Jungle Cruise

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Kram Nebuer
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Post by Kram Nebuer »

Why not make a movie based on Splash Mountain? Oh wait, the ride was based on a movie so why isn't it out on DVD for Pete's sake!!!!

Anyhow, a Jungle Cruise movie seems a little weird. It's more of a tour of jungles of Africa and Asia with corny jokes. How do you make a movie or put a new spin to that? The only great plots I can think of are of the Jungle Trekkers stuck up a tree and the natives.
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Post by MickeyMousePal »

No way not the Jungle Cruise movie!!!
I love this ride but it won't have a good plot.
I prefer a movie base on Matterhorn Bobsleds!!!
Starring Jackie Chan, Robin Williams and Tom Cruise!!!

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Post by Maerj »

The Jungle Cruise was inspired by the film The African Queen, so you could say that this ride is based off of a movie as well. They also wanted to use live animals on the ride until it was deemed impractical.

I think that a movie based off this ride *could* be good as long as they keep with the spirit of the ride (bad jokes, which most people refer to as puns) and if they have a good script. Great casting will help too...
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Post by yoda_four »

Maerj wrote:The Jungle Cruise was inspired by the film The African Queen, so you could say that this ride is based off of a movie as well. They also wanted to use live animals on the ride until it was deemed impractical.

I think that a movie based off this ride *could* be good as long as they keep with the spirit of the ride (bad jokes, which most people refer to as puns) and if they have a good script. Great casting will help too...
Well, as they say, you learn something new every day! :) Cool. Now we now theres more for the film to establish it's self on.
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Post by Maerj »

yoda_four wrote:
Maerj wrote:The Jungle Cruise was inspired by the film The African Queen, so you could say that this ride is based off of a movie as well. They also wanted to use live animals on the ride until it was deemed impractical.

I think that a movie based off this ride *could* be good as long as they keep with the spirit of the ride (bad jokes, which most people refer to as puns) and if they have a good script. Great casting will help too...
Well, as they say, you learn something new every day! :) Cool. Now we now theres more for the film to establish it's self on.
Well, I would doubt that this film would have anything to do with the African Queen. I think that that film only provided inspiration for such a ride, so I think that the Jungle Cruise movie will be a new concept based soley around the theme park attraction with some new ideas to flesh it out. Still, Pirates was a great movie, Haunted Mansion was good and even Country Bears was fun. We know 2099net is a big supporter of that film and I can see why because it was actually funny. It was the weakest of the theatrical theme park movies, but is still worth watching at least once.
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Post by pinkrenata »

Maerj wrote:The Jungle Cruise was inspired by the film The African Queen ...
Bleh. The African Queen is just about the most boring, god-awful film I have ever seen. First, Humphrey Bogart acts all crazy, and then there's bugs and then he takes of his shirt to reveal fuzziness, and then there's some "exciting" music, and the next thing you know, Katherine Hepburn's all, "Dahling! I love you!" And that's just about the entire movie. Of course, I shouldn't complain. I fear Disney could do even worse with a movie based on the Jungle Cruise.
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Kram Nebuer
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Post by Kram Nebuer »

pinkrenata wrote:
Maerj wrote:The Jungle Cruise was inspired by the film The African Queen ...
Bleh. The African Queen is just about the most boring, god-awful film I have ever seen. First, Humphrey Bogart acts all crazy, and then there's bugs and then he takes of his shirt to reveal fuzziness, and then there's some "exciting" music, and the next thing you know, Katherine Hepburn's all, "Dahling! I love you!" And that's just about the entire movie. Of course, I shouldn't complain. I fear Disney could do even worse with a movie based on the Jungle Cruise.
Wow. I was always under the impression that The African Queen was a true-life adventure film. I guess I was wrong...
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Post by AwallaceUNC »

Kram Nebuer wrote:Anyhow, a Jungle Cruise movie seems a little weird. It's more of a tour of jungles of Africa and Asia with corny jokes. How do you make a movie or put a new spin to that? The only great plots I can think of are of the Jungle Trekkers stuck up a tree and the natives.
As I've said, watch The Mummy. :wink:

An important distinction needs to be made, and I think Maerj was expressing this too, but I'm not sure. The Jungle Cruise isn't exactly based on the The African Queen or any of the TLAs. It's more like the concept of these films served as a distant inspiration for the ride, and something that guests could relate it to in their minds.

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Post by kbehm29 »

It's back on the front burner, according to comingsoon.net this morning!

"Following the record-breaking success of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Walt Disney Pictures is giving high-priority status to another movie project based on a Disneyland ride.

The Hollywood Reporter says "Smallville" showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar are in talks to write Jungle Cruise, an adventure movie and potential franchise that is being produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman through their Mandeville Films label.

"Cruise" is based on the Disneyland ride in which parkgoers travel the jungle river guided by a riverboat skipper, encountering such wild creatures as pirhanas and gorillas during their tour. The ride was one of the 22 original attractions when the park opened in 1955."

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=16606
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Post by kbehm29 »

How long did it take them to get POTC: COTBP to theaters once they began the writing phase? I'm wondering how long we'll really have to wait for this movie - what about what they were writing two years ago in '04?
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kbehm29 wrote:The Hollywood Reporter says "Smallville" showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar are in talks to write Jungle Cruise, an adventure movie and potential franchise that is being produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman through their Mandeville Films label.
Awesome! Their writing on Smallville was some of the most enjoyable TV I've seen. They also wrote the story for both Spiderman movies!
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Post by Wonderlicious »

I think that The Jungle Cruise could make a good film, as long as it doesn't turn into either a brainless action film or a remake of The African Queen, which are two potential problems that could affect an adaptation of a ride like this. As Aaron mentioned two years ago, The Timekeeper could make a good movie, and since that ride is now extinct, no longer residing in any Disney resort in the world (damn it :evil: ), it may be a pleasant requiem mass for such a great, yet sadly torn down attraction.

I've got to say, though, that I hope Disney will leave some of their rides alone. I don't want Disney to go into the mode where every original theme park ride is turned into a film, as it may make Disneyland lose some of it's charm.
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Post by ichabod »

Wonderlicious wrote:I've got to say, though, that I hope Disney will leave some of their rides alone. I don't want Disney to go into the mode where every original theme park ride is turned into a film, as it may make Disneyland lose some of it's charm.
I understand completely, and it does appear that Disney have hopped on the attraction > film bandwagon. Then again in this modern age of idiots who have an attention span of 4 minutes, or until something shiny sponsored by coke is waved before their faces, I can completely understand Disney's decisions to try and boost the fame of certain attractions by basing a film around them. Luckily however at least up until now the films in general apart from borrowing the title and base idea, have tended to be very different from the rides. I mean at Pirates of the Caribbean and The Country Bears and <i>The Haunted Mansion</i> bear only a passing resemblance to the attractions on which they were based (perhaps a slightly larger resemblance in the case HM) and to be honest I get the feeling that other than the name there won't be too much to tie <i>Jungle Cruise</i> to the ride.

I have to say I think a film based around The Jungle Cruise could work though, after all the floor is left wide open for varying stories. There are lots on imaginable scenarios about what could happen on the Jungle Cruise, hopefully it won't be:

Dad: Sorry I'm late home from work honey!

Mom: You care more about your job than you do about your family!

Son: Stop arguing, why can't we go on a break as a family?

Mom / Dad: Alright!

Stroppy teenage girl: Now I'm going to miss the concert, I hate you!

On the Cruise

Conveniently placed teenage boy for love story with stroppy teenage girl: We're gonna crash!

Dad: Being almost eaten by a crocodile makes me realise how much you mean to me! I'll never work again

All: yay!

Although knowing Disney, that's probably what we'll get! :p ;)

Who knows what else well be adapted for the silver screen, but I'll eagerly await 2011 and the realease of Main Street U.S.A: The Movie!
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Post by slave2moonlight »

I'm amazed that, even after Pirates of the Caribbean, people will still write-off a movie as "guaranteed to be bad" just because it is based on a ride (or because it's a remake, sequel, or whatever) without even seeing it. Anything has potential to inspire a great story/film/sequel, it all depends on the work put into it, especially the writing. Haunted Mansion was formulaic, true, but still very enjoyable. True, it did not reach its full potential, but it's still good. Tower of Terror was surprisingly good for a made-for-TV film, though a little high in the cheeze department, but just think how a few changes could have made these films so much better? That's often the case with films that flop, sequels, direct to video stuff... sometimes, it's just a few things that bring them down that could have just as easily been corrected. Country Bears was a pretty awful movie, but the potential WAS there. The two big mistakes: The bears looked awful (should have been animated, preferably traditionally, or should have used animatronics that looked like the ones in the show), and the plot was a Blues Brothers rip-off. Rather than "getting the band back together," they should have been forming the band or it should have just been the band having a wacky adventure. Sad, because it could have been great, and they still could make a great "Country Bears" animated feature, but with the movie having been such a flop, they surely never will touch that subject again. Too bad.

The Jungle Cruise has loads of potential, especially because, as with pirates, it wasn't based closely on any specific film (I always read that the inspiration was the True Life Adventure "The African Lion"). Frankly, I was hoping to write my own script for this film, even though I know Disney generally, as a rule, won't read anything they didn't commission. Or so I have heard. I think they do have a script writing contest, and I was thinking of submitting it there. Anyway, too late now, as I guess they are having the Smallville guys do it. Smallville is my favorite show, but I can't say I am convinced they are the best choice for the subject. We'll see. I guess I'm generally pretty open to the possibilities.

Personally, my story was going to involve a somewhat unlucky, sarcastic adventurer/treasure hunter in pursuit of some sort of golden idol with mystic powers (all the details weren't hammered out yet). This treasure hunter, preferably played by Bruce Campbell or Seann William Scott, being pursued by less than friendly competition because of some important clue he carries, would make his getaway by taking the place of a jungle tour boat skipper on a boat full of passengers (well, not too full that we can't get to know all the characters, more like a handfull). He would procede to take them on an improvised and informative (but not too accurate) tour of the jungle, while really seeking out his prize and trying to avoid the bad guys. I even was toying with the idea of a mystical portal to go from the African Jungle to the Indian Jungle, and vice versa, during the getaway, possibly being the main power of the magical artifact the treasure hunter was searching for. And, because he is just a treasure hunter rather than a real tour boat captain, he can make stupid jokes, incorrect explainations of things (named after...Dr. Falls...), and shoot at hippos. Anyway, like I said, it wasn't all hammered out yet, but I was psyched with the way it was going. Trying to keep the humor of the ride, too, which I hope they do with the film. The most recent stuff I heard about it made it sound more serious than anything. I really feel that comedy should play an important part, though not too important. Maybe keep it at the Adventure/comedy level of Pirates of the Caribbean, or just a tad funnier. Also, my story was sorta open to taken place nowadays or at the turn of the century (the 19th/20th, I mean).
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Post by slave2moonlight »

Wonderlicious wrote:I think that The Jungle Cruise could make a good film, as long as it doesn't turn into either a brainless action film or a remake of The African Queen, which are two potential problems that could affect an adaptation of a ride like this. As Aaron mentioned two years ago, The Timekeeper could make a good movie, and since that ride is now extinct, no longer residing in any Disney resort in the world (damn it :evil: ), it may be a pleasant requiem mass for such a great, yet sadly torn down attraction.

I've got to say, though, that I hope Disney will leave some of their rides alone. I don't want Disney to go into the mode where every original theme park ride is turned into a film, as it may make Disneyland lose some of it's charm.
I agree somewhat. Well, I don't mind them turning every non-movie-related ride into a movie, but I wish they didn't feel they had to change the ride to match up with it. That's when it can hurt the charm of the park. That turns the ride that was so great it inspired a movie into another ride based on a movie. People will start forgetting which came first.

And, Timekeep COULD make a great movie, if a bit Doctor Who-like. I am not going to miss that attraction desperately on its own merit, though it wasn't bad, but I'm sure I will miss it when they replace it with something awful.
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Post by Wonderlicious »

ichabod wrote:Who knows what else well be adapted for the silver screen, but I'll eagerly await 2011 and the realease of Main Street U.S.A: The Movie!
What about these upcoming films based on rides at Disneyland?

Space Mountain
Set in a distopian Orwellian future, the death penalty becomes the only form of punishment in the future country the USE (United States of Europe). And how are the people executed? They're shoved in a canon placed on a death-row prison called Space Mountain, then shot off to the moon where their heads explode (due to not wearing spacesuits). Yet one man survives during his execution for some reason...

It's a Small World!
An eccentric manufacturer of toys develops a ride for the theme park Merrie Meadows called "It's a Small World!", which is dubbed as "the merriest world cruise that ever used air conditioning". It's a smash hit with theme park goers. But then, at Merrie Meadows' Halloween Nighttime Bash...the ride is struck by lightning, and whilst the building remains intact, the dolls come to life, causing many problems for the riders. Disney's first ever slasher horror film.

The Carousel of Progress
A bunch of Irish immigrants from the early 1990s arrive in New York realising that their key to success in the land of the free and brave is to go down to Coney Island and take a spin on the latest fairground ride; the Carousel of Progress! Sadly, their particular spin goes horribly wrong and they all die.

The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror
Let's forget that the Wonderful World of Disney TV movie never existed. Now, let's think of this pattern; lift goes up, lift goes down, lift goes up, lift goes down...

Storybook Land Canal Boats
Imagine The African Queen...but replace Africa with the enchanted kingdom of Ruritania.
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Post by Chrissy31886 »

This sounds exciting! It's hard for me to invision as a movie...the ride is a little slow paced....I hate to use the word boring....relaxing maybe? With Disney behind the scenes though I'm sure it will be amazing. I love the movies made from rides...it makes me feel like I'm a part of the movie in a sense :oops:
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Post by ohmahaaha »

I distinctly remember being skeptical when I first heard about a movie based on "Pirates of the Caribbean" and it turned out wondefully.

It's ridiculous to speculate on the merits of a film before the screenplay is even complete.
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Post by goofystitch »

I also agree it is to early to judge since all we know is they are making a movie based on the ride and that the Smallville writing team is being considdered to pen a screen play. However, I LOVE Smallville and just found out in this forum that Gough and Millar also wrote the Spiderman movies, so that has me very excited. They are so creative with Smallville and in my opinion, did a great job re-telling the story of young Clark Kent and adding a few new things to the ever-changing Superman lore.

I Love the Jungle Cruse as well. It was never one of my favorites as a kid because I didn't get the jokes and I'd seen the bathing elephants so many times, but I love it now. It's one of the few rides that is different every time depending on which tour guide you get. Since they are making a film, there is deffinatley room for an adventurous plot, since I'm sure Disney will be making references to POTC in their add campaign to boost interest. But I really hope they keep the spirit of the ride with it's cheesy jokes and hilareous vignettes(the rhino chasing the campers up the flag pole). I'm hoping Disney will have a teaser for it before "At World's End," the next POTC film.
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Post by kbehm29 »

It's back in the news again. Miceage.com reports that:

As the block busting juggernaut that is the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise continues to sell tickets this summer, Disney are no doubt hoping that their next theme-park-ride-to-movie conversion will do equally well. The celluloid adaptation of the Jungle Cruise has been languishing in pre-production for several years already, but since the overwhelming success of the two Pirates sequels, it has been bumped onto the Hollywood fast track.

The project gained added kudos when it was announced that Smallville showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar, whose cinematic credentials include writing duties on Spiderman 2, had been assigned to develop the script. Their association with the project has gone some way towards calming fears that the movie might be more reminiscent of Disney’s various other ride based films, which sport less than impressive box office and critical records. (If anyone remembers the Country Bears movie at all, it’s usually for the wrong reasons.)

Very little is known about the film to date, other than a few tidbits that Oren Aviv, the President of Production at Walt Disney Studios, let slip when he described it as a “star-led, action adventure” in which a team of explorers enlist the services of a roguish riverboat captain to take them into the jungle in search of a rare flower with miraculous healing properties.

We are unlikely to learn any more until we get closer to filming, but re-examining the inspiration behind the new film may give some indication of what to expect. Ironically, the film’s origins lie not in the theme parks, but back on the silver screen, and the film that inspired Walt Disney to create the classic Adventureland attraction in the first place - John Huston’s The African Queen.


I've never seen that film. I guess I need to add it to my Netflix queue.
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