The marketing campaign for Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” has not been shy about the very public rivalry between Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Yes, it’s a publicity stunt, but part of the fun is seeing how the two are using their star power to take a few jabs at each other. But with the film just a few short weeks away from release, Disney has released a brand-new featurette that give Johnson and Blunt a chance to talk about the ride and how the film honors its legacy.
“The Jungle Cruise rise was Walt Disney’s main attraction when park opened and now we have this incredible opportunity to turn into a movie,” Johnson said.
Indeed. Even if Jungle Cruise is over 65 years old, the ride remains one of Disneyland’s most popular attractions. And Disney hopes to replicate that same success they had with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise with “Jungle Cruise.”
“You are taken on this roller coaster injected with thriller and suspense and humor,” Blunt explained about the film and its tones.
The featurette also takes some time to briefly describe its two lead characters that will take audiences on this wild adventure through the jungle. Johnson says Frank is a wisecracking skipper who takes a lot of pride in what he does. While he is short on money and his gimmicky river cruise isn’t making ends meet, he runs into a bit of luck when the ambitious and brave Lily is needs a skipper to take her down the river to help find a tree with unparrelled healing power. Blunt adds that her character is ahead of her time. And judging by determination and escape artistry, she lives up to that reputation.
Johnson also talks about how incredibly lucky he is to get to work with such a wonderful cast, Blunt chimes in calling Johnson her enormous buddy, and jokes how she can out bench press him at the gym.
The featurette also teases the whimsy fun and cheeky humor that’s woven into this adventure through the amazon jungle. Both Frank and Lily will encounter perilous river rapids,
Inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park ride, Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” is an adventure-filled, rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind’s—hangs in the balance.
Edgar Ramírez and Jack Whitehall, with Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti also star.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, “Jungle Cruise” opens in theaters and on Disney+ on July 30.
