A look behind Disney’s creations
James Croot finds the delightful Disney+ series Behind the Attraction details the crazy Jungle Cruise ride’s creation.
He just wanted somewhere he could take his two daughters. That was Walt Disney’s inspiration for building Disneyland, according to the new 10-part series Behind the Attraction, which begins streaming on Disney+ tomorrow.
Although its focus is on the stories behind some of the theme park’s most beloved rides and fixtures, it comes with a hefty dose of history about the man and his plans.
Narrated by Criminal Minds’ Paget Brewster, Attraction uses fascinating archival footage and interviews with key executives and imagineers to detail the highs and lows of bringing to life the likes of Space Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, Star Tours and the now-repurposed Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror.
With a new actionadventure inspired by the iconic Jungle Cruise about to hit cinemas, the episode devoted to that ride’s creation and legacy will have the most appeal – and it doesn’t disappoint.
It was one of Disney’s most ambitious projects – bringing the jungle to the southern Californian desert. Inspired by the success of his multi Oscarwinning True-Life Adventures wildlife documentaries, themselves the unlikely spinoff of research undertaken for Bambi and other animated movies, Disney wanted to create an experience for people unable to travel the globe.
But turning land which received around 30-35cm of rain a year into a lush jungle was no easy feat.
To ‘‘forest’’ the landscape, trees were bought from locals around the park’s location in Anaheim and some were literally snatched from the jaws of diggers destroying them to make way for freeways.
Originally Disney wanted to have real animals, which on the face of it sounds like madness, but the reasoning for going with ‘‘artificial’’ ones (created by special-effects crew unemployed after winning an Oscar for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) in the end was really because they decided actual wildlife wouldn’t have been very exciting.
Dyeing the water a murky green also meant a consistency of colour – and they could easily hide all the hydraulics.
Some of Attraction’s most engrossing footage is from Disneyland’s opening day – July 17, 1955. A live broadcast attracted more than half the United States’ viewing population and it’s amazing to see the park in its original form.
With its storytelling inspired by the Humphrey Bogart-Katharine Hepburn 1951 movie The African Queen (something the new Dwayne Johnson/Emily Blunt flick apparently heavily leans into), Jungle Cruise was a huge hit.
But after a relatively short while, Disney noticed the lines were dropping. Overhearing a mother suggesting they skip it, he investigated the cause and determined the inconsistent length of the ride and lack of humour were to blame.
Enter running the whole thing on rails and bringing in one of his scriptwriters to deliver a seemingly endless supply of puns, Dad jokes and general goofiness for the guides to share with their captive audiences.
As modern day employees reveal, it’s not a hard script, but a smorgasbord of comedic options for them to pick and choose from each day.
It’s those kind of insights, coupled with the historical titbits, that make Attraction well worth seeking out.
Behind the Attraction begins streaming on Disney+ tomorrow.