Ever since my Moana interview with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (you know the one where I made him sweat), he holds a special place in my heart. You can read about what happened here. So, to be at a press event with him again for Disney’s Jungle Cruise brought a smile to my face. Well, that and the amazing chemistry between the cast. Oh, and the corny dad jokes they shared.
Listening to Dwayne Johnson (“Frank Wolff”), Emily Blunt (“Lily Houghton”), Jack Whitehall (“MacGregor Houghton”) and Edgar Ramirez (“Aguirre”) chat about their experiences making the film was a real treat. Of course, rounding up a few Disney’s Jungle Cruise Fun Facts for you was my mission so here you go…
Disney’s Jungle Cruise Fun Facts
- This movie has a lot of Easter Eggs from the ride itself. One of them being, that in the film, Frans says “The 8th Wonder of The World, The Backside of Water!”, it is also said during the ride.
- Jungle Cruise Director Jaume Collet-Serra flew to New York to hand-deliver the script to Blunt as she was considering the role of Lily Houghton.
- Because Dwayne Johnson thought she was perfect for this role, he made a 10-minute video for Emily which Emily felt was coming on a little too strong (so she decided to play hard to get)
- When Dwayne and Emily did finally meet in person, there was instant chemistry and they are now friends for life.
- Although Jack Whitehall recorded one line for Frozen (that ended up being cut from the final film), he has quite a few one-liners in this film
- Some of the funniest scenes were improved. Whitehall said that Blunt and Johnson created an environment where it was a safe space to throw in whatever improv you wanted to.
Another Easter Egg: The temple Frank and Lily must sail to resembles the same one on the Jungle Cruise theme park ride.
- Although Edgar Ramirez’s character involves snakes, Edgar is afraid of snakes and is thankful he didn’t have to work with real ones. But wait, there’s more. His mom is also scared of them. So much so, that she missed some of the scenes from the movie because she couldn’t watch them.
- It wasn’t until the premiere at Disneyland that Emily Blunt rode The Jungle Cruise for the first time.
- Johnson says the hardest scenes to film were the ones with the Conquistadors, because of their costumes and unique fighting styles.
- Apparently, the vine swing scene was the most challenging to film for Emily Blunt. Not the physical part. Nope, it was because Dwayne Johnson couldn’t get through it with a straight face.
OK, one more Easter Egg: The map Lily brought to Frank in the film can be found on the wall opposite from the Society of Explorers and Adventurers member, Dr. Kon Chunosuke’s, entomological collection.
Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” releases in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30, 2021.
About Jungle Cruise
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.
Jaume Collet-Serra directs the film, which stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez, and Jack Whitehall, with Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti. John Davis, John Fox, Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia and Beau Flynn are the producers, with Scott Sheldon and Doug Merrifield serving as executive producers. The story is by John Norville & Josh Goldstein and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, and the screenplay is by Michael Green and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa.
