Jungle Cruise Trivia | 73 facts about the new Disney film

“Jungle Cruise” is a fantasy adventure comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new film.

1. Jungle Cruise is a 2021 American fantasy adventure film
2. It is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
3. From screenplay written by Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, and Michael Green
4. The film is based on Walt Disney’s theme park attraction of the same name
5. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti
6. The story follows the captain of a small riverboat who takes a scientist and her brother through a jungle in search of the Tree of Life
7. Plans for a feature film based on the Jungle Cruise ride began in 2004 following the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl the year prior
8. The project laid dormant until 2011
9. Then Tom Hanks or Tim Allen were set to star, though that version fell through
10. Johnson was cast in August 2015 and Blunt the following January
11. The rest of the cast joined in spring 2018
12. With filming taking place in Hawaii and Atlanta, Georgia from May through September that year
13. Following a year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jungle Cruise was released in the United States on July 30, 2021
14. It was simultaneously released in theaters and digitally through Disney+ with Premier Access
15. The film has grossed over $81 million worldwide
16. It also made $30 million from Disney+ Premier Access in its opening weekend
17. The film received mixed reviews from critics
18. They praised Johnson and Blunt’s chemistry and the entertainment values
19. Critics criticized the screenplay and the abundance of CGI
20. In September 2004, it was announced that Jungle Cruise would be developed for Mandeville Films, with a script by Josh Goldstein & John Norville
21. The film was loosely inspired by the theme park attraction of the same name
22. The film was announced to take place within the twentieth century
23. In February 2011, it was announced that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, who had previously worked together in the Toy Story franchise, would star in the long-gestating film
24. With a script to be written by Roger S. H. Schulman
25. In August 2015, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures was redeveloping its film adaptation based on Jungle Cruise, to star Dwayne Johnson
26. The previous script originally written by John Norville and Josh Goldstein, would be rewritten by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra
27. The film was produced by John Davis and John Fox, with the intention to harken back to its period roots
28. In April 2017, Johnson expressed his interest in having Patty Jenkins helm the project
29. But in July 2017, Jaume Collet-Serra was announced as the director of the film
30. In January 2018, Emily Blunt was announced as a leading cast member
31. The same month, Michael Green was reported to have rewritten the script, previously worked on by Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne
32. In March 2018, Jack Whitehall was cast as the brother of Blunt’s character
33. In April 2018, Édgar Ramírez and Jesse Plemons were added to the cast as villains with the former being “a man with a conquistador background”
34. The following month, Paul Giamatti was cast to portray a “crusty harbormaster”
35. In June 2018, Quim Gutiérrez joined the cast to portray one of the villains
36. On July 2018 it was announced that Dani Rovira had joined the cast
37. Six months later, it was reported that Whitehall’s character would be gay and would have a coming out scene in the film with Johnson
38. This would be the second incidence of a gay character in a live-action Disney film, the first being Le Fou, portrayed by Josh Gad, in the 2017 adaptation of Beauty and the Beast
39. There was some backlash over the report, with some online expressing anger over a straight man being cast as a “camp” gay character
40. An open casting call was made in March 2018 for the other characters in the film, including men and women of all ethnicities, between ages 17 to 90, and children of 6–14 years old
41. Principal photography began on May 14, 2018
42. A port town was set up at the Kauai, Hawaii, for shooting the first spell
43. The shoot then moved for a second spell in the Blackhall Studios, Atlanta, where the river was set up in a “100ft by 60ft” tank
44. Two boats of length “39 feet” were built for easy logistics in filming at both the locations, revealed production designer, Jean-Vincent Puzos
45. Filming wrapped after several months on September 14, with about 95 days shoot on set
46. The cinematographer Flavio Martínez Labiano revealed that the Blue screen technology was used instead of Green screen for Chroma key
47. Magenta tinted lights were used for a sequence of the tree. He also wanted to show colorful “London in the summer” unlike many other films which depict London in winter when “it’s foggy and it’s blue”
48. Johnson shared that the film pays homage to The African Queen, Romancing the Stone and Indiana Jones
49. Joel Negron serves as editor on the film, with DNEG, Industrial Light & Magic, Rodeo FX, Rising Sun Pictures, and Weta Digital providing the visual effects
50. In January 2019, it was announced that James Newton Howard joined the production as the film score composer
51. By August 2020, it was revealed that Metallica collaborated with Howard on an instrumental version of the song “Nothing Else Matters”, for the film
52. According to the band’s drummer Lars Ulrich, Metallica worked on the film after Walt Disney Pictures president Sean Bailey, felt like Jungle Cruise was “the right fit” for a collaboration between Disney and Metallica
53. Bailey had been “always looking for the right match where there was a way that Metallica could contribute to some Disney project”
54. The band members recorded their parts from their individual studios, due to the COVID-19 pandemic
55. The score was recorded in February 2020 by a 99-person orchestra, with vocals provided by 40 members from the Los Angeles Master Chorale
56. In order to add a “regional flavor”, Howard incorporated panpipes and Brazilian percussion instruments
57. Frequent Metallica collaborator Greg Fidelman served as associate producer and engineer
58. The soundtrack album was released on July 30, 2021
59. As of August 6, 2021, Jungle Cruise has grossed $54.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $27.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $81.7 million
60. With an estimated combined production and promotional cost of $362 million
61. The film needs to gross around $500 million worldwide in order to break-even
62. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63%
63. Based on 287 reviews
64. With an average rating of 6/10
65. The site’s critics consensus reads, “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”
66. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100
67. Based on 52 critics
68. Indicating “mixed or average reviews”
69. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A–” on an A+ to F scale
70. While PostTrak reported 80% of audience members gave it a positive score
71. With 60% saying they would definitely recommend it
72. After the release weekend of the Jungle Cruise, Dwayne Johnson announced that discussions are underway with The Walt Disney Company for a sequel
73. The sequel can possibly answer many questions left behind in the film