Jungle Cruise Trailers Debut At D23; Marvel At The Backside Of Water

While there was plenty of Star Wars and Marvel news to talk about from the Walt Disney Studios panel during the 2019 D23 Expo, that's not all that was unveiled. Among the many titles teased for the D23 crowd was Jungle Cruise, which stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt. And yes, it's that Jungle Cruise--the iconic Disneyland boat ride--that is the basis of the movie.

Johnson and Blunt were both on hand to talk about the film, bringing dueling trailers. Johnson put his character Frank, the skipper of a jungle riverboat, firmly in the spotlight. Blunt, on the other hand, cast her character Lily Houghton as the true hero of the story as she set off on an adventure and hired Johnson to help her along the way.

The trailers played up a humorous competitive relationship between Blunt and Johnson, as they battled for attention in the panel with both even getting elaborate entrances--Johnson arrived on an actual Jungle Cruise boat, while Blunt was driven into the arena in a classic car. However, these first looks at the film also have an idea of what the audience can expect from the film.

With Blunt's character in search of this mystical tree, which has healing powers, she enlists Frank to take her up-river. Along the way, they encounter marauders and wild animals, find themselves in fights--one of which ends when Lily accidentally punches Frank in the face. In addition to the comedy, there are plenty of nods to the theme park ride. At one point, while giving a tour, Johnson shows his passengers the "eighth wonder of the world," the backside of water. On the ride, this is done by going behind a waterfall. For Frank's boat tour, though, he simply turns on a faucet, in one of the sillier moments of his trailer.

Both trailers led to the same moment, which revealed a man-made of snakes. While a full shot of the slithering character wasn't shown, Frank and Lilly had very different reactions. "That's impossible," a dumbfounded Frank uttered. Lily, on the other hand, was astonished. "It's real," she said.

Neither of these trailers has been released to the public, and unfortunately, it'll be a while before you can see the movie. Jungle Cruise is in theaters on July 24, 2020.