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| Walt Disney World |
During the 1940s and 1950s, Walt Disney Productions released a series of nature documentary films titled the True Life Adventure series that ranged from short to feature length productions. The series was super successful and won eight Academy Awards including three Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and five for Best Two Reel Live Action Short awards.
According to The History of Disney, it was suggested by production designer Harper Goff that the success of the True Life Adventure series be used to create an attraction at Disneyland. One film in particular, The African Queen, served as the inspiration behind the famous Jungle Cruise attraction at Disney Parks worldwide. Walt Disney wanted the attraction to be filled with live animals so guests could see them up close, but after consulting animal specialist, he realized that an audio-animatronic lion would be much easier to control than a live one.
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| Disney Parks Blog |
The Jungle Cruise was an opening day attraction at Disneyland on July 17, 1955, and is still in operation at the California park. It’s said that Walt Disney used to drive his Nash Rambler through the riverbeds to give tours of the coming attraction and to show off the mechanics of the animals. Today, the seven minute boat ride also has tours taking place in the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Although theming may change slightly from park to park, the basic setting of the boatdock of Jungle Cruise is a depression era British outpost on the Amazon River operated by The Jungle Navigation Co. While standing in the queue, guests can hear a radio broadcast full of jokes and puns to prepare them for their impending voyage. There are also several artifacts, tools and photos to help set the atmosphere for the cruise.
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| Theme Park Tourist |
Once guests arrive at the loading area, they will board one of the uniquely named boats and begin their journey into the jungle. The boats at each attraction have their own names, but since Walt Disney World is my home park, I thought I would share their names because they're too fun not to mention. Amazon Annie, Bomokandi Bertha, Congo Connie, Ganges Gertie, Irrawaddy Irma, Mongala Millie, Nile Nellie, Rutshuru Ruby, Sankuru Sadie, Senegal Sal, Ucyali Lolly, Volta Val, Wamba Wanda, and Zambezi Zelda can be spotted at the Magic Kingdom bringing a smile to guests all year round. The boats are designed to look like they have seen better days, but rest assured, your Skipper knows how to steer them. Just don’t pay *too* much attention to the steering wheel.
After boarding, guest will get to tour four unique rivers of the world while taking the Jungle Cruise - the Amazon, Congo, Nile, and Mekong. As guests travel through each of the rivers, they get to see animals and plants from each of the river's’ natural environment. Bill Evans, a WDI Master Landscape Architect, meticulously selected the plants for the attraction so they would have a tropical feel and would also stand up to the varying climates of its respective park. While walking up to the queue to the WDW attraction, you will notice wooden planted boxes with trees planted in them and their tagged destination is “Evans Exotic Plant Exporters.” This is a tribute to all the work Bill Evans did to bring the Jungle Cruise to life.
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| All Ears |
The Disney Parks Blog reports that Bill Evans’ “goal was to develop a ‘Hollywood Jungle,’ a mixture of exotic plants and trees that would give the feeling of traveling through exciting and uncharted territories. To create his Hollywood Jungle there in Anaheim, Bill developed some intrepid techniques, like smuggling plant seeds inside the cuffs of his socks and planting orange trees upside down to resemble mangroves. Bill also worked with the site’s existing horticulture when designing the Jungle Cruise. Originally planned for the east side of Disneyland park (where Tomorrowland would be built), Adventureland was moved to the west side of Main Street, U.S.A., to incorporate the large eucalyptus trees planted there by the orange farmers who previously owned the land. Planted to function as a windbreak for the orange groves, these trees made the perfect visual barrier, hiding all the mysteries that lay within the Jungle Cruise.”
In addition to the imported vegetation, there is also native trees and plants that make their home on the Jungle Cruise. There is even a tree at the Disneyland attraction that predates even Walt Disney himself. According to Mental Floss, the large palm tree is located just outside the entrance to the attraction and dates back to 1896. It is named the Dominquez Palm “after the family who lived there before the land became a theme park. The rancher who sold the land to Disney requested that this particular tree be spared, and Disney obliged, moving all 15 tons of tree from the parking lot area to Adventureland.”
When the attraction first opened at Disneyland, the script read just like a documentary film, lacking all of the comedy that made the Jungle Cruise world famous. Today, Skippers are given a script but are encouraged to adlib their tour to make each one a unique experience. This is said to come from Walt Disney himself who overheard a mother tell her son they weren’t going to ride the Jungle Cruise because they did that last time they were there.
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| BlogORail |
After seeing some more African wildlife brought to life by audio-animatronics, guests get to experience the eighth wonder of the world: the backside of water at Schweitzer Falls. The cruise ends by passing the head salesman of the jungle, Trader Sam. He has a great bargain you might just lose your head over if you take it.
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| WDW Live |
The Jungle Cruise is one of the few attractions that has withstood the test of time and I truly believe - and hope - it will have a constant presence in the parks. Disney Parks just wouldn’t be the same without the world famous Jungle Cruise and it’s Skippers entertaining us through the jungles of the world.
Robyn Fleenor is a contributing writer for The Mouse Knows Best Podcast. She is an avid Disney fanatic and would rather be at Walt Disney World eating glazed almonds than anything else. When she isn't working to pay for her next Disney vacation, she likes to binge watch TV shows and fall in love with fictional characters. She can be found tweeting at @rahrah6263.
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