Jungle Cruise
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| Jungle Cruise | |||||
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| Poster advertising Disneyland's Jungle Cruise | |||||
| Land | Adventureland | ||||
| Designer | WED Enterprises | ||||
| Attraction type | Boat Ride | ||||
| Theme | Jungle Expedition | ||||
| Vehicle type | Boat | ||||
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| Disneyland | |
| Opening date | July 17, 1955 |
| Vehicle names | Amazon Belle Congo Queen Ganges Gal Hondo Hattie Irrawaddy Woman Kissimmee Kate Nile Princess Orinoco Adventuress Suwannee Lady Ucayali Una Yangtze Lotus Zambezi Miss |
| Site area | 217,800 sq ft |
| Required Ticket | C (1955-1956), D (1956-1959), E (1959-1982) |
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| Magic Kingdom | |||
| Opening date | October 1, 1971 | ||
| Vehicle names | Amazon Annie Bomokandi Bertha Congo Connie Ganges Gertie Irrawaddy Irma Mongala Millie Nile Nellie Orinoco Ida Rutshuru Ruby Sankuru Sadie Senegal Sal Ucyali Lolly Volta Val Wamba Wanda Zambesi Zelda |
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| Vehicle capacity | 39 | ||
| Ride duration | 9:05 minutes | ||
| Maximum speed | 2.18 mph (3.5 km/h) | ||
| River capacity | 1,750,000 gallons of water | ||
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| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Opening date | April 15, 1983 |
| Vehicle names | Amazon Annie Congo Connie Ganges Gertie Irrawaddy Irma Kwango Kate Nile Nelly Orinoco Ida Rutshuru Ruby Sankuru Sadie Senegal Sal Volta Val Wamba Wanda Zambezi Zelda |
| Vehicle capacity | 32 |
| Ride duration | 9:50 minutes |
| Site area | 217800 sq ft |
| Required Ticket | E (1983-2000), Passport (1983- ) |
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| Jungle River Cruise | |
| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
| Opening date | September 12, 2005 |
| Vehicle names | Amazon Annie Congo Queen Ganges Gal Irrawaddy Irma Lijiang Lady Mekong Maiden Nile Nellie Yangzi Ying Ying Zambezi Zelda |
| Vehicle capacity | 39 |
| Ride duration | 8 minutes |
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The Jungle Cruise is an attraction at the following Disney theme parks: Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland (under the name Jungle River Cruise). Disneyland Paris is the only Magic Kingdom-style Disney theme park that does not have the Jungle Cruise in its attraction roster, though an indoor jeep ride called Jungle Expedition was originally planned instead.
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[edit] Ride description
The attraction simulates a riverboat cruise down several major rivers of Asia, Africa and South America. Park guests board replica tramp steamers and are taken on a voyage past many different animatronic jungle animals. The tour is lead by a live Disney Cast Member delivering a humorous preset narration.
[edit] Inspiration & Design
Sources of inspiration for the attraction include a 1955 True-Life Adventure about a pride of lions, and the movie “The African Queen”. Imagineer Harper Goff referenced the African Queen frequently in his ideas; even his designs of the ride vehicles were modeled after the steamer used in the film.[1] The project was placed on the schedule to open with the July 17, 1955 debut of Disneyland.
When plans began to develop, Bill Evans, the Imagineer responsible for landscaping Disneyland (DL) and most of Walt Disney World (WDW), faced the daunting task of foresting an entire jungle on a limited budget. Aside from importing many actual tropical plants, he made wide use of “character plants” which while not necessarily exotic could give the appearance of exoticism in context. In a particularly well-known trick, he uprooted local orange trees and "replanted" them upside-down, growing vines on the exposed roots. The clean water was dyed brown to prevent visitors from seeing the bottom of the “river”, which varies between three and eight feet deep.
Although Goff and Evans can be credited with the creation and initial design of the ride, Marc Davis (recognized for his work on venerable attractions such as the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean) added his own style to the ride in later versions and DL-version updates. The "Indian Elephant Bathing Pool" and "Rhinoceros Chasing Explorers up a Pole" were among his contributions.[2]
[edit] Effect on Walt Disney
In a popular story recounted by Jeff Lange, a writer for weblogging site Jim Hill Media, an experience at the Jungle Cruise helped bolster Walt Disney's obsession with the concept of 'plussing', or continuous improvement. The story claims that Walt overheard a mother visiting Disneyland telling her child that since they had been on the ride the last time they visited the park, they didn't need to ride it again. In horror, he put his Imagineers to work designing upgrades to the ride. Many similar variations of this story exist.[3]
[edit] At Disneyland
The attraction was in the opening day roster of the park, and has remained open and largely unchanged in theme and story since then. Aside from alterations and maintenance changes, four completely new show scenes have been added to date. In 1995 the river channel was rerouted to make way for the queue buildings and entrance courtyard of the Indiana Jones Adventure.
While the current version and all later instances have made use of a comedic spiel, filled with bad puns and malaprops, the original intent of the ride was to provide a realistic, believable voyage through the world's jungles. The original spiel had no jokes and sounded much like the narration of a nature documentary. Since its removal, it has become legendary among Disney fans. Competitions in which contestants compete to say the seven-minute spiel the fastest have been held.[citation needed]
[edit] Attraction Summary
The queue and station are themed as the headquarters and boathouse of a River Expedition Company, located in a (presumably British) Colony of the 1930s. The queuing area is cluttered with appropriate props, such as pinned insects under glass, and a chessboard with miniature animals replacing the pieces. The extended queue winds upstairs, underneath an animatronic hornbill, and then downstairs again. Big band music from the 1930s plays overhead, punctuated by jungle-related news bulletins, helping to reinforce the setting.
Once aboard the boats, the guests are introduced to their skipper and they head into the jungle (allegedly never to return). The first river simulated is the Mekong. The boats sail through a dense rainforest, and an ancient Cambodian shrine where they see a Bengal Tiger, giant spiders, king cobras and crocodiles. Passing Hindu statues, the boats enter the Sacred Indian Elephant Bathing Pool where dozens of Indian elephants frolic in the water and squirt water at the passing vessels. The theme transitions to the rivers of Africa, and riders see a family of baboons, and safari camp that has been overrun by gorillas. The boats careen past the dramatic waterfall Schweitzer Falls, between two African Elephants, and large termite mounds. A tableau of the African Veldt follows, showing zebras, wildebeest, and giraffes watch a pride of lions feasting on a zebra beneath a rocky outcropping. Beyond the lion's den, an angry rhinoceros has chased a safari party up a tree. Antelope and hyenas watch from nearby. The skipper then pilots the boat into a large pool, disturbing a pod of hippos that signal their intent to attack the boat. Armed with a gun (filled with blanks), the skipper fires into the air to frighten them away. Drums and chanting are heard as the boats come to headhunter country. The vehicles pass a native village before sailing into an ambush by natives wielding spears, (the sound effects for which are usually provided by the skipper). The boats pass behind Schweitzer Falls (known as "the Backside of Water") to enter the Amazon River. Skeletal animal remains and warning signs featuring pictures of dagger-toothed fish forewarn the next show scene, where the boats encounter a swarm of leaping piranha. The guests then pass a pool of water buffalo, and meet shrunken head dealer Trader Sam before returning to the dock.
[edit] Major refurbishments
- 1962 - Addition of Indian Elephant pool
- 1964 - Addition of African Veldt and Lost Safari scenes
- 1993 - Various minor additions
- 1994 - Addition of boathouse queue
- 1995 - Rerouting of river for the Indiana Jones Adventure
- 1997 - Original ride vehicles replaced
- 2005 - Various replacement/reconstruction, addition of Piranhas, and updates to Gorilla Camp scene
Specific Changes The baboons at the safari camp used to sit on the African termite mounds. A total of six lions have been removed since opening day; one that growled when the African Veldt was added, two lionesses from the Veldt that were fighting over a bloody strand of zebra meat, a lion and a lioness that each had a zebra leg in their mouth and a dead, hanging on a spit over a fire in the native village. Also removed from the Veldt were african wild dogs barking at the pride. The native village was originally a dense jungle filled with tikis, masks, and several more natives. Trader Sam used to wear a mask and a gorilla across the channel was trying to grab his merchandise.
[edit] Boats
There are 12 vehicles, with a maximum of 8 in operation at any given time. The boats in 1955 were painted as clean, idealized replicas, but have since been given a more realistic theming reflecting the grunge and wear of actual watercraft.
Names in Use:
- Amazon Belle
- Congo Queen (gold-painted for 50th anniversary)
- Ganges Gal
- Hondo Hattie
- Irrawaddy Woman
- Kissimmee Kate
- Nile Princess
- Orinoco Adventuress
- Suwannee Lady
- Ucayali Una (Wheelchair equipped)
- Yangtze Lotus
- Zambezi Miss
Names Decommissioned in 1997:
- Magdalena Maiden
- Mekong Maiden
[edit] At the Magic Kingdom & Tokyo Disneyland
The Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland versions are similar to each other, the main difference being direction; the Magic Kingdom river flows counter clock-wise, while Tokyo Disneyland's operates clock-wise. Also, the spiels in Tokyo are delivered in Japanese.
[edit] Magic Kingdom
The skippers at the Magic Kingdom don't carry revolvers with blanks in them anymore. The real guns have been replaced with realistic looking props that trigger an electronic gunshot sound through the boat's audio system. Near the Hippo Pool, a piece of a downed airplane can be seen along the shoreline. This is the back half of the Lockheed L-12 Electra Junior that can be seen in Casablanca scene on The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
[edit] Boats
There are 16 vehicles, with a maximum of 10 in operation at any given time.
Current Boats
- Amazon Annie
- Bomokandi Bertha (Wheelchair lift equipped)
- Congo Connie
- Ganges Gertie
- Irrawaddy Irma
- Mongala Millie
- Nile Nellie
- Orinoco Ida
- Rutshuru Ruby
- Sankuru Sadie
- Senegal Sal
- Ucyali Lolly
- Volta Val
- Wamba Wanda (Wheelchair lift equipped)
- Zambesi Zelda
Retired Boats
- Kwango Kate (Retired in 2000)
[edit] Tokyo Disneyland
Very similar to the Walt Disney World version, although the station and surrounding area are themed to a more upscale African city, as opposed to an isolated jungle outpost. This version shares a station building with the park's steam train ride, Western River Railroad.
[edit] Boats
There are 13 vehicles, with a maximum of 12 in operation at any given time.
- Amazon Annie
- Congo Connie
- Ganges Gertie
- Irrawaddy Irma
- Kwango Kate
- Nile Nelly
- Orinoco Ida
- Rutshuru Ruby
- Sankuru Sadie
- Senegal Sal
- Volta Val
- Wamba Wanda
- Zambezi Zelda
[edit] At Hong Kong Disneyland
The shape of Hong Kong Disneyland's route is significantly different compared to the others, (circumnavigating Tarzan's Treehouse, for example) and it includes a grand finale depicting a battle between the fire and water gods.
[edit] Major renovations
- 2006 - Piranha attack, and Trapped Safari scenes added, enhancement of Gorilla Camp, African Veldt, and Headhunter's Territory
- 2007 - Temporary scene added during the "Pirate Takeover" event (From May to August)
[edit] Boats
There are 9 vehicles, with a maximum of 8 in operation at any given time.
- Amazon Annie
- Congo Queen (Wheelchair Accessible)
- Ganges Gal
- Irrawaddy Irma
- Lijiang Lady
- Mekong Maiden
- Nile Nellie
- Yangzi Ying Ying
- Zambezi Zelda
[edit] In Popular Culture
- There was a tribute to the ride in 2005 on an episode of the podcast The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, as well as a Strong Bad E-mail entitled "theme park".
- In the sing along songs video Disneyland Fun during "Following the Leader", Jungle Cruise made an appearance.
- Jungle Cruise was parodied as Timon and Pumbaa's Virtual Safari on The Lion King Special Edition.
[edit] Film adaptation
The Jungle Cruise is an announced Disney motion picture loosely inspired by the theme park attraction of the same name.[4]
The film, originally scheduled for release in 2007, has experienced various delays and changes. Shooting of the film, originally schedule for 2006, was postponed. Moreover, the original screenplay by Josh Goldstein and John Norville was reportedly rewritten by Al Gough and Miles Millar.[5]
The film follows a group's riverboat journey through a jungle in search of a cure.[6] Further details have not been forthcoming, apart from confirmation that the film is set in the twentieth century. [7] It will also have the name, 'Heart of Darkness'.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Imagineers, the. 'Walt Disney Imagineering- A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real'. Disney Editions, (c)1996. pg. 112
- ^ Minnick, Nathaniel. The Jungle Cruise: Foray into the Faux, (University of Michigan, 2005)
- ^ Jeff Lange : Imagineers add "Boom!" and bite to Disneyland's "Jungle Cruise"
- ^ Collura, Scott. "Disney Rides Again!", IGN, 2007-02-14. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
- ^ Coming to Theaters: New and Upcoming Films from Walt Disney Pictures. Ultimate Disney (2007). Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
- ^ Jungle Cruise. Hollywood.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
- ^ Stax. "Jungle Cruises to Big Screen: Disney theme park ride getting movie treatment", IGN, 2006-09-21. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
- ^ Disney Domains: Heart of Darkness Edition :: The Disney Enquirer :: Disney News and Information at your Fingertips
[edit] External links
- Walt Disney World Resort Official Page - Jungle Cruise
- Tokyo Disney Resort Official Page - Jungle Cruise
- Jungle Cruise Ridethrough
- Jungle Cruise at WDWHistory.com
- WorldFamousJungleCruise.com - Fan-Created Tribute Site
[edit] Jungle Cruise joke lists
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