Fun Facts about Jungle Cruise for Disney+ Day
The Jungle Cruise attraction recently celebrated its 60th anniversary as an attraction at Disneyland and later revamped at Disneyworld. There are so many fun facts about this stunning visual cruise (initially called the Jungle River Cruise), it's worthy of its own post! Let's look at some trivia, interesting tidbits, and unusual information about the movie that transcends some aspects of the attraction.
Fast Factoids
Similar to the overwhelmingly successful Pirates of the Caribbean ride and movie franchise, today's Disney Imagineers are hoping to cash in on the popularity of these long-lasting and popular attractions. The current Jungle Cruise flick stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (portraying Frank) at the helm with Emily Blunt (playing Lily) along for the ride, this film is meant to be a tribute to the classic The African Queen film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
Notable Nods
Speaking of the latter legendary actress, her full name is Katharine Houghton Hepburn and the last name of Emily Blunt's character is Houghton in the film. Many say there are several similarities with both of these women from their overall appearance and body of work on the screen even though many decades separate the two in their existence.
Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize clothing on the current character of Frank (Johnson) is extremely similar to the wardrobe worn by the character of Charlie (Bogart) in The African Queen. This and other relative features during the movie are intentional since the Bogey film was one of Walt Disney's favorite movies and had a big influence on the design of the Jungle Cruise ride at his signature theme parks.
Dwayne Johnson is also said to be a huge fan of the Jungle Cruise attraction. Apparently, he wooed Emily Blunt into tackling the role of Lily because she turned down the opportunity twice. Apparently, during early casting efforts, Emily was exhausted from back-to-back filming of Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and the sequel to A Quiet Place. However, "The Rock" stuck to his guns especially in his capacity as a producer of the film, and got Blunt to be his partner and passenger.
Funny Bone Favorites
For those who are unfamiliar with the narrative offered during these Disney river cruises, operators of the ride are quick to point out funny and puny points during the journey. According to sources from IMDB (aka the International Movie Data Base), we should expect to see and hear more of the same from the captain of the current vessel during the film.
A Gender Bender Joke
MINOR SPOILER ALERT: There's a recurrent joke occurring during the Jungle Cruise script when the character of Frank refers to Lily as "pants." This diatribe is meant to dishonor the femme fatale character as portrayed by Blunt who chose to wear slacks. As a matter of fact, Audrey Hepburn was one of the first women in the golden age of Hollywood to challenge the traditional conventions and wardrobe of her time by wearing pants instead of a dress or skirt.
Ahoy Skipper
Not to be confused with Alan Hale Jr.'s navigational character on Gilligan's Island, instead of being touted as a "tour guide," drivers of the Jungle Cruise boat at Disney are also known as the Skipper. Notable river navigators from the past include actor Kevin Costner and writer, producer, and director John Lasseter of Disney's Toy Story fame before they reached celebrity status.
Anchors Aweigh
Another movie from the forties, a common tune played by the US Naval band, and a maritime term, the origin of the anchors aweigh phrase means to raise this device prior to the launch of a vessel. For more fun articles and posts like this one, be sure to follow us on Facebook and stay tuned to our blog for more. If you'd like to upgrade your speed for more streaming for today's special Disney+ releases, please contact us today. We're always looking forward to hearing from you.
