Despite having a ton of major hit franchises, it has been quite some time Disney has based a film off one of their theme park attractions. Outside the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Disney has not found a whole lot of success from such film adaptations, with entries like Tomorrowland being financial disappointments. Despite that however, Disney is taking another crack at a theme park movie adaptation with one of their most iconic rides Jungle Cruise, releasing a trailer for the film with an upcoming 2020 release date.
When scientist Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) learns the whereabouts of the Tree of Life, she and her brother (Jack Whitehall) venture off into the jungle to find this tree. They team up with a riverboat captain named Frank (Dwayne Johnson), who runs a jungle tour with cheaper setpieces but also has his own set of wildlife survival skills. With all their skills and knowledge of the wild, the three go on this grand adventure encountering many strange and exotic creatures in this mysterious jungle. The trailer is filled with action and even has a few callbacks to the original ride, including Dwayne Johnson making a quick joke about the incredible wonder that is “the backside of water.”
With Dwayne Johnson’s name and the jungle environment, it’s clear Disney wants to create an adventure franchise in the vein of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Fortunately it seems this film still has a bit of a Disney edge that helps set the film a part from Jumanji, with its period piece attire and ride callbacks. Hopefully if the cards are played right, Disney will have another surprise hit in the vein of the first Pirates of the Caribbean.
Disney’s Jungle Cruise is set for release July 24th 2020. Watch the full trailer below:
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