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Lions, tigers, and puns… oh my! The Jungle Cruise has become synonymous with the hilarious Skippers who helm the attraction, but few know that the iconic dad jokes featured in the ride did not make an appearance until 6 years into the attractions run. The Jungle Cruise was originally serious and informative, more akin to Walt’s True-Life Adventure documentaries. 

Disney Studios made 13 True-LifeAdventures in which 8 won Academy Awards!

When conceptualizing Disneyland, Walt wanted an attraction that could take guests on a tour through the waterways of the world. He envisioned tropical jungles with exotic plants and animals.

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The main problem? Southern California was practically a desert with 12-14 inches of rainfall. So Walt brought in two key individuals to make the attraction happen; Harper Goff, designer for the film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Bill Evans, the architect who helped Walt landscape his backyard locomotive. Both men would draw inspiration for the attraction from the recent film, The African Queen, as well as other African & South Pacific aesthetics. 

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The Jungle Cruise will be the first attraction to break ground during the construction of Disneyland, so that the plants and trees could have an extra growing season. 

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Majority of the land that Disney bought held matured orange groves. Since the attraction would need dense foliage, a team went through and marked the trees they wanted to keep with a red marker. Unfortunately, the bulldoze operator was color blind and just about bull dozed them all! The trees they were able to save, were planted upside down because they looked “exotic.”

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Once the area was cleared, Harper Goff, Disneyland’s first “Imagineer”, traced the outline of the river with a stick. He then walked 10 to 15 feet across to do the other side! 

Meanwhile, Bill Evans was having a hard time finding trees and shrubs to create the dense jungle appearance. He literally drove around Anaheim and went door to door, buying the most exotic looking foliage that he could find. Coincidentally, during the construction of Disneyland, Interstate-5 was being built. Bill would salvage trees from the side of the road that were torn down to make way for the interstate. 

One tree in particular became famous among Imagineers- when Walt was purchasing land for Disneyland, he bought 10 acres of orange grove property from the Dominguez Family. The couple stated that one of the established palm trees on the property was a gift given to them on their wedding day. Walt promise to preserve the palm; and he did! The “Dominguez Palm” was placed inside the Jungle Cruise (was moved a few times during refurbishments) and has flourished. It currently stands tall and beautiful in Adventureland. 

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The grandson of the couple who lived on that property, Ron Dominquez, began working at Disneyland four days before it’s grand opening. Ron stated that his home use to stand where the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean is today. The 20-year was a ticket taker but would soon work his way to supervisor of Main Street, U.S.A., then supervisor of Frontierland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland (not at the same time). Ron would eventually be appointed director of operations and in 1990, Executive Vice President of West Coast operations. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2000. Nicknamed “Mr. Disneyland” he served 39 years with the Walt Disney Company and was given his own window on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland. 

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As construction went on, Walt decided that although he wanted real animals to highlight the attraction, he knew they wouldn’t be as exciting as they would most likely sleep all day.  Imagineers created mechanical animals and Walt brought in the special effects team from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to complete the final look. The technology was primitive but they were pioneering the animatronics as they worked. The animals were powered by oiled hydraulics and needed to be strategically placed to hide any mechanical parts that were exposed. 

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All animatronics located in the water and the boats ran on a track. 

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The river is dyed a murky green to hide the track system. The famous Schweitzer Falls aka home to the “backside of water” joke, is the mixing station for the dye. 

July 17, 1955 was opening day for the Disneyland park. In addition to the 28,000 people to enter the gates, 90 million viewers would watch from the comfort of their own home. This was an impressive number considering at that point there was a population in the US of 170 million people! All who attended or watched the ceremonies were entralled with the Jungle Cuise. It was dubbed “A True Life Adventure.” 

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Walt had his own apartment in Disneyland, allowing him to spend the night whenever he pleased. The apartment located above the fire station on Main Street, U.S.A., was located next to the waterways of the Jungle Cruise. One night, the animal noises were not turned off, keeping Walt up all night! 

Walt LOVED to ride the Jungle Cruise. On his first ride since the park opening, the Skipper was so nervous he put the ride on full throttle, making the 7.5 minute trip only 4 minutes long. After complaining, management put in alarms to ensure Skippers had the script timed with specific points. Today, Skippers use landmarks as their cues. 

Staying true to Disney’s True-Life Adventure days, the original script was dry and educational (sprinkled with a few unfunny jokes). Several years into the park’s opening, rumor has it Walt overheard a mother say she would skip riding the Jungle Cruise because she had ridden it before. Disheartened by this, Walt consulted with animator and gag man, Marc Davis. Marc told Walt that ultimately the ride was not funny, so Walt tasked him with refurbishing the ride. Marc went in and rewrote the storyline, adding wit and new scenes with animals. Since technology had improved since the ride opened, Imagineers were able to do more with the animatronics, adding humor into the animals actions and movements. Marc also rewrote the Skipper’s script- he is the man responsible for the Dad Joke/Puns that the attraction is famous for. 

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Since Marc left his mark on the ride, Skippers have continued to add to the jokes Now the attraction script is like a menu- for each area, a Skipper can choose the jokes they want to tell, adding their own special flair. 

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The Jungle Cruise family has grown, adding four more locations; Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland & Hong Kong Disneyland, and a movie. Despite the growth & adaptations, one thing is certain; the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland will forever be known as the original Disney attraction- filled with mystery, adventure, enchantment, and thanks to Marc Davis… puns. 

All pictures are Disney© Behind the Attraction- Jungle Cruise streaming on Disney+.