After nearly a year of being missing from the attraction, the missing African elephant animatronic has returned to Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise.
Jungle Cruise Elephant
After traveling through the ancient temple ruins, guests aboard their boat will enter an area filled with bathing elephants. Elephant animatronics are situated on either side of the boat, including one that nearly sprays guests with water.
However, the missing elephant was actually one of the two elephants located prior to the temple ruins, in the African river section. In between the trashed camp scene and the lions with the ‘napping’ zebra scene, guests pass by two animatronic African elephants standing on either side of the boat.
At this point, the Skipper usually makes a joke about being able to discern African elephants from Indian elephants because “we’re in Africa.”
The elephant that is supposed to be on the right side of the boat has been missing since at least November of 2023, as it was not present during our full POV ride video of the Jingle Cruise holiday overlay in 2023. Instead, the left elephant was the only one present, while the right was left empty.
The second African elephant was still missing when the Jungle Cruise reopened from a two-month refurbishment in October of 2024. However, the sound effect of a trumpeting elephant continued to play in the correct location, implying the animatronic would return at some point.
Now, the second elephant has made a triumphant return and is standing in its correct location on the right side of the river.
The elephant looks nicely refreshed, with a bright coat of paint and smoothly-moving trunk.
See the returned elephant in our video below.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2NE6bRc
Jungle Cruise
The Jungle Cruise was an opening day attraction at Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971. During the ride, guests board a boat guided by a live Skipper who narrates their joke-filled journey through the Amazon, Congo, Nile, and Mekong Rivers.
The Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom recently reopened in October of 2024 after a two-month long refurbishment. No major changes were made during the closure, and most of the refurbishment involved repainting faded scene elements and rockwork. The Jingle Cruise holiday overlay also returned for a limited time in November and December. Other recent refurbishments of the ride have included a dock overhaul in April 2024 and a refurbishment of the temple ruins last January.
Are you glad to see the missing elephant finally returning to the Jungle Cruise? Let us know in the comments.
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Missing Elephant Animatronic Returns After Almost a Year to Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom
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