jungle cruise movie kid friendly

Is Jungle Cruise Kid Friendly? Parents Guide

By: Author tanialamb

Posted on Published: October 15, 2021

Wondering if Jungle Cruise is ok for kids? Jungle Cruise is rated PG-13 for action, adventure, and violence. Although it may be based off a Disney ride, Jungle Cruise can get dark, especially for young kids. Think Indiana Jones meets Pirates of the Caribbean . Here’s what parents need to know in this Jungle Cruise Parents Guide .

Jungle Cruise Parents Guide

While the film is inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park ride, Disney’s Jungle Cruise offers a lot more than nostalgia from the attraction. This adventure takes the audience on a thrill-ride down the Amazon with punny Jungle Cruise skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) and intrepid researcher and botanist Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt).

Nobody will take Lily seriously as a scientist since she’s a woman, so she steals (we’ll say borrows) an artifact from London and travels to the Amazon jungle on a quest to uncover an ancient tree, Tears of the Moon, rumored to have incredible healing abilities. However, the tree is also said to be protected by the jungle and others have died trying to find the tree and use its powers.

Lily runs into Frank, a somewhat sketchy Skipper, and hires him to guide her and her brother downriver on his charming, yet rickety boat. As they embark on the adventure, they run into Trader Sam, a German Prince who will also stop at nothing to get to the tree, and cursed dead (maybe) Spanish Conquistadors. Add those to other dangers and supernatural forces, and the stakes get higher for Lily and Frank.

Why is Jungle Cruise PG-13?

According to the MPAA, Jungle Cruise  is rated PG-13 “for sequences of adventure violence.” The movie can get dark and has a definite Pirates of the Caribbean ghost vibe. 

There are uses of hell, “oh sh–” that wasn’t completed, and uses of Deity like “Oh my g-d.” 

Mature Content

Some of the villains and characters are quite gruesome and gross. There were times I turned my face away, because I’m not a fan of snakes, bugs, creepy crawlies, etc. Basically things you’d find in the Amazon.

There is violence involving guns, spears, fighting, punching, hand-to-hand combat, hands getting burned, explosions, etc. 

One scene involves a CGI Tiger that could be scary for young kids. 

A character talks about being gay and people who ostracized him because of it. 

There is also a scene that includes sexual and dirty jokes when a sword is pulled out of someone. 

Is Jungle Cruise Appropriate for Kids Under 13?

If your family is a Disney family and visits the parks often, then you’ll recognize some of the nostalgia and nods the Jungle Cruise gives to the fans. However, it’s not a replica of the ride, and maybe the only thing younger kids will appreciate are some of the corny jokes from the attraction – which are hilarious.

Jungle Cruise is action-packed and is certainly worthy of Adventureland material. But it’s no kids movie. Can kids enjoy it? Absolutely, if they love adventure and movies like Pirates and Indiana Jones . Just be mindful of the scary elements and characters in peril.

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt have a ton of charisma, and they make the movie, with Jack Whitehall as a lovely and hilarious bonus. Yes, you’ll laugh and groan at Skipper Frank’s jokes and puns, just as you do at Disney.

Johnson described Emily Blunt as a female Indiana Jones, and I wouldn’t go quite that far, but her spirit and energy are infectious. She delivers the right amount of sass and wit to make this character a role model for young girls, even having the audacity to wear pants in the early 1900’s. 

Jesse Plemons and Edgar Ramirez make for some scary and freaky villains, and they play their roles well. The whole cast is outstanding, and they all give us a way to escape reality for a couple of hours.

Where Jungle Cruise struggles is that sometimes it tries to do too much. There’s a whole lot going on, and it can be chaotic. Some of the CGI is questionable, and the movie is too long. Sometimes it feels like it goes on for Niles and Niles. 

A fantastic summer film, Jungle Cruise is a fun ride for the whole family (literally and in the movies), and if you don’t believe me, you’re in…disbelief. 

Jungle Cruise is now on Disney+ !

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Why is someone talking about being gay and excluded mature content? Super curious about that.

I included it under mature content so parents and kids were aware of the conversation. I couldn't go into too many details at that time, because of spoilers. But some kids who are being bullied for being gay or if they're having a hard time coming out may find this scene upsetting and a trigger.

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[…] Jungle Cruise Parents Guide […]

Is Disney's Jungle Cruise Kid-Friendly? How Scary Does It Get?

Starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, Disney's Jungle Cruise sets sail with a PG-13 rating. But is it too scary for young viewers?

WARNING: The following contains minor spoilers for Disney's Jungle Cruise , opening Friday in theaters nationwide and streaming on Disney+ Premier Access.

Inspired by the popular Disney theme park attraction, Jungle Cruise is a fast-paced fantasy adventure that sends Dwayne Johnson , Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall down the Amazon, in search of a fabled tree that could alter the course of modern medicine. Along the way, they're confronted by threats both supernatural and man-made. The film earned a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association, for "sequences of adventure violence."

But just how scary is Jungle Cruise , and is it appropriate for younger audiences? And what is adventure violence , anyway?

RELATED: REVIEW: Jungle Cruise's Charm & Sense of Adventure Keeps the Film Afloat

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra ( Orphan , the upcoming Black Adam ), Jungle Cruise stars Blunt as indomitable botanist Dr. Lily Houghton, who sets off from London in 1916 to the Amazon with her younger brother McGregor (Whitehall) in pursuit of the legendary Tree of Life. There, they enlist the services of Johnson's smooth-talking Captain Frank Wolff, whose morals are as questionable as the condition of his boat. But of course they're not the only ones in search of the tree, which means the unpredictable Amazon waters, teeming with piranha, are the least of their worries.

The violence in Jungle Cruise is roughly comparable to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, whose initial installment, 2003's The Curse of the Black Pearl , was the first film under the Walt Disney Pictures label to receive a PG-13 rating. That may provide some idea of what to expect here: Punches are thrown, guns are fired, and the heroes are placed in repeated peril, as you might expect from a fantasy adventure. So, yeah, adventure violence ; in Jungle Cruise the most brutal moments are almost cartoonish in nature, like something from a Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner short.

RELATED: Jungle Cruise Won Over Emily Blunt's Toughest Critics - Her Kids

But what about the scares? Again, they're on par with any Pirates of the Caribbean film, with undead threats that are, at times, borderline grotesque, but unlikely to generate more than a few exclamations of Ewww! from younger viewers.

However, for those who cover their eyes at the mere idea of snakes, there's bad news and good news. The bad news is, Jungle Cruise has a lot of snakes; it's set in the Amazon, after all. The good news is, they're CGI creations and, like Frank's jaguar companion Proxima, aren't particularly realistic. Still, they writhe out of places they most definitely shouldn't , which will undoubtedly leave some viewers squirming in their seats.

None of it will likely be too shocking to anyone who's watched other PG-13 Disney live-action films, whether the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean or the more recent Cruella . Still, parents or guardians of younger viewers who might not react well to snakes (even CGI ones) or the creepy, crawly undead may want to employ caution with Jungle Cruise.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall and Jesse Plemons, Jungle Cruise arrives Friday nationwide in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.

KEEP READING: Disney Reveals Updates to Jungle Cruise Ride in Behind-the-Scenes Video

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JUNGLE CRUISE Parents Guide + Movie Review

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Disney’s Jungle Cruise is a live-action film based off the popular Disneyland and Walt Disney World attraction. While the ride might be filled with punny jokes, is this movie just as safe for kids? I’m breaking down all of the thematic elements, including its PG-13 rating, in my   Jungle Cruise Parents Guide and Movie Review. Here’s what parents need to know to help YOU decide if it’s appropriate for kids. As always, no spoilers!

Disney Studios has released its latest live-action film, Jungle Cruise! From the moment I first heard about this movie , I have been eagerly awaiting its release.  Disney Parks enthusiasts will be happy to know that the movie will absolutely give you all those punny jokes you can’t help but love. Sure they’re corny and you might roll your eyes a bit, but that’s what makes the adventure even more fun! I couldn’t help but smile each time Skipper Frank (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), rattled off those lines! And incase you’re wondering…the eighth wonder of the world makes its appearance in this movie. If you know, you know. 

However, while the popular Disney attraction takes you on a slow moving boat ride, this journey is a bit different. Jungle Cruise is an epic and thrilling adventure filled with twists and turns you won’t see coming. Its action sequences will get your adrenaline running, and you’ll be anxiously waiting on the edge of your seat holding your breath to see what happens next. 

Jungle Cruise isn’t your cheesy Adventureland attraction. The story features Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), who are in search of a famous legend to find the tears of the moon. After hiring Frank as their skipper, they embark on a riveting voyage on a riverboat down the Amazon. 

The Visuals

Disney’s Jungle Cruise is CGI HEAVY. There’s a lot going on, and for the most part, I think it works. Sure there are times when the special effects might look a little off or out of place, but overall it’s brilliantly done. 

Several Nods to the Popular Disney Ride

From Trader Sam to the Jungle Skipper Canteen restaurant at Magic Kingdom Park, Disney enthusiasts will notice several nods to the popular theme park attraction. There are also a plethora of Easter eggs sprinkled throughout Jungle Cruise, so make sure you don’t blink! Of course my favorite acknowledgements are the pun-filled lines from Skipper Frank. They will keep you rolling with laughter. In fact, I felt that Frank’s opening scene was a love letter to the Jungle Cruise ride. He quoted pun after pun after pun from the attraction. It was perfect.

Is Jungle Cruise Kid-Friendly? Here’s Your Parents Guide:

Disney’s Jungle Cruise has an MPAA rating of PG-13 for sequences of adventure violence. It has a runtime of 2 hours 7 minutes. There is no scene after the credits, so don’t feel like you’ll miss something. From start to finish, this is one action-packed film. Does this make it too intense for kids? Which ages is Jungle Cruise suited for best? Let’s break down the thematic elements and take a closer look. 

Thankfully there isn’t too much to report in terms of bad language. While there is no profanity, words like “Hell” and “stupid” are used. There is also a hilarious punny quote where MacGregor says, “ You can take your invitation, and you can shove it up your association.” 

This is where the PG-13 rating comes into play, and rightfully so. There is A LOT of violence in Jungle Cruise — much more than I expected. Think of it being on par with stunts and exhilarating thrills like Indiana Jones and the dark and creepiness factor of Pirates of the Caribbean or The Mummy. Right from the opening scene there’s fighting. You will see spears, swords, guns, and explosions. You will witness people getting murdered, get stabbed, and shot. There are also jump scares a plenty.  I personally jumped on more than one occasion. There is also a very creepiness factor involving the villains. Snakes, tarantulas, scorpions, and swarms of bees are also seen but in a disturbingly creepy way.

Mature Content

Viewers will see brief kissing and hear a few innuendos, which will more than likely go over the little ones heads. There is quite a bit of drinking alcohol as well as a drunk animal. One of the characters is openly gay, and although this scene is brief, it is recognized and that is important. Disney’s representation of the LGBTQ community does not go unnoticed. 

Age Recommendation

I went to the theater to see Jungle Cruise with my husband, our two children (ages 7 & 11), our niece (age 11), and my Dad. It was a full multigenerational experience. While we all enjoyed the movie, my 7 year old said it was “just okay.” Honestly, I was really proud of him for sticking with it for the full duration — 2 hours 7 minutes is a LONG time for kids. He said a few parts scared him, “but not too bad.” However, he doesn’t want to watch it again. I know had we watched Jungle Cruise at home, he would have never lasted the entire movie. Because of this, I’m going to recommend Jungle Cruise for ages 10 and up. However, if your kids are easily frightened by grotesque creatures and don’t like to be scared, maybe have them sit this one out. As always, you know your children best!

Dwayne Johnson is Frank Wolff and Emily Blunt is Lily Houghton in Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE. Photo by Frank Masi. © 2021 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SHOULD YOU SEE DISNEY CRUISE IN THEATERS OR PAY $29.99 ON DISNEY+ WITH PREMIER ACCESS?

Disney’s Jungle Cruise premiers simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier access for $29.99. Having seeing this movie on the big screen, I can tell you it’s absolutely worth it to do so. The special effects and cinematography were made for theaters. However, there is also the option to stream Jungle Cruise on Disney+ with Premier Access for $29.99. The beauty of having this option is you can take breaks if needed. Hello parents of young children. 

Purchasing on Disney Plus allows you to watch the movie as many times as you like, as long as your Disney+ account remains active. This is not a one time rental. I honestly feel this price is a BARGAIN! I spent $70 on movie tickets alone, not including snacks and drinks. Granted, seeing it on the big screen is a special treat, but I love having the option of watching in the comfort of your home.

Overall Thoughts

Disney’s Jungle Cruise is one heck of a WILD RIDE! From start to finish, this film is an epic journey that will have you eager to hop on your own Jungle Cruise ASAP. From its pun-filled quotes to its charming characters and captivating storyline, this is the action-adventure movie of the summer!

DISNEY’S JUNGLE CRUISE SYNOPSIS

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. She 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.

I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS JUNGLE CRUISE PARENTS GUIDE AND MOVIE REVIEW HELPFUL FOR YOUR FAMILY. DISNEY JUNGLE CRUISE IS NOW IN THEATERS AND sailing ON DISNEY+ !

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Jungle cruise.

• Parents say (35)
• Kids say (67)

Based on 67 kid reviews

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A great movie to watch as a family, great for the family, jungle cruise - my rating, boring and overrated, good-natured; unremarkable; unsurprising., a great family friendly action adventure movie.

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The Jungle Cruise | 2021 | PG-13 | – 1.6.1

The Jungle Cruise SEX/NUDITY 1

The jungle cruise violence/gore 6, the jungle cruise language 1, the jungle cruise substance use, the jungle cruise discussion topics, the jungle cruise message.

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Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated , Special , Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.

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Jungle Cruise age rating: Is the Disney movie appropriate for kids?

By sabrina reed | jun 29, 2021.

Fond memories of Disney films litter the hallowed halls of childhood recollection for many a movie lover. There’s a reason why a healthy portion of classic children’s media is credited to the company. They’re known for their G rated family friendly content though occasionally, their live-action offerings skew a little older as is the case with their upcoming action adventure, Jungle Cruise .

Starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, the film will take viewers to the Amazon as their characters–Frank Wolff and Dr. Lily Houghton–go on search for a mystical tree with healing properties. It’s a story that’s sure to capture both the hearts and laughter of moviegoers as they settle in for the pair’s quest.

But, as is the case with action adventures, it’s not the kind of family friendly that’s typical of a Disney movie. The stakes are high in this film to the point of lives being on the line. The Amazon is a dangerous place as are the cast of characters looking to thwart Frank and Lily’s efforts for their own personal gain.

Here’s what to expect from Jungle Cruise when it comes to age appropriateness.

Jungle Cruise age rating

According to IMDb , the MPAA has rated the movie as PG-13 for sequences of adventure violence. If you’re wondering about what that means think of the action scenes in Disney’s popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

The majority of the cast were swashbuckling pirates and British Navy men sword fighting, shooting guns, and even firing cannons at ships. There were elements of intense life threatening situations along with body horror from bodies shifting into skeletons in the moonlight to pirates that resembled sea creatures.

Based on the trailer , Jungle Cruise features violent encounters with wild animals, supernatural elements that include the undead, as well as violence typical to action adventures. So, while it’s not a movie that wouldn’t be appropriate for kids to watch, it is one parents and guardians may be cautious of viewing with younger children.

Next. Disney Plus: Why hasn't Disney added Pepper Ann yet?. dark

Jungle Cruise premieres in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access Friday, July 30.

Home » Parent Movie Reviews » Is Jungle Cruise Movie Safe For Kids? Parent Movie Review

Is Jungle Cruise Movie Safe For Kids? Parent Movie Review

Posted on Last updated: February 15, 2024

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Are you a lover of cheesy puns and groan-worthy banter? Then Jungle Cruise is the metaphorical movie ride you’ve been waiting for. Based loosely on the Disneyland original attraction by the same name, families are going to be interested in this one. But is Jungle Cruise movie safe for kids? This parent movie review will help you decide what ages can watch Jungle Cruise . ps- check out the list of Jungle Cruise quotes and puns that made it into the movie!

Table of Contents

About Disney’s 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.

Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” releases in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30, 2021.

You can watch the trailer here.

When Can You Pee During Jungle Cruise?

Ah, the age-old question: when you can pee during the movie without missing too much of the plot or action?

We got you!

Jungle Cruise is being offered on Disney+ with the premium service, so of course, the easy answer is to hit pause and go whenever you or your kiddo needs to.

But if you go to the movie theaters (which we HIGHLY recommend) you’ll need to know when you can pee during Jungle Cruise.

This movie is long (over 2 hours) so there’s a good chance you or someone you’re with will need to run, go, pee during the Jungle Cruise.

Knock, Knock…

Who’s there? …

Safari. …

Safari Who? …

Safari, so good. You’ll be back from the potty and back to Jungle Cruise movie in just a few minutes.

Here are the best times to pee during Jungle Cruise if you watch in the theater:

• 24 when the leopard shows up if kids are scared of big jumping animals!
• 37 min after Frank hugs McGregor
• 53 min after the rapids scene
• 124 after Frank’s backstory is given

Are There End Credit Scenes In Jungle Cruise?

As mentioned above, the movie is long- but not long enough to include any end credit scenes.

Jungle Cruise does not have a mid-credit or end credit scene to stick around for.

We’ll preface this to say: you know your kids best.

This parent movie guide and review is to help you know what to expect before taking your children to the movies. In a Jungle Cruise spoiler-free way!

We’ll talk about PG-13 rating, violence, language, adult situations, and overall tone so you can decide what ages are best to watch Jungle Cruise.

Language In Jungle Cruise Parent Movie Review

This one doesn’t have too much salty language for parents to be worried about. This is surprising considering the backstory of the main character, Skipper Frank.

You will hear a few low-level swears like h#ll and an incomplete “sh–” in the movie. Oh my G-d is also used a few times.

From a language standpoint, Jungle Cruise is fairly kid-friendly.

Adult Content In Jungle Cruise

There is a mild romance with some kissing (kinda) in this movie.

An openly gay main character is also revealed (about time!) in a Disney movie.

There is no nudity or sex, however.

Is Jungle Cruise Safe For Kids? Violence and Weapons

This is absolutely a movie full of action and adventure, which means lots of violence, peril, and weapons.

Think along the lines of Pirates of the Caribbean to give a comparison.

If your family is sensitive to weaponry violence (swords, knives, guns, torpedoes) then this one may be over the top. If there’s a torpedo mention on a river cruise, you can probably figure that part out!

There are many instances of death, killing, and dying that happens on screen that could be a little too much for smaller children.

What Ages Can Watch Jungle Cruise?

Jungle Cruise is rated PG-13 and it seems to line up well with that rating.

Children younger than 13 may be fine, depending on their previous exposure to movies similar to Jungle Cruise.

Comparable movies include Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean, with a splash of Dora The Explorer.

Kids ages 10 and up should likely be able to handle the intensity of the action and violence in the movie.

Is Jungle Cruise too scary for kids under 10? Possibly. But back to point #1: you know your kiddo best!

The movie is long at 2 hours and 8 minutes but packed with action, so younger kids are not likely to nod off on any slow parts (there really aren’t any!).

And if you have concerns, this is a good date-night movie to watch on the biggest screen possible before you rent the movie on Disney+ for the family.

Is Jungle Cruise safe for kids? We think so- within specific age ranges, of course.

More Parent Movie Reviews

Is Black Widow Safe For Kids?

Is F9 Safe For Kids?

Is Luca Safe For Kids?

Is In The Heights Safe For Kids?

Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.

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Movie reviews: 'Jungle Cruise' a family friendly film that actually feels like the theme park ride

Jungle cruise: 4 stars.

“Jungle Cruise,” now playing in theatres and on Disney+ with premium access, is a new adventure story that reaches back into Hollywood history for inspiration.

The Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson movie is based on the 65-year-old Disneyland riverboat cruise theme park ride, which, in turn, was inspired by the Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn’s antics in the 1951 film “The African Queen.” Add to that a hint of “Indiana Jones” and “Romancing the Stone,” and you have a family friendly film that simultaneously feels brand spankin’ new and old fashioned.

Blunt is the eccentric botanist Dr. Lily Houghton, an English adventurer in search of the Tree of Life, a mythical Amazonian tree whose “Tears of the Moon” blossoms are said to have healing properties. If she can find it and harness its powers, she believes it will be the beginning of a scientific revolution.

Travelling from London to the Amazon, she meets steamboat captain "Skipper" Frank Wolff (Johnson), a fast-talking cynic who reluctantly agrees to take her and her assistant, brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), on his ramshackle boat into the heart of darkness.

“If you believe in legends,” Frank says, “you should believe in curses too. It’s not a fun vacation.”

On the voyage up river they contend with slithery supernatural beings and the rival Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons), a Hapsburg aristocrat determined to use brute force to reach the Tree of Life before Houghton, on a dangerous race against time.

Movies based on theme park rides have a checkered history. For every “Pirate of the Caribbean” that becomes a hit and spawns sequels, there is a “The Haunted Mansion” or “Tomorrowland” gathering dust in a delete bin somewhere.

“Jungle Cruise” seems likely to avoid that fate. A classic adventure, it is an action-packed journey fuelled by the chemistry between the leads, Blunt and Johnson.

The opening half-hour actually feels like the theme park ride. It takes off like a rocket with one elaborately staged action scene after another. That sets the frenetic pace the movie keeps up for most of the running time, right up to a drawn-out ending that threatens to overstay its welcome, but doesn’t, courtesy of the actors.

Blunt and Johnson have great chemistry, verbally jousting throughout. It’s the “Romancing the Stone” template; they’re an odd couple who roast one another while dodging life-threatening situations and ultimately reveal their true feelings. The comic timing works and adds much charm to the action sequences.

Threatening to steal the show is Plemons, who reveals his rarely used comedic side. As the power-mad Prince Joachim, the actor embraces the cartoon aspects of the character, creating one of the best family-friendly villains in recent memory.

“Jungle Cruise” is much more fun than you might imagine a movie based on a theme park ride will be. There’s some dodgy CGI and a slightly over-inflated running time, but it’s an old-fashioned adventure, updated with one character’s coming-out scene (no spoilers here) and a reversal of the theme park’s treatment of its Indigenous characters, that delivers action, humour and chemistry.

THE GREEN KNIGHT: 2 ½ STARS

“The Green Knight,” a new medieval fantasy film now playing in theatres, reaches back to Arthurian legend and a fourteenth-century poem for its hero’s journey.

Based on the poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” the movie stars Dev Patel as King Arthur's nephew and Knight of the Round Table, Sir Gawain. The young man is headstrong and rash but, despite his bravado, he says, “I fear I am not meant for greatness.”

The young knight sees a chance to prove his mettle when the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), a larger-than-life, green skinned “tester of men,” throws down a challenge to King Arthur.

“O greatest of kings, let one of your knights try and land a blow against me,” he says. “Indulge me in this game.”

Gawain impulsively accepts, charging at the stranger, removing his head with one blow.

But the challenge isn’t over.

Picking his own head up off the floor, the Green Knight mocks Gawain, commanding him to meet again in one year’s time at a cursed place, the Green Chapel, to finish their duel. As the headless adversary gallops off, Gawain’s quest to test his prowess begins. The journey to the Green Chapel is a dangerous adventure, fraught with supernatural forces, betrayal and challengers who will test the strength of his character.

“What do you hope to gain from all of this?” he is asked. “Honour,” Gawain replies. “That is why a knight does what he does.”

Calling “The Green Knight” an adventure implies that it is also exciting. It has all the earmarks of an old school “Lord of the Rings” style adventure story—there are trippy giants, a talking fox, a headless woman and more—but exciting it is not.

Director David Lowery has made a cerebral movie about finding one’s true path in life through trials and temptations. His retelling of the classic poem is dense, deliberate and often beautiful. But just as often it is willfully obtuse as it gets lost in the surreal deconstruction of Gawain’s journey. As a result, the film is oft times more interesting than actually entertaining.

Near the end of the film Gawain asks, “Is this all there is?” Oddly enough, life imitated art in that moment as I found myself wondering the same thing.

THE EXCHANGE: 3 ½ STARS

Sometimes you don’t get what you want, but you get what you need. Especially in coming-of-age movies.

In “The Exchange,” now on VOD, teenager Tim Long (Ed Oxenbould) was born and has lived his entire life in a small Ontario town, but feels like an outsider. Obsessed with all things French, he’s a student of Camus, worships Jean-Luc Godard and Alain Resnais, and looks down on his school mates and even family. The feeling is mutual. “Bookworm” and “loser” are two of the nicer jabs thrown his way.

“Everyone hates you,” says Gary (Justin Hartley) the school’s soccer coach. The only person Tim really likes is Brenda (Jayli Wolf), who is unaware of his crush.

Craving sophisticated company, he signs up for an exchange program to acquire a "mail-order best friend." He’s hoping the exchange student will be a Gallic breath of fresh air in his stale little town. But instead of an erudite tour guide to all thing French he gets Stéphane (Avan Jogia), a teenage chain-smoking horndog more interested in girls than Gruyère Gougères.

After making a splash in town, Stéphane’s behaviour soon starts to raise eyebrows until he finds an unlikely supporter.

“The Exchange” is based on a true story. Screenwriter Tim Long, a Canadian from Manitoba who has been the consulting producer of “The Simpsons” for twenty plus years, adapts his own awkward friendship with an exchange student as the basis for the story.

I’m sure characters are amplified and situations blown out of proportion, but underneath it all “The Exchange” is a feel-good story with laughs and a great deal of heart.

It’s lighthearted, but that doesn’t prevent “The Exchange” from adding denser textures to the story. Near the end Long and director Dan Mazer (longtime writing partner of Sacha Baron Cohen) tackle the xenophobia that informs the latter part of the movie. After a brief moment of celebrity in town, the tide turns against Stéphane due to veiled racism. He is, as the Gallophile Tim might have said, l'étranger, an outsider whose motives are questioned, simply because he wasn’t born in the local hospital.

It gets sorted—“We drew certain conclusions about you being different,” a character says to him—and is handled delicately, but in our divided times it hits the nail on the head.

Ultimately, “The Exchange” works because it is about empathy. It’s funny, with the kind of premise that could have been sitcom fodder, but beyond the laughs is a bigger message of acceptance.

FOR MADMEN ONLY: THE STORIES OF DEL CLOSE: 4 STARS

“For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close,” a new documentary now on VOD, is about the best-known funny man you’ve probably never heard of. Tina Fey says he taught her to be bold in life. Mike Myers says he learned the connection between comedy and bigger ideas from him, and Robin Williams campaigns for a Church of Del. Del Close is called a living legend by Amy Poehler and yet, as the movie says, this Zelig of comedy has the same name recognition as a third-tier fast food chain.

As one of the pioneers of a new kind of theatre called improvisational comedy Close, along with a handful of others like Elaine May (who Close calls a supernatural figure) and Mike Nichols, created the form and the rules of performing comedy without a net.

Some were intellectual.

“Always work at the top of your intelligence,” and “Don’t deny, respect the other person’s reality.”

Others practical.

“Remember where the objects are,” and “Don’t do mime.” Most important of all, “You’re not locked into this like an actor with a script.”

Using recorded interviews with Close, who died of emphysema at age 64 in 1999, and newer interviews with many of his friends and students, like the names I listed above and Tim Meadows, George Wendt, Bob Odenkirk among others, plus recreations, (which have a “Closeness” about them because director Heather Ross based on Close the autobiographical comic “Wasteland”), and archival footage and photographs, a story emerges of a self-destructive rebel who put human nature onstage in an attempt to explore why we behave the way we do.

By the end of the film, it’s a portrait of a complicated man whose window into human nature was both a gift and a curse. He was, as Dave Thomas describes him, “a delicate basket of eggs destined to break at any moment.” He was brilliant, but as Adam McKay points out, also a “bit of a baby sometimes.”

What remains is his pioneering work teaching improv (with a big leg up from Charna Halpern). His “Harold” teaching method, the structure used in longform improvisational theatre, is both rigid—there are a set of strict rules—but also freeing in a way that made his students, as Myers says, “get in touch with their higher selves.”

“You have a light within you,” he would tell them. “Burn it out.”

You can draw a straight line from Close to most folks who have made you laugh in the last thirty years. He was a guru, who never reaped the rewards or the recognition many of his students enjoyed, but the film aims to correct the latter.

As often happens in biographies, the legend sometimes looms larger than life. Did he really give L. Ron Hubbard the idea to start a religion to circumvent taxes? Did he really volunteer to have his dreams monitored by the U.S. government while high on LSD, leave the project early and then sent a letter saying he owed the government one more dream?

Who knows? They’re good stories though. Fact and fiction, it seems are the two sides of the coin that inform the legend of Del Close.

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It’s 1916 in London, where Dr Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) is trying to persuade a male-dominated scientific association of the medicinal benefits of an ancient tree with miraculous healing flowers. Disregarded and dismissed, she sets off for the Amazon with her wary brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), determined to find the legendary Tears of the Moon tree for herself.

When Lily arrives in the Amazon, she enlists Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) to take her down the river on his decrepit but charming boat. Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemmons) of Germany has also heard the tales of a tree so powerful its flowers can cure death itself. He wants it to win the war for his country and will stop at nothing to keep Lily from finding it. Lily, however, is not to be underestimated. Her dream of finding the tree and studying its flowers to help all of humanity keeps her going.

The journey into the heart of the Amazon is filled with danger and deception. There are poisonous creatures, inhospitable terrain and a band of undead conquistadors cursed by the jungle and the ancient tribes who were once its keepers. The conquistadors are also searching for the tree in the hopes that the Tears of the Moon might lift their curse and set them free.

But the tree is well concealed and only those with the purest intentions have any hope of finding it.

Ancient curses; the undead; gender discrimination; deception; greed and selfishness

Jungle Cruise has some violence. For example:

• Lily kicks a man and threatens him with a spear. She knocks over a display of swords. The swords fall, blades down, around another man.
• Skeletons hang from trees.
• A tarantula and scorpion fight to the death, while rowdy men bet on the outcome.
• Piranhas attack Frank. It looks like the piranhas are feasting on him, but he later turns out to be fine, although his shirt is shredded.
• Frank’s pet jaguar appears to attack men in a bar.
• Lily is kidnapped and thrown into a cage with screaming birds. She escapes the cage by kicking a man in the crotch, slamming another man into a wall, shoving spicy peppers into a man’s face, and freeing caged monkeys.
• Prince Joachim shoots at Frank’s boat and later tries to sink it with a torpedo. Frank steers the boat past an old building that gets destroyed, along with all the boats in the bay.
• Frank shoots his gun into the tree, and a rat falls down dead. He places this in the water and, with a net, gets out a pile of fish, all of which taste like blood.
• A primitive tribe throws darts at Lily, Frank and MacGregor and then kidnaps them.
• Lily and MacGregor both punch Frank in the face.
• An old conquistador suddenly comes out of the jungle and tries to kill Frank by slitting his throat. More conquistadors appear, all intent on killing villagers. They stab a man and set him on fire. Lily punches a man when he tries to strangle her.
• A character is shot in the head, and another is knocked unconscious.
• Frank is stabbed in the chest and falls through the trees, knocking against branches as he plummets to the rocks below. Lily watches in horror and later pulls a sword out of his heart.
• In a flashback the conquistadors are shown destroying an Amazon village. They’re later trapped in a cave and cursed, never to leave the sight of the river.
• Prince Joachim and his men fight Lily and Frank as they attempt to reach the Tears of the Moon. The prince is crushed by a rock, and Frank and Lily are left to fight the undead conquistadors on their own.

Sexual references

Jungle Cruise has some sexual references, including the suggestion that MacGregor might be homosexual.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Jungle Cruise shows some use of substances. For example:

• Frank offers Lily a drink while pretending to be someone else.
• People drink alcohol in a bar. One man collapses on the floor, completely drunk.
• MacGregor brings a crate of wine on board the boat, and Frank agrees that it can stay.
• Frank’s jaguar gets into the wine and is obviously drunk. It staggers around on deck before vomiting and passing out.

Nudity and sexual activity

Jungle Cruise has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, Frank and Lily kiss a couple of times.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Jungle Cruise : an old-fashioned Buick is driven down the streets of London with its logo prominently displayed.

Coarse language

Jungle Cruise has some coarse language and insults, including ‘hell’, ‘ruddy’, ‘crusty old farts’, ‘shove it up your association’ and ‘wimpy’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Jungle Cruise is an action adventure movie based on the famous Disneyland theme park ride.

Although Jungle Cruise is marketed as a family movie and features Emily Blunt as an excellent role model for young women, this isn’t one for young children. Because of its frequent violence, some scary scenes and creepy characters, this movie is best suited to teenage and adult audiences.

These are the main messages from Jungle Cruise :

• Follow your dreams no matter where they take you.
• Sacrifices will be rewarded.
• Broken hearts can be healed.
• Ultimately good will prevail.

Values in Jungle Cruise that you could reinforce with your children include persistence, determination, courage, ingenuity and faith.

Jungle Cruise could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:

• thinking that women or girls are incompetent and not as resourceful or resilient as men
• taking things that don’t belong to you and using them for your own personal gain
• lying or deceiving others
• using natural resources without thinking about the environmental impact of your actions.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Jungle Cruise

Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element. Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element. Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.

• Jaume Collet-Serra
• Michael Green
• Glenn Ficarra
• Dwayne Johnson
• Emily Blunt
• Edgar Ramírez
• 1.2K User reviews
• 297 Critic reviews
• 50 Metascore
• 5 wins & 9 nominations

• Frank Wolff

• Lily Houghton

• MacGregor Houghton

• Prince Joachim

• (as Quim Gutierrez)

• Sir James Hobbs-Coddington

• Chief's Daughter

• Society Guard

• Society Member

• Society Worker
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt Answer Burning Questions

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Did you know

• Trivia Many of the puns Frank uses are taken directly from the Disney Parks attraction on which the movie is based. These "so bad they're good" jokes are one of the reasons why Jungle Cruise skippers are so important to the ride experience.
• Goofs Prince Joachim knows where the trapped Spanish are located. There was no record of this because only Skipper knew where he trapped them.

Frank Wolff : If you're lucky enough to have one person in this life to care about, then that's world enough for me.

• Crazy credits The bay in the Disney logo is seen to have the water glowing purple, and after the Disney logo fully appears the camera dives into the water and leads to the Tree of Life, which opens the film.
• Connections Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: D23 Expo 2019 Extravaganza (2019)
• Soundtracks Nothing Else Matters Reimagined by Metallica and James Newton Howard With featured performances by James Hetfield , Lars Ulrich , Kirk Hammett , Robert Trujillo Written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich Associate Producer and Engineer Greg Fidelman

User reviews 1.2K

• MB-reviewer185
• Jul 30, 2021
• How long is Jungle Cruise? Powered by Alexa
• Will 'Weird Al' Yankovic's song 'Skipper Dan' about Disney's Jungle Cruise ride be featured in this movie?
• July 30, 2021 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Thám Hiểm Rừng Xanh
• Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA
• Davis Entertainment
• Flynn Picture Company
• Seven Bucks Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $200,000,000 (estimated)
• $116,987,516
• $35,018,731
• Aug 1, 2021
• $220,889,446

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 7 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• IMAX 6-Track

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Jungle Cruise

Where to watch.

Watch Jungle Cruise with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

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.

Funny, full of action, and an all-around good time, Jungle Cruise is a ride well worth taking.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Jaume Collet-Serra

Dwayne Johnson

Frank Wolff

Emily Blunt

Lily Houghton

Edgar Ramírez

Jack Whitehall

McGregor Houghton

Jesse Plemons

Prince Joachim

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Jungle Cruise

July 30, 2021

Action, Adventure, Comedy

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.

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 2h 7min Release Date: July 30, 2021

Directed By

Produced by.

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June 30, 2021

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We can't wait to go on an adventure with emily blunt and dwayne johnson in jungle cruise.

August 26, 2019

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.

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Jungle Cruise is one of the only movies to nail the feeling of a specific theme-park ride

It’s harder to get a ride movie right than you might imagine

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There are enough theme-park-based movies to make up a ranked list , but the way different movies handle the ride question varies drastically. Pirates of the Caribbean didn’t acknowledge much about the ride it was based on, and many don’t even realize the ride came decades before the movie. In Tomorrowland , by contrast, characters outright reference Disney. Jungle Cruise does include many references to the ride, but more importantly, it captures the specific feeling and energy of the attraction. It’s one of the few ride-based films that doesn’t just feel gratuitous.

The Jungle Cruise ride sits in the Adventureland portion of Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Its first iteration debuted with Disneyland in 1955, and while each park has slight variations on the actual route involved (with the Hong Kong version culminating in a battle between jungle gods), the premise is pretty much the same: Guests get on a boat that’s supposedly cruising down various famous rivers, from the Nile to the Amazon, and watch some animatronic animals while a skipper narrates the journey.

The ride isn’t a serious nature tour — it’s about 10 straight minutes of intentionally horrible, corny puns and gags. The Hong Kong version is more serious, keeping in line with the ride’s original concept of an informative animal tour, but the other versions of the ride are notable for just being one extended Dad joke. The exact gags vary from ride to ride, but there are some recurring classics.

For instance, after pointing at a large rock, the skipper will sometimes say, “This formation on the right is actually sandstone. Most people take it for granite. It’s one of our boulder attractions here in the park.”

“Take as many pictures as you’d like,” they might also say, when encountering some elephant animatronics. “They have their trunks on!”

And a favorite of mine, when going under a water fixture : “Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for, the eighth wonder of the world: It’s the backside of water!”

Jungle Cruise the movie is an archaeological adventure that taps inspiration from 1999’s The Mummy and Indiana Jones alike. But what makes it stand out is how it captures the ride’s zany energy — this isn’t a serious movie, even if it does have some serious moments, thanks in part to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s character. The Mummy also has goofy moments — Evelyn proudly declaring she is going to kiss Rick, then passing out , for instance — but there is a specificity to the silliness of Jungle Cruise that’s straight out of the original attraction. No one goes on the Jungle Cruise ride to seriously learn about animals or be swept away to another world. (The fact that the river boat jumps seamlessly from the Nile to the Amazon ruins that illusion a little.) They go on it for the terrible jokes, the fast-talking skippers, and the janky animatronics.

When it comes to adapting theme-park attractions, filmmakers face the unique challenge of trying to adapt with no tangible plotlines or characters. Sure, there’s Madame Lenora in The Haunted Mansion , or the bears of The Country Bears , but they don’t come with motivations or goals. The challenge isn’t in translating an existing story, it’s in evoking a specific feeling, created by the atmosphere of the ride and the subtler storytelling woven into the attraction. Pirates of the Caribbean , with its darkened waiting area in a stone-wall fortress, is going to elicit different emotions than the bright, goofy Jungle Cruise, even though they’re neighboring attractions.

It makes sense that in addition to capturing the general Adventureland vibe — exploring jungles, encountering dangers, and running into wild animals — the movie also completely embraces the goofiness. At first, that might seem like a stunt. Boat captain Frank (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is introduced while giving some tourists a ride, where he’s rigged up makeshift contraptions to give the guests little thrills, so he can rake in more tips. He even finesses some falling water to squeeze in that beloved “backside of water” joke .

But it goes beyond that one scene. Throughout the movie, Frank continues to make these dumb jokes. The plot elements are over the top, be it German aristocrat Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons) charging through a small dock with a giant submarine, or Frank keeping a trained jaguar below deck. The perils that Frank, adventurous botanist Lily (Emily Blunt), and her stuffy brother McGregor (Jack Whitehall) encounter on their adventure, like the intense rapids or undead conquistadors, aren’t lifted directly from the ride, but feel like they could seamlessly be added to it in some form.

For the filmmakers, this fidelity to the ride also apparently meant acknowledging some of the attraction’s uncomfortable past. A number of Disney attractions that incorporate controversial elements have faced a reckoning in recent years. Jungle Cruise also has the added burden of an entire genre full of outdated tropes . The way the filmmakers handle all that is a mixed bag: On one hand, the fact that the indigenous people of the Amazon are Frank’s friends and not faceless adversaries improves on the ride’s antiquated imagery. On the other, why reference an outdated character like Trader Sam (who has been retired from the parks entirely) if she’s still just going to be a one-note plot element?

But overall, Jungle Cruise pulls off that formidable feat of translating one kind of experience into another form of media. Unlike Tomorrowland , which was conceived as a gritty dystopia (even if it ends on a hopeful note) and belies the spirit of the actual Tomorrowland area of the parks, which have always been about a bright, beautiful tomorrow , Jungle Cruise follows in the footsteps of Pirates of the Caribbean . The filmmakers tap into the feeling of the ride — cheesy and unbelievable for Jungle Cruise , eerie with a smidge of sly fun for Pirates — to adapt that particular feeling of sitting on a boat, listening to a skipper tell rapid-fire bad jokes, and feeling just the vaguest sense of imaginary threat from the plastic animals above.

Jungle Cruise is available on Disney Plus with Premier Access now.

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Jungle Cruise

Based on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.

Dove Review

Jungle Cruise  the movie is a high adventure down the Amazon with action, plenty of funny dialogue and humor, and a big plot twist just past the middle of the film. The chemistry of the actors is palpable and one of the delights of the film. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays Captain Frank Wolff, who puts on a show for the people who take his riverboat tours. He tells stories of close calls, and even has natives show up in the weeds of the river, to give a moment of scary thrills.  He also speaks of the “back side of the river” flowing down in a waterfall, which is supposedly an added attraction!

Frank jokes that he once worked making orange juice but, “I got canned. I had a hard time with ‘concentration’. They put the squeeze on me.” His corny puns are so bad they’re good. He winds up taking on Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) as a passenger, along with her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall). Emily is a tough, no-nonsense woman who wears pants, unusual for 1916, two years into the first world war. Frank calls her “Pants” and she calls him “Skippy” instead of Skipper, in her annoyance with him. It’s obvious that these two will either kill each other or fall in love. Lily’s brother is a bit on the prissy side, even bringing a ton of luggage with him to the boat, which Frank promptly throws overboard. He allows MacGregor to only keep a few suitcases for necessity. MacGregor admits in a scene later in the film that he hasn’t had success with women, and he would be ostracized for the “one” that he does love. He loves his sister as Lily is fiercely loyal.

Lily is hiding a special arrowhead, which is coveted by a German soldier, to use as a key to open the lock of another world of possibility, one that can bring healing as it pertains to the “tears of the moon.”  A lot of mystical powers play a part in the plot. The creepy scenes abound. For example, in one bar scene some men have a tarantula and scorpion opposing one another. This movie contains half men/half zombie like creatures. One species of man is made up of bees and honey, another species are half vines and snakes (and man). And Frank always seems to know more than he lets on, and Lily doesn’t think she can trust him. In fact, he won the job of guiding her on his boat by allowing his pet leopard, Proxima, to come into a bar, apparently ready to attack — and Frank promptly fights him and subdues him. His “show” wins Lily over and he lands the job of taking her to her destination. Proxima is really an easy-going pet and when MacGregor finds him on the boat, he and Lily learn this fact.

Frank also allows the “showman” in him to come out again a bit later when he and Lily and MacGregor are apparently captured by a tribe with an evil chief who is about to do them in. Frank jokes when they sail to where the tribe is that they are head-hunters, and it is “a terrible place to ‘be headed’! It’s really a charade, and the chief turns out to be a lady friend of Frank. Lily is livid!

We won’t give all the details away, but a lot of action and more humor show up in this fast-paced and action-packed adventure that takes place not only on Frank’s boat in the Amazon of Brazil, but also underwater, and it’s a mystical adventure that spans several hundred years. In one exciting sequence, Frank and Lily make their way to the bottom of the river, with Frank holding onto Lily as she can’t swim. They have a goal as they swim under the water, but Lily gets trapped behind a barrier and only by Frank “kissing” breath into her can save her, but will it be enough?

The German soldier pursues them, after Lily’s arrowhead, and he winds up showing up in a submarine. Both he and Lily are determined to use the arrowhead and the question is, who will win this race to find the healing power of the moon of tears, and the mystical petals which bring life?

This movie may well turn out to be a blockbuster, with its elite group of actors, and fast-paced plot, not to mention the monstrous-looking characters in the film. It has met the content requirements of Dove and has earned our Dove seal for Ages 12+.

The Dove Take

This is one of those old-fashioned popcorn movies that will leave many family members, particularly the kids twelve and above, with gaping mouths wide-open-and it features a bit of romance for those who love some emotion in their movies.

Dove Rating Details

The soul is mentioned.

There are characters who care about helping those who are physically or emotionally hurting.

Kissing between a couple; it's intimated that a character is gay.

Several “Oh my gosh” comments and it sounded like a few “OMG” comments during the action sequences; “H” mentioned as a real, Biblical place; “Oh Sh…(Not Finished)-1.

Several scenes of violence including fist fights; snake bites; monsters grabbing at people; a man is run through with a spear but survives; etc.

Drinking; a character drinks a lot of strong alcohol and beer is mentioned; some alcohol is spilled, and a leopard drinks it and gets drunk.

Bare chested men.

Mystical powers; characters argue and have disagreements; characters vomit; a ploy for power.

More Information

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Emily Blunt Says Her Kids Cried Seeing Her ‘Trapped’ and 'in Peril’ Underwater in Jungle Cruise (Exclusive)

Emily Blunt and John Krasinski’s daughters don’t want them to be “anything other than their parent,” she tells PEOPLE

Emily Blunt is recalling a family-friendly movie of hers that nevertheless traumatized her kids. 

“They don't love watching me on screen,” says Blunt, 41, of daughters Hazel, 9, and Violet, 7, who she shares with husband John Krasinski , 44. “Which I understand because I'm their mommy and it's very strange to see me play someone else.”

That’s true even for movies aimed toward kids, like Disney’s 2011 hit The Muppets , 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns , or 2021’s Jungle Cruise , she tells PEOPLE. The latter film, costarring Dwayne Johnson , actually turned out to be a distressing viewing experience for her little ones.

“They've only seen Jungle Cruise once,” the Oppenheimer Oscar nominee reveals. “They didn't like the underwater stuff where I'm trapped and I'm in peril.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Universal Pictures

In the action-comedy based on the Disneyland theme park ride of the same name, Blunt’s adventurer Dr. Lily Houghton professes that she can’t swim. The story takes place along the Amazon river where fantastically fearsome foes await, placing the character in several high-stakes underwater situations. 

Upon seeing her in danger, recalls Blunt with a frown, Hazel and Violet “started crying. They left the room.”

Ryan Gosling , Blunt’s costar in the stunt-heavy action-comedy The Fall Guy , agrees with their reaction. “I didn't like that, either,” he tells Blunt. “That was upsetting for me to watch you like that!”

Similarly, Gosling’s daughters Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 8, who he shares with longtime partner Eva Mendes , have concerns about his strange line of work. Going into production on The Fall Guy , “My kids didn't want me to be set on fire ,” the Barbie star tells PEOPLE. “They were like, ‘No. No fire.’ So I didn't do it.”

In fact, he adds, his kids “don’t care” about the fact that he and Mendes, 50, appear on screen at all. “Eva was on an episode of Bluey ,” recalls Gosling. “We both thought it was going to be huge,” but instead, “They were like, ‘Fast-forward through that part!’”

Blunt nods. Kids, she says, “don't want you to be anything other than their parent.”

“They're not into it,” agrees Gosling.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Of course, the stars themselves aren’t always thrilled about the potentially dangerous work sometimes required of moviemaking. Gosling admits that in The Fall Guy , he wore sunglasses during his scariest stunt — involving his character falling backwards on wires — to hide the genuine fear in his eyes. 

And family-friendly fare can involve wild stunt work, too, as Blunt reveals. “I did some wire stuff in Edge of Tomorrow , which was probably more dangerous, because I took some spills,” she reflects. “But with [ Mary Poppins Returns ], that entrance was very stressful for me.” 

The magical nanny’s entrance “had to start in the clouds and come all the way down” toward the ground, she explains. “And I'm supposed to walk effortlessly into my close-up as if it's nothing. And I did three takes — and then I felt my tolerance go, ‘Pfft!’ and that was it. I was done.”

The Fall Guy , directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce, is in theaters now.

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By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

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In “ Jungle Cruise ,” a Disney adventure that demonstrates how basing a movie on a theme-park ride may now be a more natural occurence than adapting it from a novel, Emily Blunt plays Dr. Lily Houghton, a London researcher-explorer who’s as fearless, in her demure way, as Indiana Jones, and Dwayne Johnson is Frank Wolff, the friendly huckster of a river-boat captain who ferries her down the Amazon at the height of World War I.

He wears a hat just like the one Humphrey Bogart wore in “The African Queen,” and she wears pants — which, of course, were an early adaptation of Katharine Hepburn’s. For anyone old enough, or old-movie-centered enough, to care (which is maybe five percent of this movie’s prospective audience), the banter between these two could be said to evoke Bogart and Hepburn — or, at least, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in “Romancing the Stone.” Frank, a charlatan with a chip on his shoulder, calls Lily “Pants” and tells godawful jokes. She call him “Skippy” and rolls her eyes. And as they go at each other with gusto and bite and a touch of venom, you can sit back and feel, at moments, like you’re at a romantic comedy.

But it’s like watching a romantic comedy while strapped to a roller-coaster with a VR headset on. “Jungle Cruise” is at once a love story, a made-for-4DX action movie, a “Pirates of the Caribbean”-style fairy tale featuring a ghostly conquistador (Edgar Ramirez) and his pewter-armored henchman with digital snakes slithering through their bodies, and God knows what else. Blunt, appealingly brash, makes mincemeat of Frank the lug but lets you know she likes him anyway, and Johnson knows how to deliver a genial putdown that still stings. They’ve got a chemistry, no doubt about it, but in a funny way the romantic pluck of “Jungle Cruise” plays like one more trick effect. You can practically touch the one-liners as they ping off the screen.

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I enjoyed the movie more than I did the two recent “Jumanji” films, because you can kind of pretend that there’s something at stake, and the director, Jaume Collet-Serra, stages it all with a certain breathless bravura. Leaving the dock in the Brazilian jungle where Frank plays P.T. Barnum to gullible tourists, our heroes set off in his barely seaworthy steamboat, only to have to get out of the way of a torpedo launched by Prince Joachim, a Teutonic megalomaniac played by Jesse Plemons with a smirky flourish. The ship plows right into Frank’s docking station, which blows up real good.

There’s a turbulent sequence in which the boat speeds toward a waterfall, and a funny one that fools us into thinking, for a moment, that the movie is going to exploit the woefully outdated stereotype of a “primitive” tribe of cannibals wearing skull masks. (It’s actually mocking it.) Lily has brought her brother, MacGregor, along for the ride, and he’s a pampered dandy who think it’s not dinner unless you’re wearing a dinner jacket. He’s played by Jack Whitehall, in a pinpoint performance that benefits from not having to repress the implication that the character is gay, though it might have benefited even more if his coming-out speech to Frank didn’t dance around the subject nearly as torturously as the old repression.

“Jungle Cruise” is a movie that implicitly asks: What’s wrong with a little good old-fashioned escapism? The answer is: Absolutely nothing, and “Jungle Cruise” is old-fashioned, expect that it pelts the audience with entertainment in such a lively yet bumptious way that at times you may wish you were wearing protective gear. Lily has in her possession a mystical arrowhead, which everyone wants, because it’s the totem that will lead her to the Tears of the Moon, a legendary tree (it’s like the Fountain of Youth) with magical healing properties. That sounds like a Disney MacGuffin, and is, except what struck me after a while is that the real preoccupation of “Jungle Cruise” isn’t romance, or even adventure, but metamorphosis. Tree vines grow and wrap themselves around historic explorers; a fearsome tiger is revealed to be a pussycat; a key character turns out to be 400 years old; a theme-park ride turns into a love story and then back again. All that remains unchanged is the price of an oversize box of Raisinets.

Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, New York, July 26, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 127 MIN.

• Production: A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Davis  Entertainment Company, Seven Bucks/Flynn Picture Co. production. Producers: John Davis, John Fox, Beau Flynn, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia. Executive producers: Scott Sheldon, Doug Merrifield.
• Crew: Director: Jaume Collet-Serra. Screenplay: Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa. Camera: Flavio Labiano. Editor: Joel Negron. Music: James Newton Howard.
• With: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti, Veronica Falcón, Dani Rovira, Quim Gutierrez.

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Jungle Cruise: Kauai Filming Locations You Can Visit

Have you seen disney’s  jungle cruise  movie starring dwayne “the rock” johnson and emily blunt and want to visit some of the movie sites on kauai find out how to visit some of the kauai filming locations on your next kauai vacation., this list of jungle cruise kauai filming locations was written by hawaii travel expert marcie cheung and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, i may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog..

One of my favorite Disney attractions that we do every trip to Disneyland is the  Jungle Cruise . I love the puns, corny jokes, and the gags along the boat ride.

So, when I heard that Disney was making a movie based on the attraction, I was intrigued. And when I heard they were going to film part of it on Kauai, I got super excited!

Over the years, there have been tons of movies filmed in Kauai. Some of them are set in Hawaii, but others are set in Africa, Vietnam, and now the Amazon jungle.

We watched this new Disney movie as a family, and there were several times we shouted out, “that’s Kauai!” It’s always fun to recognize cool Kauai locations in movies!

So, I thought I’d share a few places on Kauai that were featured in  Jungle Cruise  that you can visit on your next trip to Kauai.

Want to skip all the planning and just access my detailed Kauai Itinerary, complete with daily schedules, kid-friendly activities, and travel hacks? Click the button below.

Jungle Cruise Premise and Characters

So, I’ve already told you that Walt Disney Pictures Jungle Cruise  is based on the Disneyland Jungle Cruise attraction with the same name. But, the movie basically just uses that as the setting and really takes it in a whole new direction.

The plot is that Dwayne Johnson’s character Frank (who plays the Jungle Cruise skipper) takes Emily Blunt’s character Lily and her brother MacGregor (played by Jack Whitehall) on a trek through the Amazon to find a tree that has magical healing powers.

But, it’s not that easy. Along the way, they have to fight off wild animals and protect themselves from a rival German expedition (these are the villains of the movie as it’s set during WWI).

There are a lot of elements that feel similar to the Indiana Jones movies, which were actually also filmed on Kauai!

Dwayne Johnson (Frank the Skipper)

At the beginning of the film, Frank is basically the Jungle Cruise skipper you see on the Disneyland attraction. He does a lot of the exact same jokes that we all know and love, plus he has a few extra tricks up his sleeve.

Emily Blunt (Lily)

She’s a smart, resourceful adventuress who is determined to find the Tears of the Moon, and she won’t take no for an answer. She’s also a feminist and wears pants in a time when that wasn’t common.

With a lot of adventure movies set in the early 1900s, the protagonist is male, so I found it super refreshing to have a woman as half of the action duo.

Jack Whitehall/ Lily’s Brother (MacGregor)

MacGregor is the quintessential English chap who insists on wearing a dinner jacket to dine on the rickey boat and wonders whether or not he’ll need his tennis racket during the voyage.

If you’ve seen Jack Whitehall’s stand-up comedy specials or his hilarious Netflix show  Travels with My Father , expect a lot of the same comedic delivery.

Top Kauai Filming Locations to See in Jungle Cruise

Where was Jungle Cruise filmed? Check out these Jungle Cruise locations on Kauai!

Kilohana Plantation Railway

I recognized the Porto Belo train station immediately as being the Kauai Plantation Railway at  Kilohana Plantation  on Kauai. It’s one of our favorite kid-friendly Kauai attractions!

In the movie, you’ll see Lily and McGregor arrive in Porto Belo via a train. Well, you can ride that old-timey train yourself! There’s a cool little train ride that goes around this historic property, and you can even hop out and feed some animals along the way.

As if that wasn’t cool enough, it’s also home to  Luau Kalamaku . This is one of the  best luaus on Kauai   for families because it’s a theatrical presentation about voyaging (and it reminds us a bit of  Disney’s Moana !)

And grown-ups might like to know that you can also do a rum tasting at Kauai Rum, which is also at Kilohana Plantation. It’s definitely worth a stop where you can see and experience it in real life!

Wailua River and Wailua Falls

Speaking of Porto Belo, they created this Brazilian town by filming around  Lihue , the biggest town on Kauai.

You’ll see Wailua River State Park and Wailua Falls as part of Porto Belo. This area was originally made famous by the 1970s TV show  Fantasy Island  (which was actually rebooted on Fox for 2021). It shows up in several Kauai movies, too.

Disney worked a bit of magic to make the Wailua area look a bit more like what the Amazon Rainforest might have looked like in 1916.

It’s super easy to visit Wailua Falls. There’s a scenic lookout with a large parking lot that’s great for capturing a selfie.  Please note that the hiking trail is on private property, and it’s illegal to trespass there.

But I think the best way to explore the area is with a  Wailua River kayaking expedition . You can kayak down the beautiful Wailua River and then explore a secret waterfall. You’ll feel like you’re in the movie!  Check latest rates and more information .

Kapaia Reservoir (one the main Kauai filming locations)

Near the beginning of this Kauai film, you see the exterior of Porto Belo, the Hotel de Fereira, Jungle Navigation Company’s docks, Nilo’s River Adventure moorings, and the tavern. This is actually the Kapaia Reservoir.

Disney actually built a massive set here to make the entire area look like 1916 Brazil. And the whole thing was created by Disney production designer Jean-Vincent Puzos. He used the Disneyland ride as his inspiration to create the shacks, docks, and jungle foliage.

Unfortunately, the Kapaia Reservoir is actually on private property, so you’ll be unable to check this one out in person.

Opaeka’a Falls

If you remember Ucayali Cove (where Frank and McGregor drink from flasks on the shore), that’s actually one of the most  popular Kauai waterfalls : Opaeka’a Falls.

You can actually tell it’s Opaeka’a Falls because of the rock formations. There are some shots of the boat mooring at the base of the falls, too.

It’s really easy to visit Opaeka’a Falls. There’s a scenic lookout that you can drive to. I know a lot of people think you can hike Opaeka’a Falls, but it’s actually on private property, so PLEASE don’t try this.

Huleia River

A few scenes were also shot near the Huleia River, which is part of the private Huleia National Wildlife Refuge. This is a popular  Kauai birdwatching spot  where you can see the nene goose, stits, ducks, Hawaiian coots, and moorhens.

It’s also a popular Kauai filming location, and you can see it featured in movies on Kauai like  Raiders of the Lost Ark ,  Jurassic Park , and  Lost World .

Because this area is usually closed to the public, the only way to explore the Huleia Valley is on a guided tour. There’s a really cool  Kauai ATV tour  at Kipu Ranch that is an awesome option!  Check latest rates and more information .

And if you want an even bigger Kauai adventure, try this  Kipu Safari Adventure . You’ll get to go ziplining, hiking, kayaking down the Huleia River, and even swim in a waterfall!  Check latest rates and more information .

Movies Filmed on Kauai FAQs

While there have been dozens of movies shot in Kauai, some of the most famous include  Jurassic Park, The Descendants, Blue Hawaii, Tropic Thunder, Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, Outbreak, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Absolutely! We’ve done it before, and it’s perfect for people who love films! This  Kauai Movie Adventure  takes you to a bunch of movie sites in East Shore and  North Shore Kaua i. Plus, it includes lunch at Tahiti Nui, made famous by the George Clooney film  The Descendants.

Many scenes from  The Descendants  were filmed in Hanalei. The classic Elvis movie  Blue Hawaii  was filmed at Lydgate Beach Park and the now-closed Coco Palms Hotel.  Honeymoon in Vegas  was filmed in Kapaa Town. And Lumahai Beach was featured in  South Pacific .

Yes! The Allerton Garden in Kapaa was where some of Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park were filmed.

Where Was Jungle Cruise Filmed Wrap-Up

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to recreate the  Jungle Cruise  movie on your next trip to Kauai. It’s no wonder why so many movies filmed in Hawaii choose Kauai as their  filming site . It’s so gorgeous!

If you enjoy the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland, you will love this comedy movie. Watch it before you head to the garden island and enjoy seeing all the places where scenes took place!

Looking for more  fun things to do on Kauai ? Check out the  Ahi Lele Fire Show , the  best things to do in Hanalei , and the  best Kauai snorkeling tours .