughout the jungle world, it is plausible that you would happenstance upon many many many different cultures, including those that practice cannabalism:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/sleeping-with-cannibals-128958913/#:~:text=Cannibalism%20was%20practiced%20among%20prehistoric,believed%20to%20eat%20human%20flesh. In my African travels, I visited a few tribes who were delighted and proud to perform dancing, vocalization, singing, etc. as well as show you the weapons they use to kill wild animals for food. I would say that the Jungle Cruise is an accurate depiction of river jungle life: save for the Marc Davis humor...but after all, this IS Disneyland. Thanks for Snoozling (tm) Major!

JG said...

Mrs. L. E. Fant is quite fuzzy. As JB notes, attention to details is (was) part of the Disney secret.

Removing the cannibals from the ride doesn’t change the fact that there are still cannibals in the jungle, or in Hollywood.

That said, the modernized ride seems to hold up fairly well, but I still miss the old version.

Is there a JC attraction in other Disney parks?

Thanks Major!

JG

Anonymous said...

Is there a JC at other Disney parks? Yes, at WDW for one. I assume much of the attraction that I operated has been sufficiently sanitized that it qualifies as a snoozer. When I went on the WDW attraction as a guest 10 years ago, I critiqued the skipper at the end. "A little too fast paced...let the guests appreciate your jokes with timing and pauses. But overall, good show." As BU indicates...yes Matilda...there were cannibals in the world. And that history cannot be erased. However, the way these guys danced, we knew they had a habit of dancing on hot coals. At least they had rhythm. Well, it worked in 1974. A great shot of the skipper's hat. Wish mine had survived all the moves we have done over the years but sadly, it deteriorated to a point that the wife said it had to go....much like my coonskin cap from the canoes. I'm down to just my leather Bear Country belt these days. April '74? This could have been on my boat.KS

Major Pepperidge said...

JB, I agree, it would have been so much easier to *not* add the hairs to the elephants, but that tiny detail makes a big difference. My guess is that many people don’t even consciously notice it, but it’s still there. As for the elephants looking realistic, I have seen articles on the internet showing pictures of “animals having fun”, and they’ll often include the elephant under the waterfall from the Jungle Cruise, apparently having no idea that it is from a Disney park! I know what you mean about the headhunters, but then again I’m a dorky white dude. Perhaps complaints were made, I really don’t know. I felt more upset about the change to the auction scene in “Pirates”. I mean, they’re pirates! They’re supposed to be bad people!

Lou and Sue, such a hearty laugh! ;-)

TokyoMagic!, huh, now I wonder who DOES own the rights to “Gilligan’s Island”. I loved when the Harlem Globetrotters made it to the island, such a natural mash-up.

Stu29573, “…an overly sensitive recruiting firm”… is that true? Maybe there’s a story I missed, because I don’t get it. Recruiting for whom?

TokyoMagic!, I wish cartoons were more like “Itchy and Scratchy”, Lisa Simpson made me think, and it hurt.

Bu, these 2024 Snoozles are much more modern and hip than the ones from 2023! You can just tell. The “Wizard of Oz” had to have that crazy lighting for the slow Technicolor film stock, supposedly the lights actually hurt or harmed the eyes of the actors, they were so bright. I never thought that the baby elephants was giving Smiley a drink, I guess I assumed he was being a little stinker. But your interpretation is nicer. I’m guessing that the existence of actual cannibals still might make some people feel as if they are being represented by the most grotesque (and probably small population) of their enormous continent (assuming that one considers eating other humans grotesque). Again, I’m a white guy, so I can’t speak to how somebody else feels or whether it is “right” or not. I guess I just try to be considerate of their feelings, which probably annoys others. Oh well!

JG, wasn’t there a character in “Kimba the White Lion” named L.E. Fant? Or was it “Ellie Funt”? Not sure. It’s been a while. Hey, why no “Kimba” big budget live action movie, with voices by all of the hottest movie stars, musicians, and comedians? Marc Davis did hundreds of (unused) gag ideas for the Jungle Cruise that did not involve humans, I wish they’d used some of those - you can’t argue with the original Master! I know that there is a Jungle Cruise ride in Florida, and I believe in Hong Kong, or was it Shanghai?

KS, folks like you and me know of the changes to a ride that has been there for decades, but most people have no idea, and just enjoy what’s there. The Jungle Cruise has undergone so many alterations… I really liked the piranha attack, a fun, simple idea. Wow, bummer about your hats deteriorating, you should have kept them in steel boxes filled with nitrogen! Does your leather Bear Country belt have any design on it that indicates it is from Disneyland?

Dean Finder said...

The hair on the elephants is one of those details I've never consciously noticed before. But I am certain that on the ride I've thought that the animals look a little more "right" than most fake animals.

There are people who get a lot of satisfaction by being offended on behalf of others. They are the ones who complained the headhunters out of existence. Have they replaced those scenes with things from the recent movie with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson?

Stu29573 said...

Recruiters are sometimes called "head hunters." ;-)

JB said...

Tokyo!, "massive complaints from two people"... Ain't it the truth. (Thanks for the Simpsons link.)

Anonymous said...

Major...a little late here but yes. the belt is embossed with the words Bear Country on it. KS