'Jungle Cruise' — release date, plot, cast, trailer, and all you need to know. (2024)

Jungle Cruise is Disney's new action-adventure family film, inspired by one of the original rides at Disneyland in California. Set in the early 20th century, the film follows an intrepid scientist as she embarks upon a mission to find a legendary tree deep within the jungle, whose petals are believed to have the power to cure any illness and break any curse. In order to get there, she enlists a slippery and cynical steamboat captain, and her extremely reluctant younger brother.

Here's everything you need to know about the film...

Jungle Cruise release date

Jungle Cruise will be released in cinemas on Friday July 30. As with other recent Disney releases like Cruella and Black Widow, it will also be available simultaneously to Disney+ subscribers via the Premier Access service for an additional one-off fee ( $30 in the US, £19.99 in the UK).

What is the plot of Jungle Cruise?

Dr Lily Houghton has spent many years studying reports of the fabled Tree Of Life, supposedly hidden deep within the jungle, whose petals are rumoured to have the power to cure any illness and break any curse. She wants to find the Tree and study its petals in the hope of advancing medical science — but it's the early 20th century, and very few people are willing to take a woman seriously on a matter like this.

Undeterred, Lily sets off to find it accompanied by her younger brother McGregor, who would much rather be safe on dry land enjoying a nice meal and a drink, but has nonetheless agreed to accompany his sister. Lily recruits steamboat captain Frank Wolff and his ramshackle vessel to help them get there, but the journey into the jungle is relatively uncharted and filled with danger.

However, Lily is not the only person looking for the Tree Of Life, as unhinged German aristocrat Prince Joachim is also determined to find it for his own purposes — and along the way she learns that Aguirre, a conquistador who set out to find the Tree Of Life many years before, met a terrible fate...

What are your critics saying about Jungle Cruise

What to Watch critic Leigh Monson had the below to say about Disney's newest adventure.

"Jungle Cruise is the kind of film that used to be the embodiment of blockbuster cinema, a silly, over-the-top adventure with characters who are having just as much fun exploring their surroundings and each other as you are watching them. The effortless chemistry of the two leads elevates a high-concept romp to something truly special, and we can only hope that any eventual imitators learn the right lessons."

Who is in the cast of Jungle Cruise?

Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place, Mary Poppins Returns) stars as Dr Lily Houghton, alongside Dwayne Johnson (The Fast And The Furious, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle) as Frank 'Skipper' Wolff and Jack Whitehall (Bad Education, Fresh Meat) as McGregor Houghton.

The film also stars Jesse Plemons (Judas And The Black Messiah) as Prince Joachim, Edgar Ramírez (The Undoing) as Aguirre, and Paul Giamatti (Billions) as Nilo Nemolato, the unscrupulous harbourmaster who manages the port where Frank is based.

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