Review: Jungle Cruise Home Video Release
Disney’s Jungle Cruise is now available digitally and on Nov 16th will be on various disc formats. Different retailers will also have different packaging and bonus features included. Here is a release and images of some of the options the have. The Jungle Cruise stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt and you take a journey down the Amazon River as they seek an ancient healing tree. The film pays tribute to its namesake attraction with puns and other references. For more on the film, here is Maggie’s Jungle Cruise review from its theatrical release.
I had the opportunity to review the Jungle Cruise Blu-ray/DVD/Digital version of the release. Below are my first impressions of the various bonus features included:
- Creating The Amazon (15:14) – I found this feature to be the most interesting. It explores some of what went into creating the film including the boat, the town set which was built on Kauai, the jaguar and the computer graphics that are used throughout. I always enjoy looks behind the scenes and what goes into large productions so this went by a little too fast for me and I would have liked to have seen more!
- It’s A Jungle Out There: Making Jungle Cruise (12:58) – This nearly 13 minute feature highlights some what goes into making a film like this. This includes casting, makeup, costumes, and the director. What came across to me in watching this is how the cast seemed to have a really good time making the film. They also discuss a bit about honoring the Disneyland attraction.
- Once A Skip, Always A Skip (14:00) – A panel of skippers at Disneyland talking about their experiences working the attraction. I thought it was an interesting idea and the cast members featured shared some nice memories.
- Dwayne And Emily: Undoubtedly Funny (5:10)– Part outtakes and part “buddy feature” you see more interactions of Dwayne and Emily in this featurette. Much like outtakes your mileage may vary on this one.
- Outtakes (2:25) – Your standard outtakes reel.
- Jungle Cruise Expedition Mode – With this mode enabled as you watch the film pop ups on the screen will share factoids, trivia and other information. These include references to the attraction, items about the cast and making of the film. I skipped through the film to see some of the information and for the most part it was fairly straightforward and more generic type info.
- Deleted Scenes – There are 11 deleted scenes included in this release. They are in various stages of completion with some looking nearly finished, others having rough pre-vis and others just footage as it was shot. I always prefer when they introduce/share details about the scenes. There was nothing provided for these.
The bonus features total over an hour (excluding the full length Expedition mode). I found it to be a good mix of topics covered and the length of each felt about right. I would have liked to have seen more on the making of the film. The CG techniques and sets were discussed in the Creating the Amazon feature but so much was covered in so short of time it felt a bit rushed to me. I also thought they missed an opportunity to discuss the attraction more. The references/Easter eggs seem to call for their own featurette. I also thought they missed an opportunity to talk about the premiere at Disneyland.
For an initial home video release I thought this offering included a fair amount of bonus material and it was fun to watch the film again. The big question on the value of this release comes down to which of these bonus features will be what is included in the Disney+ release for all subscribers. I have not seen a listing so not sure what is unique to the home video release. If you are not a Disney+ subscriber it is an easier value proposition if you enjoyed the film and want to learn a little more these features deliver.
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