Controversial and Offensive Names Removed from Walt Disney World Attractions

Posted by: Tricia February 1, 2022 Comments Off on Controversial and Offensive Names Removed from Walt Disney World Attractions

Credit: D23

Walt Disney World has recently removed names from some of its most iconic attractions to say culturally sensitive and change the attraction from dated themes.

Last week Walt Disney World Cast Members removed “Injun Joe” at Tom Sawyer Island, which is at Magic Kingdom. It was originally a sign in the cavernous area. You could see it on a raft as well and had the “Injun Joe” on it. They did not get new boats, but they were painted over and removed the references.

Credit: Disney

There were also planks on the rafts with “Becky Thatcher” and “Tom Sawyer” on them. In the story Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Injun Joe is a villain who is half Native American. He murders, robs graves, and commits other crimes throughout the story.

“Twain wrote the character as a fundamentally evil and irredeemable character, with multiple characters in the book claiming that his evil nature was due to his Native American heritage.” shared by ComicBook.com.

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This was very offensive to many because the characters are portrayed as criminals, and it is attributed to the fact that he is Native American. The name “Injun Joe” is a derogatory term by many Native Americans.

Disney has recently committed to removing offensive terms and becoming more diverse and inclusive. One of the main ones has to do with Splash Mountain in Frontierland, which will be re-themed to Disney’s Princess and the Frog.

Currently, it is themed to Song of the South, which is a 1946 film. This film has received backlash over the years, and many say it is racist and has many stereotypes against African Americans. Disney listened to these complaints and decided that this film would not be added to Disney+.