From "The African Queen” to the “Jungle Cruise”

 by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

DisneyBizJournal.com

August 3, 2021

 

In 1951, John Huston directed an action adventure film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn about a mismatched duo who clash as they take a creaky old boat up an exotic river while fending off German foes.

 

The African Queen was a smash hit, won the Oscar for Bogart as Best Actor, and was one of Walt Disney’s favorite movies.

When Walt was designing Disneyland in 1954, a river cruise for Adventureland was one of the top items on his list. 

 

The look of the boats and even (slightly) the skippers' uniforms borrowed heavily from this movie and its World War I era setting.

 

Over the years, the attraction took on a more comic tone, with sight gags on the land and in the water and a string of puns from the skippers, but the African Queen motif still persisted even as another layer of storytelling, inspired by Indiana Jones, was added in the 1980s.

The 2021 Jungle Cruise movie is an homage to its seventy year old predecessor, and the attraction has almost come full circle with the newest updates, which is fitting.

 

Have you ever seen The African Queen movie?

 

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Chris Lucas is the author of Top Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond.

 

On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!