Welcome to the Jungle! Where the ride is anything but a cruise!
Set in 1916, Jungle Cruise opens with siblings, botanist Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) pulling off a heist to obtain an Amazonian arrowhead seconds before a villainous German prince (Jesse Plemons) can purchase it from a British explorers’ club. On the run from the prince, the siblings set forward on their mission to the Brazilian jungle in search of a legendary tree. The stolen artifact is their guide to the location of the ancient tree. The tree is said to bloom flowers with magical healing powers, known as Tears of the Moon.
Prior to Lily’s arrival in Brazil, we meet skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) who is a tour guide that provides entertainment for passengers on a trip down a staged river lined with animatronic animals, very similar to the theme-park ride. Frank’s puns and dad jokes don’t seem to land as much as his ability to steer his patrons out of “harms way”. The customers pay him hefty tips for heeding them to safety.
Frank is at the right place at the right time when Lily arrives in need of a guide to find the mystical tree. He needs a substantial amount of money to pay off his debts and Lily is willing to pay a large amount for a skipper to assist her. Lily catches Frank in several lies along their journey, but along with the rest of us still cannot resist his charm. On their expedition Lily, MacGregor, Frank, and his pet jaguar encounter river dolphins amongst the beautiful natural scenery of the river along with some dangerous rapids. They also encounter the character of Trader Sam (Veronica Falcón), the Indigenous leader of a peaceful tribe who assists Frank in a trick to deter Lily and Macgregor from continuing their mission and take the arrowhead from them. Luckily, Lily is too smart and determined that she easily uncovers their scheme and eventually discovers that Frank along with the group of Spanish conquistadores need the flower’s petals to reverse their immortal curse.
Still being chased by the evil prince who is also searching for the tree, as well as Aguiire (Edgar Ramírez) with his henchmen Melchor (Gutierrez) and Sancho (Rovira), Lily and Frank have their work cut out for them.
Per usual, I will leave the ending a mystery for you to uncover when you watch the movie!
You know I had to go check out the new makeover of the ride, especially after seeing the movie. We absolutely LOVED the movie and had such a fun adventure watching it then enjoying the ride at Disneyland right afterwards!
Have you watched Jungle Cruise yet? We just LOVE The Rock! He is so charismatic and totally pulled off all the puns and jokes so well! I appreciated Lily’s character and how well she represented a strong, smart, and independent woman! I think Emily Blunt was brilliant in playing this role. I also loved how Disney gave representation to the LGBTQ community with MacGregor’s character. He subtly comes out to Frank, and I think the way it was done was very well thought out. He expressed that his family and society had turned his back on him “all because of who I love.” It was a touching moment and opens very important dialogue.
I am glad that the movie didn’t “remove” the indigenous characters but instead made them into real people that we can appreciate. Overall, the film was a fun and punny adventure that our whole family enjoyed. As Disneyland enthusiasts, the film made us love the ride even more now and are so excited to watch the film over again as we ride the ride over again.
Jungle Cruise is now available to purchase on Digital and will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD November 16.
See below for the trailer and bonus features:
Disney’s Jungle Cruise Bonus Features*
- Jungle Cruise Expedition Mode – Climb aboard a ramshackle tramp steamer (or your own couch) to learn fun facts, discover Easter eggs and catch some pop-up trivia throughout the movie.
- It’s A Jungle Out There: Making Jungle Cruise – Director Jaume Collet-Serra, the cast and crew discuss the importance of the film’s elements, from casting to makeup to the use of an ancient indigenous language, in creating the world that honors one of Disneyland’s most beloved rides.
- Dwayne And Emily: Undoubtedly Funny – Go on-set with the two stars, whose new-found friendship helped them project a natural onscreen chemistry. Although their characters challenge each other throughout the film, the actors make each other laugh. A lot!
- Creating The Amazon – Explore the cinematic artistry involved in creating the world of Jungle Cruise, including how Frank’s boat coursed “dangerous” water in a tank in Atlanta, how a town was built in Kauai, and how a ferocious jaguar came to life, among other amazing effects.
- Once A Skip, Always A Skip – Join a panel of “Skippers” at the Disneyland Resort as they reminisce about the rewards, challenges and surprises they’ve experienced while helming the world-famous Jungle Cruise attraction, and hear their advice to aspiring skippers everywhere!
- Outtakes – Step behind the scenes of the production to catch the cast in a series of flubs, falls, foibles — and a whole lot of laughter.
- Deleted Scenes
- MacGregor Drives The Boat
- MacGregor Water Skis
- Joachim And Nilo On The Dock
- Frank Talks To Proxima & Lily’s Nightmares
- Sub Gets Stuck
- Proxima Surprises MacGregor
- Frank Gets The Cold Shoulder
- Trader Sam And Lily Walk In The Jungle
- MacGregor And Trader Sam Say Goodbye
- Frank Makes Tea For Lily
- The Backside Of Water
*bonus features vary by product and retailer
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