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Jungle Cruise

Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element. Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element. Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.

• Jaume Collet-Serra
• Michael Green
• Glenn Ficarra
• Dwayne Johnson
• Emily Blunt
• Edgar Ramírez
• 1.2K User reviews
• 297 Critic reviews
• 50 Metascore
• 5 wins & 9 nominations

• Frank Wolff

• Lily Houghton

• MacGregor Houghton

• Prince Joachim

• (as Quim Gutierrez)

• Sir James Hobbs-Coddington

• Chief's Daughter

• Society Guard

• Society Member

• Society Worker
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt Answer Burning Questions

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Did you know

• Trivia Many of the puns Frank uses are taken directly from the Disney Parks attraction on which the movie is based. These "so bad they're good" jokes are one of the reasons why Jungle Cruise skippers are so important to the ride experience.
• Goofs Prince Joachim knows where the trapped Spanish are located. There was no record of this because only Skipper knew where he trapped them.

Frank Wolff : If you're lucky enough to have one person in this life to care about, then that's world enough for me.

• Crazy credits The bay in the Disney logo is seen to have the water glowing purple, and after the Disney logo fully appears the camera dives into the water and leads to the Tree of Life, which opens the film.
• Connections Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: D23 Expo 2019 Extravaganza (2019)
• Soundtracks Nothing Else Matters Reimagined by Metallica and James Newton Howard With featured performances by James Hetfield , Lars Ulrich , Kirk Hammett , Robert Trujillo Written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich Associate Producer and Engineer Greg Fidelman

User reviews 1.2K

• roadrunnerz-96074
• Oct 14, 2021
• How long is Jungle Cruise? Powered by Alexa
• Will 'Weird Al' Yankovic's song 'Skipper Dan' about Disney's Jungle Cruise ride be featured in this movie?
• July 30, 2021 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Thám Hiểm Rừng Xanh
• Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA
• Davis Entertainment
• Flynn Picture Company
• Seven Bucks Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $200,000,000 (estimated)
• $116,987,516
• $35,018,731
• Aug 1, 2021
• $220,889,446

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 7 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• IMAX 6-Track

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, jungle cruise.

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In the pantheon of Disney movies based on Disney theme park rides, "Jungle Cruise" is pretty good—leagues better than dreck like "Haunted Mansion," though not quite as satisfying as the original "Pirates of the Caribbean." 

The most pleasant surprise is that director Jaume Collet-Serra (" The Shallows ") and a credited team of five, count 'em, writers have largely jettisoned the ride's mid-century American colonial snarkiness and casual racism (a tradition  only recently eliminated ). Setting the revamp squarely in the wheelhouse of blockbuster franchise-starters like " Raiders of the Lost Ark ," " Romancing the Stone " and "The Mummy," and pushing the fantastical elements to the point where the story barely seems to be taking place in our universe, it's a knowingly goofy romp, anchored to the banter between its leads, an English feminist and adventurer played by Emily Blunt and a riverboat captain/adventurer played by  Dwayne Johnson . 

Notably, however, even though the stars' costumes (and a waterfall sequence) evoke the classic "The African Queen"—John Huston's comic romance/action film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn ; worth looking up if you've never watched it—the sexual chemistry between the two is nonexistent, save for a few fleeting moments, like when Frank picks up the heroine‘s hand-cranked silent film camera and captures affectionate images of her. At times the leads seem more like a brother and sister needling each other than a will they/won’t they bantering couple. Lack of sexual heat is often (strangely) a bug, or perhaps a feature, in films starring Johnson, the four-quadrant blockbuster king (though not on Johnson’s HBO drama "Ballers"). Blunt keeps putting out more than enough flinty looks of interest to sell a romance, but her leading man rarely reflects it back at her. Fortunately, the film's tight construction and prolific action scenes carry it, and Blunt and Johnson do the irresistible force/immovable object dynamic well enough, swapping energies as the story demands.

Blunt's character, Lily Houghton, is a well-pedigreed adventurer who gathers up maps belonging to her legendary father and travels to the Amazon circa 1916 to find the Tears of the Moon, petals from a "Tree of Life"-type of fauna that can heal all infirmities. She and her snooty, pampered brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) hire Frank "Skipper" Wolff (Johnson) to bring them to their destination. The only notable concession to the original theme park ride comes here: Wolff's day job is taking tourists upriver and making cheesy jokes in the spirit of "hosts" on Disney Jungle Cruise rides of yore. On the mission, Johnson immediately settles into a cranky but funny old sourpuss vibe, a la John Wayne or Harrison Ford , and inhabits it amiably enough, even though buoyant, almost childlike optimism comes more naturally to him than world-weary gruffness. 

The supporting cast is stacked with overqualified character players. Paul Giamatti plays a gold-toothed, sunburned, cartoonishly “Italian” harbor master who delights at keeping Frank in debt. Edgar Ramirez is creepy and scary as a conquistador whose curse from centuries ago has trapped him in the jungle.  Jesse Plemons plays the main baddie, Prince Joachim, who wants to filch the power of the petals for the Kaiser back in Germany (he's Belloq to the stars' Indy and Marion, trying to swipe the Ark). Unsurprisingly, given his track record, Plemons steals the film right out from under its leads.

Collet-Serra keeps the action moving along, pursuing a more classical style than is commonplace in recent live-action Disney product (by which I mean, the blocking and editing have a bit of elegance, and you always know where characters are in relation to each other). The editing errs on the side of briskness to such an extent that affecting, beautiful, or spectacular images never get to linger long enough to become iconic. The CGI is dicey, particularly on the larger jungle animals—was the production rushed, or were the artists just overworked?—and there are moments when everything seems so rubbery/plasticky that you seem to be watching the first film that was actually shot on location at Disney World.

But the staging and execution of the chases and fights compensates. Derivative of films that were themselves highly derivative, "Jungle Cruise" has the look and feel of a paycheck gig for all involved, but everyone seems to be having a great time, including the filmmakers.

In theaters and on Disney+ for a premium charge starting Friday, July 30th. 

Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

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Film credits.

Jungle Cruise (2021)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of adventure violence.

127 minutes

Dwayne Johnson as Frank Wolff

Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton

Jack Whitehall as McGregor Houghton

Edgar Ramírez as Aguirre

Jesse Plemons as Prince Joachim

Paul Giamatti as Nilo

• Jaume Collet-Serra

Writer (story)

• Glenn Ficarra
• Josh Goldstein
• John Norville

Cinematographer

• Flavio Martínez Labiano
• Joel Negron
• James Newton Howard

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Jungle Cruise

Where to watch.

Watch Jungle Cruise with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Its craft isn't quite as sturdy as some of the classic adventures it's indebted to, but Jungle Cruise remains a fun, family-friendly voyage.

Funny, full of action, and an all-around good time, Jungle Cruise is a ride well worth taking.

Audience Reviews

Cast & crew.

Jaume Collet-Serra

Dwayne Johnson

Frank Wolff

Emily Blunt

Lily Houghton

Edgar Ramírez

Jack Whitehall

McGregor Houghton

Jesse Plemons

Prince Joachim

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Jungle Cruise

July 30, 2021

Action, Adventure, Comedy

Join fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney’s Jungle Cruise, a 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.

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 2h 7min Release Date: July 30, 2021

Directed By

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August 26, 2019

Join fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE, a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton.

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Jungle Cruise (film)

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Jungle Cruise is a 2021 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a story by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa and a screenplay written by Michael Green, Ficarra, and Requa, based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name .

• 3.1 Uncredited
• 5.1 Promotional
• 5.2 Screenshots & Stills
• 7 References

Synopsis [ ]

Set during World War I , a riverboat captain named Frank takes a scientist and her brother on a mission into a jungle to find the Tree of Life which is believed to possess healing powers. All the while, the trio must fight against dangerous wild animals and a competing German expedition.

In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors led by Don Aguirre travel to South America in search of the Tears of the Moon, a mythical tree whose petals can cure any illness, heal any injury, and lift any curse. After most of the men die in the jungle, the survivors are nursed back to health by a local tribe using the tree petals. When they refuse to reveal the location of the tree, the Spanish destroy the village. As punishment, the conquistadors are cursed to never die and never be able to leave sight of the river.

In 1916 London , Dr. Lily Houghton and her brother MacGregor detail Lily’s research on the Tears of the Moon to an association of Royal Society explorers , explaining that the petals could revitalize medicine and aid in the British war effort. The Houghtons request access to an arrowhead recovered by Dr. Albert Falls that Lily believes is key to locating the tree. When the association denies their request, believing the tree to be a myth and a female scientist unqualified to join their ranks, Lily steals the arrowhead instead. She narrowly avoids Prince Joachim, a German aristocrat who also wants the arrowhead and the tree.

In South America, Frank Wolff takes tourists on jungle river cruises, which he embellishes with fake dangers and corny jokes. When his boat engine is repossessed by businessman Nilo, he attempts to steal it back. Caught in the act by Lily, Frank pretends to be Nilo and arrogantly tells her that the Tears of the Moon is a myth and that she will not be able to handle the dangers of the jungle, but changes his tone when he notices that Lily is in possession of the arrowhead. Frank’s deception is revealed when the real Nilo shows up, but Lily hires Frank anyway after he underbids Nilo and bravely fights a wild jaguar.

Frank, Lily, and MacGregor depart on Frank’s boat, but are almost intercepted by Nilo attempting to get his engine back, mercenaries hired by Joachim to retrieve the arrowhead from Lily, and Joachim himself attacking in a German submarine. After they make their escape, it is revealed that the attacking jaguar was actually Frank’s pet Proxima, and Lily wonders if Frank can be trusted.

Joachim locates the cursed conquistadors, whose bodies have turned to stone due to them traveling too far from the river, and have been infested over time by tree roots, snakes, and insects. Joachim frees them by diverting the river, and offers to help them break the curse if they help him to retrieve the arrowhead.

As Frank, Lily and MacGregor continue down the river, they become closer. MacGregor reveals to Frank that he was nearly disowned by his family due to being gay, but Lily stood by him. Breaking into Frank’s cabin, Lily finds photos and drawings of new inventions such as the automobile, but also discovers drawings of the arrowhead and research on the Tears of the Moon. Lily accuses Frank of wanting the tree for himself, but he explains he gave up searching for it a long time ago and believed it couldn’t be found. They are attacked by a tribe of “ cannibals ” who demand the arrowhead, but this is revealed to be another deception by Frank working with a friendly tribe. Frank apologizes and says he was unable to call off the plan, but Lily rebuffs him.

Trader Sam, the tribe’s female leader, translates the writing on the arrowhead, revealing the location of the tree, and that it only blooms under a blood moon. The conquistadors attack and manage to take the arrowhead; Frank recovers it and gives it to Lily, but is stabbed through the chest with a sword and falls to his death. Lily runs away from the river so that the Spaniards cannot follow her.

The next morning, Lily discovers that Frank has miraculously survived. He reveals that his real name is Francisco, and he is actually one of the cursed conquistadors, unable to die or leave the river. The expedition to find the tree was originally a noble one to save Aguirre's sick daughter, Anna, but when the natives were attacked by the Spaniards, Frank switched sides to help the villagers. After years of fighting, Frank trapped Aguirre and the others in a cave away from the river. He then spent time searching for the tree to lift his own curse, but had been unable to find it without the arrowhead.

An injured MacGregor stays behind with Trader Sam while Lily and Frank make the final journey to the tree. MacGregor is captured by Joachim and forced to reveal the location of the tree. Frank, Lily, the Germans, and the Spaniards all converge on the tree, which begins to bloom under the blood moon. The moon passes quickly as they fight, and Lily is only able to recover one petal. MacGregor kills Joachim, and Frank crashes his boat to block the river, turning himself, Aguirre and the other Spaniards into stone. Lily uses the petal to revive Frank and break the curse, only afterwards discovering that due to a shift in the moonlight, there is one petal left for Lily’s research.

Returning to the United Kingdom, the society has offered full membership to Lily, which she rejects. She shows Frank all of London and gives him his first driving lesson in her automobile as well as delivering a corny joke herself, worthy of the latter's admiration.

• Dwayne Johnson as Frank Wolff
• Emily Blunt as Lily Houghton
• Edgar Ramirez as Aguirre
• Jack Whitehall as MacGregor Houghton
• Jesse Plemons as Prince Joachim
• Paul Giamatti as Nilo Nemolato
• Veronica Falcón as Trader Sam
• Dani Rovira as Sancho
• Quim Gutiérrez as Melchor
• Dan Dargan Carter as Gonzalo
• Andy Nyman as Sir James Hobbs-Coddington
• Raphael Alejandro as Zaqueu
• Simone Lockhart as Anna
• Pedro Lopez as Chief
• Sulem Calderon as Chief's Daughter
• Sebastian Blunt as Society Guard
• Mark Ashworth as Society Member
• Allan Poppleton as Society Worker
• Caroline Paige as Kid Tourist
• James Quattrochi as Italian Tourist
• Stephen Dunlevy as Middlepart
• Philipp Maximilian as Axel
• Romualdo Castillo as Animal Vendor
• Pedro Haro as Bird Vendor
• Christina Souza as Barmaid
• Michael H. Cole as Bus Conductor
• Hector Banos as Puka Michuna Warrior
• Peter Luis Zimmerman as Puka Michuna Warrior
• Travis Gomez as Puka Michuna Warrior
• Ismael Herrera as Puka Michuna Warrior
• David Lengel as Boat Tourist
• Justin Randell Brooke as Boat Tourist
• Victoria Blade as Boat Tourist
• Brooke Jaye Taylor as Boat Tourist
• Vince Pisani as Boat Tourist
• Piper Collins as Boat Tourist
• Keith Arthur Bolden as Boat Tourist
• Chip Steele as Boat Tourist
• Ben Jenkin as Proxima
• David Paris as Pilot
• Kevin Larosa as Pilot

Uncredited [ ]

• Jobe Allen as Merchant Vendor
• Al Saif Alshad as Extra
• James William Ballard as Society Member
• Pedro Barquin as Dying Conquistador
• Sharon M. Bell as Guitar Lady
• Nick Benseman as German Mercenary
• Shane Berengue as Society Member
• Larry Blanks as Society Member
• Ryan Boz as Soldier
• Madeline Brumby as Upper Class Tourist
• John David Bulla as Spanish Conquistador
• Serge Burack Jr. as Society Member
• Luis Burbano as Puka Michuna Warrior
• James Burns as Londoner
• Met Clark as Yaktunaru Healer
• Jeremy Connell as Society Member
• Paul Delacerda as Puka Michuna Drummer #1
• Marc Demeter as Archaeologist
• Mariama Diallo as Mfantse Woman
• Ryan Dinning as Soldier #2
• Nalehua'o Puna Donlin as Merchant Vendor
• Porter Drudge as Lollipop Tourist Boy
• Payson Durant as Hotel Guest
• Lionel Fase as Tourist
• Faith Fay as Hotel Guest - Savannah
• Charles-Joseph Fisher as Flower Vendor
• Tony Fontanez as Tourist / Townsperson
• Gavrielle Anne Fontanilla as Puka Lady
• Kylie Michele Fuller as Society Cruise Tourist Kid
• Ely Garcia II as Dockworker
• Daniel Giron as Extra
• Stephan Goldbach as Surviving Mercenary
• Brian Gonzalez as Puka Michuna Drummer #2
• Jay Gutierrez as Conquistador
• Josué Gutierrez as Puka Warrior
• David H. Hahn as Gambler
• Clyde C Harris as Puka Warrior #2
• Nicholas Ryan Hernandez as Young Aguirre
• Tom Holowach as Hairpin Man
• Kalanikauleleiaiwi Ka'auwai as Boater
• Jay D. Kacho as RADAS Member
• Ilana Kohanchi as Italian Woman
• Abraham Kyle IV as Boater
• Xavier Leblanc as Puka Michuna Warrior
• Matt Lindquist as Extra
• Eufemio Longboy Jr. as Bartender
• Roy Luke as Society Member
• Clay Mason as Nilo's Dockworker
• Shawn McBride as Hotel Guest - Peppa
• Luke McDonald as Puka Male
• Garrett M Miller as Lecture
• David R. Mitchell as Society Member
• Casey Nelson as Soldier #3
• Jason New as Hotel Maitre D'
• Keith Nussbaum as German Valet
• Emily Marie Palmer as French Woman
• Annika Pampel as German Woman
• Danny Pardo as Canoe Man
• Josiah Paul as 1920s Society Member
• Quintin Tyler Price as British Soldier
• Nathan Reyes as Boater
• Henardo Rodriguez as Native American
• Matt Rodriguez as Ride Tribe Marauder
• Jamey Russell as Tourist
• Sterling l Sheldon as Gambler
• James Siderits as Society Member
• Jaren Soto as Yaktunaru Tribesman
• Keekee Suki as Market Vendor
• Charles Surrett as High Society Man
• Jason Szabo as Tourist
• Alfredo Tavares as Gang Member
• Robert Tinsley as London Guard
• David Turner as Society Member
• Alexandra Velez as Puka Woman
• Ruben Vidal as Frank's Friend
• Tom Vodnik as Tanner
• Wes Weems as Society Member
• Tanya Wheelock as Boat Tourist
• Kiera Woodward as Boat Tourist Child
• Marn Zeeb as Pit Boss Gambler
• The film takes influence from The African Queen (1951), an adventure film which imagineer Harper Goff used as an inspiration when making the Jungle Cruise.
• Dr. Albert Falls who stole the arrowhead for the Royal Society is a character from the ride, having founded the Jungle Navigation Company and, "Discovered" Schweitzer Falls .
• Nilo Nemolato's pet cockatoo Rosita is a character from Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room who physically appears in Disneyland's Jungle Cruise and Tropical Hideaway .
• Frank Wolff's business is the Jungle Navigation Company, an organization from the ride.
• Trader Sam of the Puka Michuna tribe is named for the male immortal magic-user Trader Sam from the ride. The character of Chief Nah-mee is also alluded to through chieftain Sam when she receives a top-hat .
• The Royal Anthropological and Diverse Adventures Society has a name similar to the Royal Anthropological Society which Nigel Greenwater mentions Marcus Brody lectured on the Temple of the Forbidden Eye .
• In Disneyland, Frank and Lily's clothes are hung in the office of Alberta Falls at the boathouse . Their map is also framed on the wall and another hall has Lope de Aguirre's helmet. [1] [2]
• For the film's premiere, one of Disneyland's Jungle Cruise's boats was turned into the La Quila .
• In Walt Disney World, the aforementioned map is hung up in the Amazon River Base near Frank's hat and Lope de Aguirre's helm, again in the office of Alberta Falls. [3]
• The map of the Magic Kingdom's Rivers of Adventure was created by Frank Wolff who signed it as, "F.W.". This map also appears in Disneyland aboard the Mekong Maiden .
• A crate labelled, " A. Falls Botanical Expedition " in Alberta's Amazon office might reference Doctor Falls' expedition for the Tears of the Moon.
• During the Jingle Cruise, one of the crates dropped in the African Veldt was addressed to Nilo Nemolato.
• On a shelf over the door for The Pach 's room is a small bookshelf. One of the books is titled "My Interests Happily Lay Elsewhere" by MacGregor Houghton. This alludes to MacGregor's quote implying his homosexual attraction from the film.
• In the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise there is a non-story related easter-egg referencing the film where a telegram to the JNC from Skipper Shaun mentions him pitching a Hollywood version of the Jungle Cruise.

Gallery [ ]

Promotional [ ].

Screenshots & Stills [ ]

References [ ]

• ↑ https://www.buzzfeed.com/crystalro/jungle-cruise-disneyland-easter-eggs
• ↑ https://attractionsmagazine.com/first-look-whats-gnu-jungle-cruise-disneyland/
• ↑ https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/jungle-cruise/news/16jul2021-new-props-added-to-the-office-in-the-jungle-cruise-queue.htm
• 1 Lope de Aguirre
• 2 Frank Wolff
• 3 Shir Lee Temple

15 Things to Know About 'Jungle Cruise' From Our Visit to the Disney Adventure Movie Set

Who's ready for an adventure?

In Disney's Jungle Cruise , Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt take the helm for a rip-roaring river adventure that goes beyond the banks of a Brazilian port town and into the heart of the Amazon to unearth secrets borne of ancient myth and legend. If that doesn't get you excited, perhaps our report from the Hawaii-based set of the soon-to-open movie will. We've got interviews with the leads, as well as supporting characters played by Jack Whitehall and Paul Giamatti coming your way this week, but to get you all comfy-cozy for your river cruise, we've put all the highlights together in one convenient location for you before the movie opens in theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on July 30th.

Check out the official synopsis to get acquainted, and then dive in to 15 Things to Know about Disney's Jungle Cruise :

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.

RELATED: Here’s What’s New on Disney+ in July 2021

• Jungle Cruise takes inspiration from the famous Disney Parks' attraction in the same way that Pirates of the Caribbean did, and Disney is hoping for the same level of success with this potentially franchise-launching first movie.
• Part world-tripping adventure, part action-packed quest for the truth behind ancient secrets and legends, Jungle Cruise really starts steaming once Johnson's rough-and-tumble skipper Frank Wolff and Blunt's progressive and independent explorer Lily Houghton meet up in a Brazilian port town.
• The core of the narrative here is definitely the adventure along the Amazon river (and beyond) but the heart of the story is the relationship between the leads.
• Romancing the Stone , Pirates of the Caribbean , and The African Queen were often cited as inspiration for Jungle Cruise .
• Complicating Wolff and Houghton's journey into the unknown is the local businessman Nilo ( Paul Giamatti ) who wants to run Wolff out of business to control everything in the town, as well as the more worldly antagonist Prince Joachim ( Jesse Plemons ), who is as well-connected as he is devious and deceitful.
• Wolff and Houghton aren't alone in their journey; they'll have the somewhat stuffy but charming McGregor Houghton ( Jack Whitehall ), Lily's brother, by their side, along with some unexpected allies.
• McGregor, a very proper British gentleman, has quite the wardrobe in this movie. Whitehall has somewhere on the order of 10 costume changes, which is more befitting a leading lady in classic Hollywood productions than a supporting male character. (He had a team tasked with following him around to keep his all-white three-piece suit crisp and clean in between takes on the muddy jungle set.) Jungle Cruise plays this up quite comedically, especially when McGregor and Wolff first meet aboard the skipper's rickety steamer ship, La Quila. As Whitehall himself said of the character, "McGregor might just be the worst person that you could have in this environment."
• McGregor also acts as the voice of reason, a counterpoint to his headstrong sister Lily.
• Whitehall's mother, Hilary Gish , read lines with him for his audition tape, playing the part of both Blunt and Johnson's characters. We're told the footage of this exists somewhere, but we have yet to see it (and would love to.) Meanwhile, Whitehall and his father Michael can be seen together in Netflix's Travels With My Father .
• During our set visit, Whitehall had to act opposite an actor in a leotard performing as a jaguar which was terrorizing the tavern. Whitehall has worked opposite real animals before, such as some rather rude horses in The Nutcracker , but on this occasion he remarked, "It's so good that this is not a real jaguar."
• The early villain of the piece, Nilo, is a well-appointed but severely sunburned businessman, played with plenty of personality by Giamatti, who had quite a bit of latitude when it came to shaping his character.
• The "really wacky" script, as Giamatti said, called for Nilo to have an animal friend in the movie. Originally this was intended to be a monkey, which can be found throughout the port town's market, but eventually they went with a cockatoo named Lover -- named Rosita in the film itself -- for the final shoot. Giamatti's rapport with Lover ended up getting the bird more time in the spotlight and even a few more lines in the script.
• While Nilo will antagonize our heroes in the first section of the movie, he's not the Big Bad of Jungle Cruise . Knowing that, Giamatti wanted to make him a little goofier, a little funnier, and a little more cartoonish.
• Johnson in particular did a lot of research into the iconic ride for this movie, including spending time with the Imagineers in the Disney Vault. He and the whole team are quite proud of the movie, especially since the adventure ride was so important to Walt Disney, who was the attraction's first skipper when Walt Disney World first opened.
• Roughly the first half hour of Jungle Cruise takes place on the Hawaii-based stand-in set for the Brazilian port town, where our set visit took place. The hotel, the market, the tavern, and all the boats and boathouses along the docks were practical creations for the set, and they're all phenomenal. If they had been left standing, they would have been quite the adventurous attraction for tourists to explore. Sadly, these sets were dismantled when the production moved to Atlanta in order to explore more of the magic and mythology (and "Adventureland" Easter eggs) that can be found in the remainder of Jungle Cruise .

Jungle Cruise opens in theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on July 30th.

KEEP READING: New Trailer for Disney's 'Jungle Cruise' Has Strong 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Vibes

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Jungle Cruise

Action, Adventure, Comedy

Join fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney’s Jungle Cruise, a 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.

Runtime: 2h 7min

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Jungle Cruise - Teaser Trailer 1

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'Jungle Cruise' — release date, plot, cast, trailer, and all you need to know.

Jungle Cruise stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson in a thrilling adventure into the unknown.

Jungle Cruise is Disney's new action-adventure family film, inspired by one of the original rides at Disneyland in California. Set in the early 20th century, the film follows an intrepid scientist as she embarks upon a mission to find a legendary tree deep within the jungle, whose petals are believed to have the power to cure any illness and break any curse. In order to get there, she enlists a slippery and cynical steamboat captain, and her extremely reluctant younger brother.

Here's everything you need to know about the film...

Jungle Cruise release date

Jungle Cruise will be released in cinemas on Friday July 30. As with other recent Disney releases like Cruella and Black Widow , it will also be available simultaneously to Disney+ subscribers via the Premier Access service for an additional one-off fee ( $30 in the US, £19.99 in the UK).

What is the plot of Jungle Cruise?

Dr Lily Houghton has spent many years studying reports of the fabled Tree Of Life, supposedly hidden deep within the jungle, whose petals are rumoured to have the power to cure any illness and break any curse. She wants to find the Tree and study its petals in the hope of advancing medical science — but it's the early 20th century, and very few people are willing to take a woman seriously on a matter like this.

Undeterred, Lily sets off to find it accompanied by her younger brother McGregor, who would much rather be safe on dry land enjoying a nice meal and a drink, but has nonetheless agreed to accompany his sister. Lily recruits steamboat captain Frank Wolff and his ramshackle vessel to help them get there, but the journey into the jungle is relatively uncharted and filled with danger.

However, Lily is not the only person looking for the Tree Of Life, as unhinged German aristocrat Prince Joachim is also determined to find it for his own purposes — and along the way she learns that Aguirre, a conquistador who set out to find the Tree Of Life many years before, met a terrible fate...

What are your critics saying about Jungle Cruise

What to Watch critic Leigh Monson had the below to say about Disney's newest adventure. 

" Jungle Cruise is the kind of film that used to be the embodiment of blockbuster cinema, a silly, over-the-top adventure with characters who are having just as much fun exploring their surroundings and each other as you are watching them. The effortless chemistry of the two leads elevates a high-concept romp to something truly special, and we can only hope that any eventual imitators learn the right lessons."

Who is in the cast of Jungle Cruise?

Emily Blunt ( A Quiet Place , Mary Poppins Returns ) stars as Dr Lily Houghton, alongside Dwayne Johnson ( The Fast And The Furious , Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle ) as Frank 'Skipper' Wolff and Jack Whitehall ( Bad Education , Fresh Meat ) as McGregor Houghton.

The film also stars Jesse Plemons ( Judas And The Black Messiah ) as Prince Joachim, Edgar Ramírez ( The Undoing ) as Aguirre, and Paul Giamatti ( Billions ) as Nilo Nemolato, the unscrupulous harbourmaster who manages the port where Frank is based.

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Steven Perkins is a Staff Writer for TV & Satellite Week, TV Times, What's On TV and  whattowatch.com , who has been writing about TV professionally since 2008. He was previously the TV Editor for Inside Soap before taking up his current role in 2020. He loves everything from gritty dramas to docusoaps about airports and thinks about the Eurovision Song Contest all year round.

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Screen Rant

Jungle cruise: true story inspiration & historical context explained.

Disney's Jungle Cruise takes inspiration from the theme park ride and adventure films before it, but it also draws on real-life historical concepts.

Disney’s Jungle Cruise is based on the theme park attraction of the same name, but the movie also takes from real-life historical figures and concepts. Jungle Cruise follows a British scientist, her brother, and a jungle cruise skipper as they embark on an adventure down the Amazon River in search of the mythologized Tears of the Moon. The Disney film stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Francisco “Captain Frank Wolff” Lopez de la Heredia, Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton, Jack Whitehall as her brother MacGregor Houghton, and Jesse Plemons as the villainous German Prince Joachim.

The story takes place back in 1916 at the start of World War I with international tensions high, and few scientific prospects for women like Lily in a patriarchal society. Along their journey to find the Tears of the Moon, which is said to cure any sickness and save the lives of millions, they come face-to-face with the mythologized curse put on Spanish conquistadors from 400 years prior. While many of the jungle’s dangers become real for the crew, Jungle Cruise also takes cracks from the Disney theme park ride it’s based on , introducing terrors that turn out to just be tricks by the boat’s skipper.

Related:  Jungle Cruise Is Trying To Recreate The Magic Of The Mummy

While Jungle Cruise is a new take on an adventure franchise for Disney, it also takes from several existing films that popularized the genre, including films like Disney’s own Pirates of the Caribbean , The Mummy , and The African Queen . Many of these films were also based on prior fictional concepts, but like Jungle Cruise , draw heavily from real-life history. Here’s a breakdown of the ideas from Jungle Cruise that were inspired by true historical figures and concepts.

Click here to watch 15 You Missed In Jungle Cruise on YouTube.

Tears Of The Moon Mythology & Twist

In Jungle Cruise , Tears of the Moon is a magical tree also referred to as the Tree of Life, whose petals are said to treat any ailment and break any curse, though most take it as a simple myth not to be believed. Lily and Jungle Cruise 's protagonist characters set out on the Amazon to find the Tears of the Moon to use their abilities to greatly benefit modern medicine, while Frank is after them to reverse the undying curse that keeps him trapped on the river for eternity.

The film’s mythology states that the tree can only be found with an ancient arrowhead, which found its way to The Association in London, where Lily steals the item and embarks on her adventure. Once at the Tree of Life, Frank and Lily discover a twist to the arrowhead’s puzzling clues - the arrowhead isn’t an arrow at all, it’s a heart. Once the arrowhead is broken in half, it reveals a pink gem that once placed in the tree, causes all of the magical petals to bloom under the blood moon.

The Tree of Life, as Tears of the Moon was called before Jungle Cruise  was released , is based on Disney’s Animal Kingdom tree of the same name, though it doesn’t come with the magical powers from Jungle Cruise at the theme park. The same tree is based on wider real-world religious and spiritual mythology, an archetypal “tree of life” that in many philosophies provides immortality, fertility, and healing. In European mythology, the tree of life is associated with the elixir of life that can provide eternal youth or a cure to all diseases, which in Jungle Cruise ’s case would be the Tears of the Moon’s petals.

Related:  Jungle Cruise: Why The Rock Is Perfect As The Skipper

"The Association" And Its Treatment Of Women

Jungle Cruise ’s Royal Society of explorers, or “The Association,” is shown to be a chauvinistic group of middle-aged white British men who don’t take well to a woman’s opinion or outsiders. Lily has to make her younger brother MacGregor the spokesperson for her speeches because Jungle Cruise 's Association won’t let a woman take the floor, immediately taking audiences back to the overly misogynistic regulations of the WWI era. Lily faces discrimination for her adventurous lifestyle throughout the movie, most obviously with men making fun of her for wearing pants when women were expected to wear dresses.

While the specific explorers association is fabricated for Jungle Cruise , these types of society were very real at the time, and some like it even exist today. Jungle Cruise ’s society is based on London’s real-life historical Royal Society, a scientific institution that conducted research and education around the globe, which also didn’t accept women as members until 1945. The film takes place in 1916, which was about 30 years before women were welcomed, so this is why Jungle Cruise 's ending scene shows women only in the viewing sections of the auditorium.

Prince Joachim, Son Of The Kaiser

The main antagonist of Jungle Cruise , aside from Frank’s old cursed Spanish conquistador associates, is the German Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons). Joachim is said to be a son of Kaiser Wilhelm, the ruler of Germany during World War I, for whom he is searching out the Tears of the Moon to win the war. He attempts to kill Frank, Lily, and MacGregor along their expedition while freeing the vengeful cursed Spanish conquistadors from their petrified states. Prince Joachim dies at the end of Jungle Cruise when he is punched by MacGregor, sending a giant boulder off a cliff that drops on top of him.

In real life, Prince Joachim of Prussia was the 6th child and youngest son of Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm. Joachim would have been 25 at the time of Jungle Cruise ’s Tears of the Moon adventure, while the actor Jesse Plemons was made to be a bit older at age 33. The prince was never sent on a mission to find a magical savior for the war, instead being in the middle of Dubin’s republicans advocating for Joachim to sit on an Irish throne in 1916. Prince Joachim then came to a tragic end, taking his own life at age 29 in 1920.

Related:  Jungle Cruise: The Meaning Behind Frank’s Boat Name, “La Quila”

Spanish Conquistadors & Their Curse

The major twist in Jungle Cruise comes when Frank reveals himself to be one of the Spanish conquistadors on Aguirre’s 16th-century expedition to find the Tears of the Moon. Aguirre (Édgar Ramírez), Frank, and the other two men made it deep into the river before turning on and attacking the native tribe, leaving Frank to defend the village. The chief before Trader Sam cursed all of Jungle Cruise ’s conquistadors, Frank included, making them immortal and trapped within the confines of the Amazon river for eternity. Each cursed conquistador now seeks the Tears of the Moon to finally lift their curses and either live out the remainder of their mortal lives or rest.

Aguirre is based on a real-life Spanish conquistador, Lope de Aguirre, from the 16th century who was known for being a madman adventurer. He is most notable for his final expedition that parallels Jungle Cruise , in which he traveled down the Amazon river in search of the mythical golden kingdom of El Dorado. Aguirre traveled to find El Dorado with his daughter, which is the inspiration for Jungle Cruise ’s character searching for Tears of the Moon to find a cure for his daughter. On Aguirre’s real-life expedition, he ended up claiming himself as the Prince of Peru, Tierra Firme, and Chile, murdering any natives or followers who tried to capture him. Finally, Aguirre was murdered by those who succeeded in destroying his tyrannical reign. Jungle Cruise ’s version of Aguirre is still an anti-hero at best, though his nobility in searching for a cure for his daughter is much more acceptable than the greed of finding gold and riches.

Next:  Jungle Cruise 2: What To Expect

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Jungle Cruise: What to know about Disney's latest ride-to-screen movie ahead of its swashbuckling debut

Credit: The Walt Disney Studios

We have our heading! In an effort to repeat the massive success of its  Pirates of the Caribbean   film   franchise, Disney is once again plumbing the depths of its beloved theme parks with another big-screen adventure inspired by a decades-long attraction: Disneyland's Jungle Cruise .

Clearly drawing from the pulpy and swashbuckling exploits of Old Hollywood, Jungle Cruise features  Dwayne Johnson ,  Emily Blunt , and Jack Whitehall on a wild expedition through the dangerous waters of the Amazon jungle.

Plot your course, haul up the anchor, and dive below for a quick primer on everything you need to know about the movie before it makes port later this month...

How to watch

Just like the studio's other major releases from 2021 —  Raya and the Last Dragon , Cruella , and Black Widow  —  Jungle Cruise will receive a dual rollout in theaters and on Disney+, starting Friday, July 30. 

If you'd like to check out the film from the comfort of your own home — no judgements here — you'll need to book virtual passage with an additional and one-time Premier Access fee of $29.99 on top of your existing Disney+ subscription (digital pre-orders are now open). Streaming releases usually drop onto the platform around 12 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET.

If you're up to returning to theaters, however, you can reserve your tickets on Fandango now.

Originally slated to open exclusively in theaters last July, Jungle Cruise was ultimately delayed by an entire year by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Credit: Disney

Ride to screen

The original Jungle Cruise  boat ride first opened in July of 1955 (it'll celebrate 66 years this Saturday) at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

"Based on Disney’s award-winning True-Life Adventure films, the attraction had a more educational tone," reads the official description on the Disney Parks website . "In the early 1960s, Walt Disney introduced more drama and asked animator Marc Davis to sketch some humorous gags. Over the years, more 'wildlife' — and new wisecracks — were added. These updates, along with our talented skippers, make for fun surprises on every trip down the river."

In anticipation of the movie's release, Disney added some new bells and whistles to the ride. SYFY WIRE was one of the few outlets to check out the updated experience at a recent press event. Click here to learn more about it.

Credit: Loomis Dean/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

The swashbuckling set-up

Set against the period backdrop of World War I, Jungle Cruise follows Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt), an intrepid British physician looking to find a mythical tree deep within the Amazon that is said to possess miraculous healing properties. Along with her brother, MacGregor (Whitehall), Lily charters a ride on the La Quila, a ramshackle, yet charming, tramp steamer captained by the wisecracking Frank Wolff (Johnson).

It's very clear that the movie wants to recapture the mismatched dynamic of Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in 1951's The African Queen . (The film's influence actually goes all the way back to the conception of the original Jungle Cruise  ride when production designer Harper Goff looked to Charlie Allnut's iconic boat for inspiration.)

"The Rock is fine," Bogart's son, Stephen, recently told Entertainment Weekly . "He's got a great personality. He seems like a very good person. I think he works hard; he cares about it, and I'll go see the movie. It'll be fun. But I never thought of it as a continuation [of The African Queen ], nor do I think Dwayne Johnson is trying to be Humphrey Bogart, that'd be tough."

Ok, let's get back to the plot, shall we? While on their epic journey, Lily, Frank, and MacGregor encounter dangerous wildlife (like a mean-eating jaguar named Proxima), hitherto unseen supernatural entities (like undead conquistadors), and a German royal ( Breaking Bad 's Jesse Plemons) also looking to get his grubby hands on the magical tree.

Edgar Ramírez ( Bright ) and Paul Giamatti ( Gunpowder Milkshake ) round out the rest of the cast.

Jack Whitehall as MacGregor, Emily Blunt as Lily and Dwayne Johnson as Frank in Disney's Jungle Cruise. Photo by Frank Misi. © 2021 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

All hands on deck

Written by Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa, Jungle Cruise was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who is currently working with Dwayne Johnson on Warner Bros.' Black Adam . Johnson serves as a producer alongside John Davis, John Fox, Hiram Garcia, and Dany Garcia. Scott Sheldon and Doug Merrifield are executive producers. The film's story is by John Norville and Josh Goldstein, and Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, while the screenplay was written by Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa.

A making-of book by Michael Goldman goes on sale the same day as the movie opens, July 30.

"There were several things that blew me away, so it is hard to pick one," Goldman said during an interview for D23 last year. "The production design and the effort taken to design and build the port town of Porto Velho was far beyond what is normal on such films. Likewise, the attention paid to designing era- and culturally appropriate props, hair, and makeup was amazing. The construction of the tramp steamer boat, La Quila, the home to Dwayne Johnson’s character, Frank, was a massive logistical achievement. And then there were the complex visual effects, particularly the state-of-the-art digital work used to create the ferocious jaguar Proxima, and to put a supernatural vibe on the conquistador characters who have been trapped in the jungle for a very long time."

Riding into the future

Jungle Cruise is one of several upcoming projects based on Disney Parks attractions.

As of this writing, movies based on The Haunted Mansion   (to be directed by Bad Hair 's Justin Simien), Tower of Terror   (to be executive produced by  Black Widow 's Scarlett Johansson), and Space Mountain   (from Obi-Wan and Army of the Dead writer Joby Harold) are all in active development.

Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times!

Jungle Cruise sets sail Friday, July 30 in theaters and on Disney+.

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Jungle Cruise's Big Twist (& Frank's Backstory), Explained

Dwayne Johnson’s Frank Wolff is already running several scams, but he's also hiding a huge secret that changes everything in Disney's Jungle Cruise.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Jungle Cruise , now available in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.

Disney’s new Jungle Cruise movie has as many twists and turns as the Amazon River . The plot follows Emily Blunt’s Indiana-Jones-type character, Dr. Lily Houghton, on a quest to find the legendary Tears of the Moon, which lie deep within the Amazon Jungle. The only way to get to her destination is by boat, so she hires Dwayne Johnson’s Frank Wolff to guide her upriver. What Lily doesn’t realize, however, is that both the Tears of the Moon and Frank are hiding important secrets.

The Quest for the Tears of the Moon in Jungle Cruise

In Jungle Cruise , the story of the Tears of the Moon has been passed down for centuries. According to Trader Sam's translations, a “Broken-hearted warrior climbed to the highest peak and shot his arrow into the Moon. From there, the Moon learned real pain and began to weep. Where the Tears fell grew a sacred Tree…” Legend has it that a single petal from the tree has the power to heal any ailment. That’s why Lily is searching for the Tears of the Moon, but she is not the only one to go looking. The legend inspired many people to quest after the tree’s healing powers.

RELATED:  Jungle Cruise's Gay Character Inches Disney in the Right Direction

Historically, the most famous person to search for the Tears of the Moon’s healing powers was a Spanish conquistador named Don Aguirre. He wanted to find the tree to save Anna, his ailing daughter, but he never returned. History called him a failure, but the story was much deeper. Many of his men died, but some were found by the natives, who guarded the tree, and nursed back to health with the powers of the Tears of the Moon.

The Origin of the Curse in Jungle Cruise

Upon his recovery, Aguirre was thrilled to learn of how close he had come to accomplishing his goal. So, he demanded that the natives take him to the Tears of the Moon and reveal its secrets, but the chief refused because Aguirre was not worthy. Enraged, Aguirre attacked, killed the chief and burned the village. Those actions only brought torment to Aguirre, though, because with his last breaths, the chief pronounced a curse on all of the Spaniards: they could never die nor leave sight of the river again, or else the jungle would pull them back to it.

Frank explains all of this to Lily, but this is where the big twist comes. His real name is actually Francisco Lopez de Heredia, and he was on that expedition with Aguirre as the conquistador’s cartographer. He was like a brother to Aguirre, but when the conquistador attacked the natives, Francisco couldn’t stand for it. He retaliated, fought Aguirre and was stabbed in the chest. He would have died but for the chief’s curse. As a result, he survived his wound and was cursed just like the other Spaniards – never able to die or to leave sight of the river.

RELATED:  Does Disney's Jungle Cruise Have an End-Credits Scene?

Why Dwayne Johnson's Frank Wants the Tears of the Moon

Ever since the curse, Frank and Aguirre had fought whenever they saw each other – two gods unable to die, locked in eternal combat . Eventually, Frank got tired of fighting, so he found a way to trap Aguirre and his other conquistadors in a pit where they couldn’t see the river. As a result, whenever the Jungle tried to pull the Spaniards back to the river, it pulled them into the walls of the pit, where they were trapped for years on end.

After he took care of Aguirre and his men, Frank’s sole purpose in life became to find the Tears of the Moon. So, he built a boat and with a succession of Proximas, he traversed up and down the Amazon River charting its many channels. All the while, he was in search of the only thing that could break the curse that held him in place. However, after centuries of searching, he gave up and built a town, where he tried to live as normal a life as an immortal could live. That’s where he stayed, until Lily showed up with the arrowhead and sparked new hope within him.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Jungle Cruise is currently in theaters or available to stream through Disney+ Premier Access.

KEEP READING:  How Jungle Cruise Sets Up a Sequel - and What to Expect

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‘Jungle Cruise’ Review: Amazon Subprime

Not even Emily Blunt, doing her best Katharine Hepburn impression, can keep this leaky boat ride afloat.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

Like Vogon poetry , the plot of Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” is mostly unintelligible and wants to beat you into submission. Manically directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, this latest derivation of a theme-park ride shoots for the fizzy fun of bygone romantic adventures like “ Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) . That it misses has less to do with the heroic efforts of its female lead than with the glinting artifice of the entire enterprise.

Emily Blunt plays Lily, a sassy British botanist weary of being disrespected by London’s chauvinistic scientific community. The Great War is in full swing, but Lily is obsessed with reaching the Amazon jungle to search for a flower that’s rumored to cure all ills. A roguish riverboat captain named Frank (Dwayne Johnson) is hired, and soon Lily and her fussy brother (Jack Whitehall) — whose discomfort with all things Amazonian is a running gag — are heading upriver into a host of digital dangers.

As snakes, cannibals and maggoty supernatural beings rattle around the frame, “Jungle Cruise” exhibits a blatantly faux exoticism that feels as flat as the forced frisson between its two leads. The pace is hectic, the dialogue boilerplate (“The natives speak of this place with dread”), the general busyness a desperate dance for our attention. Jesse Plemons is briefly diverting as a nefarious German prince, and Edgar Ramírez pops up as a rotting Spanish conquistador named Aguirre. Werner Herzog must be thrilled.

Buffeted by a relentless score and supported by a small town’s worth of digital artists, “Jungle Cruise” is less directed than whipped to a stiff peak before collapsing into a soggy mess.

“Everything you see wants to kill you,” Frank tells his passengers. Actually, I think it just wants to take your money.

Jungle Cruise Rated PG-13 for chaste kissing and bloodless fighting. Running time 2 hours 7 minutes. In theaters and on Disney+ .

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Jungle Cruise 2 - What We Know So Far

Disney has a long history of adapting its theme park rides for the big screen, and its latest, " Jungle Cruise ," is another hit for the House of Mouse. Based on the ride of the same name, the movie stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Jack Whitehall as explorers who sail deep into the Amazon jungle to find an ancient tree that grows petals with healing capabilities. Naturally, there are some bad people who want the tree's petals for themselves, and they're not above summoning spirits to aid their cause.

"Jungle Cruise" is a pulpy adventure in the vein of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Indiana Jones," making it the perfect viewing for the summer movie season. And now that the film has passed the $100 million mark (per The Hollywood Reporter ), Disney is officially moving forward with a sequel. But what can viewers expect from "Jungle Cruise 2" when it eventually arrives on their screens?

When will Jungle Cruise 2 be released?

At the time of this writing, a release date for "Jungle Cruise 2" has yet to be confirmed. The movie is in the very early stages of the pre-production process, so viewers will just have to be patient for now. As Radio Times points out, studio blockbusters tend to take around two years to complete, so the sequel could arrive in 2023 at the earliest.

Of course, the production of "Jungle Cruise 2" could be delayed due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, as well as the schedules of the film's stars. Dwayne Johnson keeps himself very busy, taking on a lot of roles in tentpole flicks. It remains to be seen if "Jungle Cruise 2" will be his priority now that DC's " Black Adam " has finished shooting. However, chances are he'll want to keep the current "Jungle Cruise" momentum rolling and get the sequel wrapped up while the iron is hot.

Who's in Jungle Cruise 2?

As the "The Hollywood Reporter" notes, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are set to reprise their roles as Frank Wolff and Dr. Lily Houghton, respectively, for the next jungle-faring adventure. While his status for the sequel remains unconfirmed, British comedian Jack Whitehall could return as MacGregor, Lily's younger brother who — often against his better judgment — helps his sibling on her dangerous quests. Whitehall is a big name in the U.K, but "Jungle Cruise 2" is an ideal vehicle for continuing to solidify his presence in Hollywood.

While no other casting announcements have been made official at the time of this writing, the first movie did leave the door open to some interesting possibilities. Given that Frank has a history with Aguirre, Édgar Ramírez might be brought back as the ghostly serpentine villain. While the bad guy was turned to stone at the end of the first "Jungle Cruise," Aguirre's backstory with Frank has only been explored briefly, and the film gave us the impression that the former allies have some unfinished business with each other.

Of course, the "Jungle Cruise" ride has a wealth of interesting characters, and the sequel could feature more of them. With that in mind, expect some fresh faces to appear in "Jungle Cruise 2."

What's the plot of Jungle Cruise 2?

Details about the plot for "Jungle Cruise 2" are being kept under wraps for now, but the good news is that the story is in trustworthy hands. Michael Green, who co-wrote the first film, will pen the script for the next installment. Jaume Collet-Serra is reportedly set to return to the director's chair as well.

According to Digital Spy , the sequel could feature a fish-out-of-water story for Frank now that he's been brought out of the jungle and forced to navigate 1920s London. Additionally, "Jungle Cruise 2" could explore MacGregor's story more after he came out as gay in the first film. However, this was only tacitly implied and the word "gay" is never actually said, so perhaps the next movie could be an opportunity to give MacGregor a positive LGBTQ+ love story and spend more time developing his character.

Regardless of the direction "Jungle Cruise 2" goes in, viewers can look forward to another family-friendly adventure that puts the film's heroes in a perilous situation. And with Frank definitely set to play a huge part, he'll undoubtedly have plenty of corny jokes to share along the way.