Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt starrer Jungle Cruise is a fantasy adventure film by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is slated to be released in the United States on July 30, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and through Disney+ with Premier Access.

The story is set in the early 20th century, with Johnson portraying a riverboat captain named Frank. He is on a mission to take British scientist Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt) and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) into a jungle to find the Tree of Life.

The tree is believed to possess healing powers that could be of great benefit to modern medicine.

But they soon realize that the journey isn't a piece of cake, as they fight against dangerous wild animals and a competing German expedition determined to find the tree first.

However, the on-screen plot isn't the only most interesting part of the adventurous tale. The interesting thing here is the film, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, is based on Walt Disney's original Disneyland theme park ride of the same name.

With the help of screenplay writers Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa, Disney gave life to the theme park attraction.

But where is the famous Disneyland theme park ride based? And how did Disney come up with the idea of making this film?

It Is Located in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park

The original Disneyland theme park ride, also called Jungle Cruise, is located in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park. It is geographically situated in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida.

The Jungle Cruise provides an adventurous and scenic boat tour of exotic rivers across Asia, Africa, and South America. Explaining the ride, Disney's website states,

Embark on a river cruise where dangerous beasts and dry wit abound. Board a canopied tramp steamer piloted by your trusty skipper, who will expertly navigate you through some of the world’s most treacherous waters.

Don't be confused, as it is not a boat trip that would actually cruise across different continents. But the park is constructed in such a way that the 10-minute expedition comprises an artificial jungle, rivers, and fake animals. 

The Motive behind the Film

During the Jungle Cruise world premiere at Disneyland Resort on July 24, 2021, Sean Bailey, the president of production at Disney, talked about the inspiration behind making the movie based on Disney's historic attraction.

He explained that the idea to make the film was to deliver the feeling of the ride through an expanded and enhanced medium. 

"People have such affection and connectivity when they have these experiences," he said. "We're going to deliver the feeling of the ride but we're going to expand it, enhance it, fill it in, and bring a lot of new ideas and energy to it."

One of the producers of the film, Hiram Garcia, stated the film's story matched with the films the production house made — big action, fun family tales that people from age 8 to age 80 can enjoy.

The world premiere also had stars like Johnson, Blunt, Whitehall, and Edgar Ramírez in attendance.