You can never accuse Disney of resting on their laurels. With their enormous success of transforming Pirates of the Caribbean into a powerhouse film franchise, Walt Disney Pictures is now turning their focus on another attraction at their Disneyland and Magic Kingdom theme parks. This ride in this case is Jungle Cruise, one of the original 22 attractions that Disneyland featured when it opened in 1955.
Jungle Ride
The Jungle Ride is one where visitors to the parks (that would be you and I) get to take a trip through the jungle on a riverboat. The riverboat guide shares his freewheeling tales of his many journeys down this long stretch of dark river and points out the wild creatures that decorate the shores including the elephants, hippos, gorillas and the piranhas. There is also the small matter of the jungle tribesmen that attack during the tour.
The details of the film’s plot are being kept top secret, though there are rumors of negotiations between Al Gough and Miles Millar to write the script. Gough and Millar are the creators and executive producers of Smallville.
Attractions as Films
While Pirates was a definitive success, Disney hasn’t always seen similar success with their turning of attractions into major feature films. Do the names Haunted Mansion and Country Bears mean anything to you? The Haunted Mansion featured Eddie Murphy and while it was not a lot like the ride, but it was fun. The Country Bears tanked in the theater, but my daughter loves it – and it reminds me of the old Muppet films.
So for now, we can just sit back and wait for the droplets of information Disney will begin to dribble about the potential of the Jungle Cruise, at least until I get a chance to go back to the Magic Kingdom and go on the ride.
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