Disney’s Jungle Cruise is based on the theme park attraction of the same name, but the movie also takes from real-life historical figures and concepts. Jungle Cruise follows a British scientist, her brother, and a jungle cruise skipper as they embark on an adventure down the Amazon River in search of the mythologized Tears of the Moon. The Disney film stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Francisco “Captain Frank Wolff” Lopez de la Heredia, Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton, Jack Whitehall as her brother MacGregor Houghton, and Jesse Plemons as the villainous German Prince Joachim. The story takes place back in 1916 at the start of World War I with international tensions high, and few scientific prospects for women like Lily in a patriarchal society. Along their journey to find the Tears of the Moon, which is said to cure any sickness and save the lives of millions, they come face-to-face with the mythologized curse put on Spanish conquistadors from 400 years prior. While many of the jungle’s dangers become real for the crew, Jungle Cruise also takes cracks from the Disney theme park ride it’s based on, introducing terrors that turn out to just be tricks by the boat’s skipper.
