I’m so happy to see that the rumor of why PPF went down for refurb was to make this scene better 
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While I completely understood the objection to the scene as it existed, it was a tricky change because Neverland is NOT supposed to represent reality, but rather a world of a child’s imagination, in a sense. How do you balance those two?
When the rumor was that they were going to update that, I thought perhaps they could just remove the scene entirely…although, then that wouldn’t be true to the source material either.
This looks to be a very nice balance! I’m quite pleased with the change. I wonder what consultations they did with Native Americans to get this “right”.
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I doubt any… all they did was remove the angry men and replace them with happy ladies spinning.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s much better, but not a drastic change
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Probably means a helluva lot to some people though.
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From what I read before, the main complaint from Native Americans was how much of a caricature they were before, so that is addressed. I can’t believe they could make a change without consulting actual Native Americans, otherwise they risked getting it wrong again!
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It’s a good idea to correct “the record” so that the child’s imagination would not be leaning in a direction that would be offensive to others. Because then that is rooted in their thinking and behavior.
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And this is, in the end, all that matters.
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Correct! Which is why I was saying that finding the balance was tricky.
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I told myself I wasn’t going to weigh in on this but…
If this is the case, then why don’t they permanently place Peter Pan on the shelf next to Song of the South? My cynical side says that the difference in revenue between the two properties might have something to do with it.
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That’s an interesting question
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I wasn’t being dismissive. I was trying to say that it didn’t take a cultural committee to figure out how to improve it. The fix was always simple. Get rid of the bad stereotype and make it friendly.
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Perhaps…but…again, if they made a change, THINKING they had gotten rid of what they perceived to be the bad stereotype, but ended up replacing it with another, they could invest a lot of time and money into making a change that didn’t accomplish the end goal.
And in this case, the fact that they ADDED something new to the scene means they likely got input on that.
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I love it!
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I forgot to comment on the actual changes themselves 
I also really like it.
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If I never see the movie or book again, I won’t be unhappy for certain.
I like the attraction for use of space and how the designers simply incorporated scenes into a fairly enjoyable ride. Probably most of the enjoyment is recalling a simpler time - childhood.
I have not been on Peter Pan in maybe a decade. If there was no wait, I’d go again. Probably. Maybe.
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One thing that jumps out at me was that the characters look more individualized - like humans do. Looking at the before and after at the link that thorcat provided, the former sitting men had almost mask-like stylized features veering into more of a caricature. I didn’t really remember the scene well but I think they did a good job!
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This is probably it, or at least a large part of it. But I’ll add that I think because the scene depicted is a smaller part of the movie rather than a recurring theme, it’s easier to say the entire movie isn’t as problematic. That said, I have varying issues of most old Disney movies not exactly aging well so it’s a whole other discussion.
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I love the changes! Tasteful and respectful but still allows for a nod to Tiger Lily as a character.
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Here’s my take (it ended up being longer than I anticipated so I am going to hide it so you can scroll by easier 
):
Soap Box
There is no right answer on these questions. The universe didn’t not come with an instruction manual on how to balance respect for others with honoring cultural legacy and historical fact; how to properly make progress without abandoning tradition.
On the one hand, you could argue your way into eliminating the Disney company entirely, or at least the Disney parks themselves. Under certain authoritarian regimes, the past has been completely wiped away as if it didn’t exist. Some people sincerely feel that America is irredeemable and that we need to start over.
On the other hand, if you suppress that argument too much, you could end up making no change at all and digging in your heels in the past, and never progress. That would be no good for anyone.
Ultimately it is up to those most directly invested – the stakeholders – to work together and come to an mutually acceptable compromise. Owners, fans, and the communities impacted. Where we land in one case may differ from the consensus elsewhere.
As it relates to Song of the South specifically, it was met with controversy immediately and has never escaped its reputation for being steeped in stereotypes and offensive messaging.
Whereas while Peter Pan likely had critics from the beginning, it has, rightly or wrongly, earned itself a permanent and prominent place not just in English literature, but in world culture.
With that context, I think it’s easier to leave Song of the South in the dustbin of history vs. try to polish Peter Pan to try to make it less offensive. Maybe under other circumstances, Song of the South or at least Splash Mountain could have been salvaged. There is also a scenario where Peter Pan gets the boot. We’ll have to wait and see where we as a society land. But I think this is a step in the right direction.
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There are just not nearly enough manuals in the world.
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