Why were the painted skulls removed from the Adventureland entrance?

[Epicnemesis]

As a red blooded American I am offended that it’s called the tea cups! Didn’t we win the war? It’s coffee cups on this side of the Atlantic good sir!

 

[brightlined]

Kinda want to murder this thread in broad daylight.

I have walked past that sign dozens of times, and literally never noticed there were skulls on it. Someone else posted pictures of it, and it took me longer than I care to admit to even find the skulls.

Bonus: nobody in the thread has a factual answer as to why they removed them. It's all speculation, mostly about it being part of the apparently-oncoming "woke-alanche".

Most of the recent articles about things being "inappropriate" aren't actual complaints. The Snow White thing was literally one article where some random person noted that the ending was kind of strange in a modern context - it wasn't even a complaint. Then it was blown up for clicks and screaming. (Kind of like that awful OC Register article suggesting that Disney would ban screaming on rides, which was abjectly false, but countless media outlets picked it up as real.)

I fear the day when I go on Pirates and find Jack Sparrow missing....c’mon, it’s inevitable isn’t it? Surprised to see there was a photo posted of the face character Jack Sparrow not long ago, since reopening anyway. Shhhhh...I guess I shouldn’t mention it too loud, maybe no one has thought of it yet....

God, it wasn't that long ago that people were complaining about them adding him to the ride in the first place. We've finally come full circle.

 

[brightlined]

...

 

[Where's Wall-E]

I just never read that much into the skulls, I guess? I think people can find anything offensive. Take for example HM, I read that there were some that found the ride offensive to those with mental illness because of the skeleton hanging from the ceiling in the stretching room. It just all seems so exhausting.

As a Christian, I'm offended that I end up in Hell on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. What's up with that?! (obviously I'm not, but this thread made me think of things I could be offended by )

A good friend of mine did take his life by hanging. And I do have a moment of cringe each time I ride HM just because of the bad memory associated with it. I mean, it's pretty explicit that he died by suicide. "There's always my waaaay..." I am not complaining to Disney and asking for a change, and the HM still remains one of my favourite rides. But there are certainly levels to finding elements of things a bit tone-deaf.

 

[califlorican]

I'm of Polynesian and Hispanic descent. In no way does anything at a theme park offend or hurt me in any way and I'm confident 100% of my extended family would say the same. It's a theme park.

At the end of the day, I get that Disney has to do what it has to do, but man I just don't understand why everyone is so touchy nowadays.

I’m Hispanic too and I don’t think I’d be offended by anything about my culture (not that I’ve ever seen anything remotely Puerto Rican at Disney lol) in the parks, but I also don’t speak for an entire ethnicity.

Them changing little things about the park honestly don’t decrease my enjoyment, so I just feel like it’s not a big deal to remove it if it does make some people “touchy”. I don’t know what they’ve been through to feel like that.

I’m also just assuming this was done to be culturally sensitive; we could be wrong and they just have other plans for the area.

 

[FCDub]

It's crazy how much emotional energy people put into stuff like this that has literally zero impact on their life.

 

[mom2rtk]

It's crazy how much emotional energy people put into stuff like this that has literally zero impact on their life.

It's a theme park. None of it impacts anyone's life.

 

[BayouQueen]

Not sure about the skulls...
But for each reference to the past that is removed, I want them to add something cool with reference to the future in Tomorrowland. That would kinda take some of the sting out and that land really needs some work.

 

[califlorican]

It's crazy how much emotional energy people put into stuff like this that has literally zero impact on their life.

You could say the same for anyone who’s upset they took it away.

 

[longboard55]

Hate to ruin the party but the entrances of Adventure Land and Tomorrowland were redesigned for better crowd control. The are providing more space

 

[NorthernCalMom]

To those of you who mock Disney’s attempts at being more culturally sensitive: Please keep in mind that many of those (from your perspective) purely decorative elements do have actual religious significance in the countries in which they originate. For an analogy, how would you feel, if people in a non-Christian country would use crucifixes or Bibles or other items of intense religious or cultural significance as decorations and for creating an entertainment venue’s atmosphere? Maybe at least some of us would feel that such usage would inappropriately cheapen something that is precious and sacred and ought to not be used out of context, for sheer amusement? Would you feel justified in mocking people who were to feel that way?

I am not telling you how to feel. I just want to offer an alternative narrative, in contrast to that of “woke” culture going crazy on you.

I sincerely believe that meaningful symbols can be used respectfully by cultures other than that which created them. It seems to me that Epcot’s attempts at combining entertainment with authenticity are a good example.

All of that said, I have NO insider knowledge here and don’t know if this change had anything to do with wanting to be more thought- and respectful or if it was simply an attempt at widening the pathway and helping to space out people more safely.

Edited to add: Also, I don’t mean to vilify Walt Disney for “cultural appropriation.” He was a product of his time, and I sincerely believe that he meant well, given the levels of knowledge, insight, and resources he had. Now, in regards to some ideas he had, we know better, so I wonder if that doesn’t mean that we ought to do better, in trying to find a more skillful balance between nostalgia and genuine respect towards the culture’s whose symbols we borrow. It doesn’t have to be “all or nothing.” I am passionately convinced that there is a sane and healthy middle path somewhere...

 

[NorthernCalMom]

Also, in regards to taking offense... I was raised in Europe, on the original, much darker versions of many of the fairy tales Disney used (and forcefully Americanized) in his movies. There is no “true love’s kiss” in either the original Snow White or the original Sleeping Beauty. Andersen’s Little Mermaid doesn’t have a happy ending.

Yet, I do NOT take offense at Disney’s feeling inspired by those original folk stories to create something entirely different. I believe that the archetypal power of those original stories is strong enough to survive a multitude of interpretations. I do empathize, though, with people who feel differently, especially when we move beyond folk tales and look at actual religious symbols or stereotypical portrayals of people from different cultures, portrayals that, in the past, may have sometimes be used to hurt and harm (not by Disney or by those who enjoy Disneyland, but by colonial structures that are much older than that and by European folks who once used those stereotypes to justify invading and exploiting and missionarizing other cultures, convinced that their own culture was superior and that they were doing those “primitive” people a favor). I can understand if some people may be touchy about such symbols being used out of context.

Aside from that, I wish and hope that those of you who don’t know them, will one of these days take the time to read a collection of the original Brothers Grimm collected fairy tales, as well as some of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. Be prepared for a great deal of darkness and bloody details in the former (some of them are DEFINITELY not kid’s stories) and for a lot of sadness in the latter (if Andersen were to see a therapist today, he’d probably walk out with a prescription for Prozac, given the depressive quality and morbidity of some of his writing...).

 

[Evita_W]

Here's the thing: humor changes over time. Social norms change over time. Tropes change over time. Things change y'all. The head-hunter/cannibal trope just... isn't a thing anymore? My daughter had no idea what those skulls were supposed to imply or indicate. She asked if they were for Halloween (it was January lol). She has absolutely no point of reference for Trader Sam. I had to explain the trope to her, and she thought it was gross. The content kids consume, their tropes, their humor is different from what it was in the 1960's.

Now if this was the sole reason why they were making these changes, I would be ok with that. After all, if their prime market doesn't understand the references, what good does it do?

But then explain that this why it is being changed and don't just say it is because it doesn't represent other cultures properly.....being politically correct is NEVER the right reason to change something.

 

[califlorican]

But then explain that this why it is being changed and don't just say it is because it doesn't represent other cultures properly.....being politically correct is NEVER the right reason to change something.

Yikes, what a blanket statement to be making. I’m sure anyone with a disability or who has a relative/loved one who is appreciates that the r slur is no longer politically correct and the entertainment industry no longer uses it. I can’t imagine thinking that my opinions that something “isn’t a big deal” are more important than the feelings of a group of people. That is insane.

 

[AndrewC]

I’m kinda surprised Indy is still there then… those movies certainly had a very “native” portrayal of some of the indigenous people. While the ride it’s self may not overtly convey the same messages, one could argue it’s glorifying “horrible movies.”

Better ride Indy all you can, could be on the chopping block to be entirely replaced to align with the norms of today’s world…

 

[AndrewC]

As a red blooded American I am offended that it’s called the tea cups! Didn’t we win the war? It’s coffee cups on this side of the Atlantic good sir!

I can’t think of a single American that would drink coffee out of those delicate floral cups… those my friend are certainly tea cups, lol

Now they could re-theme the ride with “Best Dad in the Universe” mugs or something to align better….

 

[brightlined]

Better ride Indy all you can, could be on the chopping block to be entirely replaced to align with the norms of today’s world…

For crying out loud, Disney is currently working on a fifth Indiana Jones film.

 

[AndrewC]

For crying out loud, Disney is currently working on a fifth Indiana Jones film.

 

[Iceman93]

And there are sure a lot of skulls in the Indy universe, aren't there?

 

[LanceQ]

I fear the day when I go on Pirates and find Jack Sparrow missing....c’mon, it’s inevitable isn’t it? Surprised to see there was a photo posted of the face character Jack Sparrow not long ago, since reopening anyway. Shhhhh...I guess I shouldn’t mention it too loud, maybe no one has thought of it yet....

Sparrow never belonged and the inclusion is awful. Getting rid of him would be a massive improvement.