5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Week

July 5, 2021July 2, 2021

By Zach Johnson

National Geographic is making a splash this July with the ninth annual SHARKFEST! The must-sea summer event swims onto screens Monday with the first episode of When Sharks Attack, followed by the premiere of the marquee special Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth. On Wednesday, the series premiere of the animated series Monsters At Work begins streaming on Disney+. Freeform’s hit comedy grown-ish returns for its fourth season the next day, and Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated Black Widow debuts simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access (for a one-time fee of $29.99) on Friday.

When Sharks Attack—Monday, July 5, at 8 p.m. ET on National Geographic
When sharks descend, the world’s beaches quickly turn deadly in this terror-filled, deep-sea saga that both shocks the local community and sends scientists reeling. What causes these spikes in shark activity—and perhaps more importantly, how can they be prevented?

Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth—Monday, July 5, at 9 p.m. ET on National Geographic
Chris Hemsworth is on a mission to understand shark behavior and discover how humans and sharks can safely coexist. After an increase in shark attacks along the east coast of Australia, he learns about different species and their behaviors and explores new preventative measures and technologies to help avoid future human and shark encounters.

Monsters At Work—Wednesday, July 7, on Disney+
The series premiere, “Welcome to Monsters, Incorporated,” takes place the day after the Monsters, Incorporated power plant started harvesting the laughter of children to fuel the city of Monstropolis. When Tylor Tuskmon (voice of Ben Feldman) arrives at the plant to begin his dream job as a Scarer, he discovers that scaring is out and laughter is in. After he is reassigned to the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team (MIFT), he must work alongside a misfit bunch of mechanics while setting his sights on becoming a Jokester. Rounding out the voice cast are Disney Legend Billy Crystal as Mike, Disney Legend John Goodman as Sulley, Mindy Kaling as Val, Lucas Neff as Duncan, John Ratzenberger as Yeti and Bernard, Jennifer Tilly as Celia Mae, Alanna Ubach as Cutter, and Henry Winkler as Fritz.

grown-ish—Thursday, July 8, at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform
Summer is heating up in part one of the season four premiere, “Ugh, Those Feels Again.” Zoey (Yara Shahidi), Aaron (Trevor Jackson), and the gang head to Mexico for a summer getaway filled with games, new hookups, some relationship drama… and even a wedding!

Black Widow—Friday, July 9, in Theaters and Disney+ with Premier Access
In the action-packed spy thriller from director Kate Shortland and producer Kevin Feige— the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe— Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Rounding out the cast are O-T Fagbenle as Mason, David Harbour as Alexei aka The Red Guardian, William Hurt as General Thaddeus E. Ross, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, and Rachel Weisz as Melina.

Make Mischief in This D23-Exclusive Loki Shirt

July 5, 2021July 5, 2021

By the D23 Team

Whether you’re working for the Time Variance Authority (TVA) or you’re a variant on the loose, celebrate the God of Mischief’s new Disney+ series with this shirt created just for D23. Showcasing the TVA logo and Miss Minutes herself, chart your own timeline in style with this shirt, available starting July 5 at 7 a.m. PT on shopDisney.

D23 Miss Minutes T-Shirt for Men – White
D23 Miss Minutes T-Shirt for Women – White

D23 Miss Minutes T-Shirt for Men – Dark Grey
D23 Miss Minutes T-Shirt for Women – Dark Grey

D23 Miss Minutes T-Shirt for Men – Heather Grey
D23 Miss Minutes T-Shirt for Women – Heather Grey

D23 Miss Minutes T-Shirt for Men – Black
D23 Miss Minutes T-Shirt for Women – Black

Add more fandom to your fashion with more D23-exclusive apparel and merch, which you can check out here.

Celebrate our Independence Day…with Independence Day!

July 4, 2021July 1, 2021

By Natalie Auxier, Walt Disney Archives

“Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in this history of mankind.
Mankind—that word should have new meaning for all of us today.
We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.

Perhaps it’s fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution—but from annihilation.
We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist.

And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice:

We will not go quietly into the night!
We will not vanish without a fight!
We’re going to live on!
We’re going to survive!
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”

Starring as President Thomas J. Whitmore, Bill Pullman gave this heroic and rousing speech in the 20th Century Fox blockbuster hit, Independence Day (1996). The film begins with an alien invasion of Earth and takes the audience on a thrilling journey with the heroes who try to stop the interstellar threat from wiping out mankind. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film also stars Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, and Mary McDonnell.

The Walt Disney Archives celebrates the 4th of July by showcasing some of the cosmic concept art, storyboards, set drawings, and posters from the film’s extensive art collection! Fun fact: when Independence Day Resurgence (2016) began pre-production, filmmakers reached out to the Archives to research and draw inspiration from the original film for the sequel. This is but one way that the Archives assists the creative process when it comes to the production of sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes in their journey to create seamless continuity between films, or fun little nods to previous works.

Save the Date for Disney Channel’s Descendants: The Royal Wedding

July 2, 2021

By Zach Johnson

You’re cordially invited to the wedding event of the year!

Descendants: The Royal Wedding invites viewers to Auradon’s most anticipated social soiree: Mal and King Ben’s wedding. Happily-ever-after continues for Auradon’s power couple as they prepare to say “I do” at an epic celebration with their friends and family.

There’s just one problem: Hades threatens to ruin it all.

Before it premieres, watch a brand-new teaser for Descendants: The Royal Wedding:

The animated special will feature a brand-new song, and the original Descendants cast is set to reprise their roles with Dove Cameron as Mal, Sofia Carson as Evie, Booboo Stewart as Jay, Mitchell Hope as Ben, Sarah Jeffery as Audrey, Melanie Paxson as Fairy Godmother, China Anne McClain as Uma, Jedidiah Goodacre as Chad, Anna Cathcart as Dizzy, Dan Payne as Beast, Bobby Moynihan as Dude the Dog and Cheyenne Jackson as Hades.

Written by Sara Parriott & Josann McGibbon and Ricky Roxburgh, Descendants: The Royal Wedding is based on the Descendants movies by Parriott & McGibbon. The animated special is directed by Salvador Simó and produced by Final Frontier Entertainment.

Descendants: The Royal Wedding will debut Friday, August 13, on Disney Channel, immediately following the premiere of the new Disney Channel Original Movie SPIN.

New Delightfully Dueling Jungle Cruise Trailers—Plus More in News Briefs

July 2, 2021July 1, 2021

By Courtney Potter

**Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt Offer Up Dueling Jungle Cruise Trailers**

Happy July! Summer is in full swing, and we’re now less than one month away from the highly anticipated release of Disney’s Jungle Cruise. To celebrate such a momentous occasion, Disney just debuted two hilariously adventurous “dueling” trailers for the film—one featuring Dwayne Johnson as Skipper Frank (seen above), and another featuring Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton (seen below)…

Inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park attraction, Disney’s Jungle Cruise is a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff (Johnson) and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt). Lily travels from London, England, to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities that possess the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank. Their fate—and mankind’s—hangs in the balance.

So, are you Team Frank or Team Lily? No matter your allegiance, mark your calendars for Disney’s Jungle Cruise when it’s released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access (for a one-time $29.99 fee) on Friday, July 30!

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend

If it’s feeling toasty in your next of the woods—it sure is in ours—mayhaps it would behoove you to stay inside (at least while you’re not grilling delicious BBQ foodstuffs or enjoying pool time) this upcoming Fourth of July weekend… So, what’s on tap to watch from around the worlds of Disney? Well we’re particularly excited for the Hulu debut of the original documentary feature Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), directed by DJ, author, and musician (and friend of D23) Questlove. But there’s a lot more where that came from…

Disney+ Announces New Simpsons Short: The Good, The Bad, and The Loki

This week, the good folks at Disney+ announced one of the coolest things we’ve legit ever heard of: The Good, The Bart, and The Loki, a brand-new Marvel-themed short from The Simpsons! The short will premiere exclusively on the steaming service on Wednesday, July 7.

In The Good, The Bart, and The Loki, Loki is banished from Asgard once again and must face his toughest opponents yet: the Simpsons and Springfield’s mightiest heroes! The God of Mischief teams up with Bart Simpson in the ultimate crossover event paying tribute to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tom Hiddleston returns as the voice of Loki in the animated short, and the God of Mischief will be seen alongside many fan-favorite characters from the legendary, long-running The Simpsons series. And, in case you couldn’t yet tell, the just-released key art (above) is indeed inspired by the poster for Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame.

The Good, The Bart, and The Loki is the second in a series of Disney+ shorts from The Simpsons that highlight the service’s marquee brands and titles, following the Star Wars-themed short Maggie Simpson in ‘The Force Awakens from Its Nap,’ available now, only on Disney+.

And don’t forget: New episodes of Marvel Studios’ original series Loki stream Wednesdays, only on Disney+!

Disney Princess Remixed – An Ultimate Princess Celebration Coming to Disney Channel

Fun news from our pals at Disney Channel: Coinciding with World Princess Week, they’re set unveil an all-new music special, Disney Princess Remixed – An Ultimate Princess Celebration, on Friday, August 27, at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Narrated by 12-year-old social media star Txunamy Ortiz, the half-hour special will celebrate the all the incredibly empowering attributes of Disney princesses and queens through reimagined performances of their iconic songs. Grammy® winner Brandy will also debut her music video for “Starting Now,” the anthem for The Walt Disney Company’s year-long event, “Ultimate Princess Celebration”—which spotlights the courage and kindness that Disney heroines inspire in fans all around the world. Disney Princess Remixed – An Ultimate Princess Celebration will also be available on Disney+ the same day in select markets, including the United States.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series stars Dara Reneé, Frankie Rodriguez, and Julia Lester; Secrets of Sulphur Springs star Izabela Rose; Sydney to the Max star Ruth Righi; and Under Wraps star Sophia Hammons are set to perform pop, rock, and R&B remixes of “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2, “Home” from Beauty and the Beast, “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog, and “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid, respectively. Walt Disney Records will also release three singles from the special, “Into the Unknown (Disney Princess Remixed)” set for release on August 13, followed by two additional singles on August 27. The special is executive produced by the Emmy® Award-winning team NappyTabs (So You Think You Can Dance).

To kick off Disney Channel’s Princess Night, fans can also enjoy a special presentation of the classic Disney movies Tangled beginning at 4:05 p.m. ET/PT and Frozen at 5:45 p.m. ET/PT. Immediately following Disney Princess Remixed – An Ultimate Princess Celebration, an all-new princess-themed episode of Disney’s Magic Bake-Off will debut at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Feeling Lucky with Disney Channel Premieres on Friday, August 13

Speaking of Disney Channel and cool things they’re debuting in August… they’re going all in on Friday, August 13, with some sure-to-be-fun-lucky premieres!

Beginning at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT, Disney Channel will premiere the new Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) Spin—which follows Rhea (Avantika), a relatable Indian American teen who discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the rich textures of her South Asian culture and the world around her. Her life mostly revolves around her tight-knit family and their restaurant; afterschool activities, and her eclectic group of friends… but everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max, and her long-lost fervor for music is reignited. Rhea discovers that she really does have a natural gift for creating beats and producing music—but she’s got to find the courage to follow her true inner talent. Check out the new trailer for the DCOM, above.

But that’s not all: Following Spin is the highly anticipated animated event of the summer, Descendants: The Royal Wedding, as well as the premiere of Disney Channel’s delicious new unscripted competitive baking show Disney’s Magic Bake-Off.

And it all kicks off with the network TV premiere of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 4 at 6:15 p.m. PT/ET. Don’t miss out!

Latest Trailer for Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings

Debuting late last week, the new trailer for Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings is as thrilling as they come.

The film follows Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), a young Super Hero whose journey of self-discovery unfolds in this never-before-seen origin story. “Shang-Chi’s main problem in his life is rooted in not knowing who he really is,” says Destin Daniel Cretton, the film’s director and one of the writers, who is elated to bring Shang-Chi’s story to the big screen. “He has to learn how to own every part of himself. If he doesn’t allow himself to look at all of it—the good, the bad, the light and the dark—and to own it all, he won’t be able to reach his full potential.”

Told with stunning visuals, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s signature spectacle, and lots of mind-blowing action—along with the talents of a diverse, stellar cast—Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings opens in theaters on September 3.

ICYMI: New Disney Animation Exhibition Coming Soon to The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Should you find yourself in New York City towards the end of 2021, you positively must stop by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and check out their upcoming exhibition, Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts—featuring the incredible work of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ hand-drawn animation. Find out what to expect from the exhibition, opening December 10, 2021, and continuing through March 6, 2022, by clicking here.

New Topps Digital Collectibles Will Enchant You

July 1, 2021

By the D23 Team

Bring all the magic of Disney+’s Loki series home courtesy of our friends at Marvel Collect! by Topps®! Read on to see what you can expect from these new sets:

Loki Collections in Marvel Collect! by Topps® app
Great news: The Marvel Collect! by Topps app has three NEW digital collectibles sets full of Loki fun, to celebrate the launch of the show! Catch a glimpse of cool full-length images of Loki characters in the First Look set, featuring Mobius and Loki—out now!

Then, prepare yourself for the latest Loki episode on Disney + by collecting Toon Time tilt cards that animate when you tilt your mobile device.

And don’t wait: Time’s ticking on your chance to get these Time Variance Authority cards. But once you have them, they’ll be yours for all time…

Get Early Access to the July Disney Treasures From the Vault, Limited Edition Chip and Dale Plush, Amazon Exclusive

July 1, 2021July 2, 2021

Click Here to access the July Disney Treasures From the Vault, Limited Edition Chip and Dale Plush, Amazon Exclusive

Disney Treasures From the Vault, Limited Edition Chip and Dale Plush, Amazon Exclusive

Relive the magic of Disney with the Treasures From the Vault Plush. Inspired by Disney’s dynamic duo, the Limited Edition Chip and Dale are the seventh collectible characters in this exclusive Amazon series. Chip and Dale stand 9.75 inches tall and are made with soft fabric. Featuring embroidered eyes and a black and white stripe down their backs, Chip showcases his black nose with two centered protruding teeth and Dale showcases his red nose with a large gap between his buckteeth. They both have matching red satin bows. They even include a Certificate of Authenticity and come in a window box featuring exclusive Disney Treasures From the Vault packaging with gold foil detailing; ideal for collectors. Collect all 12 of these commemorative plush. Ages 3+

Chip and Dale made their first appearance as two mischievous unnamed chipmunks in the 1943 cartoon short Private Pluto. They would debut their names in the eponymous short Chip an’ Dale in 1947. The duo would appear in a total of 24 shorts, usually causing mayhem and frustration for characters like Donald Duck and Pluto. While Chip and Dale may look similar, they do have differences in both appearance and personality. Chip sports a small black nose and tends to be the more logical of the two, while Dale features a large red nose, separated teeth and acts a bit dim-witted.

Seventh commemorative plush in the 2021 Treasures From the Vault Plush collection. Each month a new limited edition commemorative plush is being revealed, exclusively on Amazon. Collect all 12.
Each Limited Edition Chip and Dale Plush includes a Certificate of Authenticity within the box. D23 Members will have early access to the line of limited edition Disney plush presented by Amazon.
Chip and Dale made their first appearance as two mischievous unnamed chipmunks in the 1943 cartoon short Private Pluto.
Chip and Dale stand 8 inches tall and are made of soft fabric with embroidered eyes.
Ages 3+
D23 Members will be the first to be notified about each month’s theme and have an opportunity to order the month’s design.
Each month D23 will provide Members with advance notice of the date the plush will be available for purchase on Amazon.com.
On Friday, July 2, at 9 a.m. PST,visit this page on D23.com for the link to purchase the July Disney Treasures From the Vault, Limited Edition Chip and Dale Plush, Amazon Exclusive
Please Note: You must be signed in as a D23 Member to access the link to purchase. Click “Sign In” at the top of the page.

Please note limited quantities of the plush will be available on Amazon.com.

For more Disney favorites, visit amazon.com/Disney for a full assortment of products.

Disney Treasures from the Vault, Limited Edition Chip and Dale Plush offer available to D23 Members for a limited time. Limited quantity of plush are available, while supplies last, at Amazon.com.

Items not eligible for any additional promotional discounts or offers except available shipping offers. Offer subject to restrictions and to change without notice. Void where prohibited.

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend

July 1, 2021July 1, 2021

By Zach Johnson

Celebrate the 35th Anniversary of The Great Mouse Detective by streaming the animated classic on Disney+ this Friday. That same day, the streaming service will add the 1993 film The Sandlot to its library as part of its ever-growing “Summer of Disney+” lineup. Hulu on Friday will debut the original documentary feature Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a majestic, provocative love letter to a lost piece of history. In celebration of Independence Day, FX will broadcast two days’ worth of movies featuring Marvel characters. Finally, on Sunday, FXX will air 10 episodes of The Simpsons that follow the family’s adventures (and misadventures) as they travel across the country.

The Great Mouse Detective—Friday, July 2, on Disney+
After a toymaker (voice of Alan Young) is kidnapped to make a robot replica of Queen Mousetoria (voice of Eve Brenner) for the evil Professor Ratigan (voice of Vincent Price), the elite detective Basil of Baker Street (voice of Barrie Ingham) is called upon to find him. Aided by the intrepid Dr. David Q. Dawson (voice of Val Bettin), Basil helps the toymaker’s daughter, Olivia (voice of Susanne Pollatschek), search for him. Working together, they manage to foil Ratigan’s evil plan and save the queen from her unscrupulous usurper.

The Sandlot—Friday, July 2, on Disney+
In the summer of 1962, reserved fifth-grader Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) moves into the Los Angeles suburbs with his folks. Dorky and desperate to make friends, his life changes after Benny Rodriguez (Mike Vitar), leader of the neighborhood gang, recruits him to play on their baseball team. It’s the start of a magical summer filled with wild adventures, first kisses—and close confrontations with the scary Beast who lives behind the left field fence!

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)—Friday, July 2, on Hulu
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an event that celebrated Black culture, fashion, and history. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just 100 miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park. The footage was never seen and largely forgotten—until now. The documentary also includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension, and more.

FX’s Marvelous Fourth of July Movie Marathon—Saturday, July 3, at 5:30 p.m. ET and Sunday, July 4, at 8:30 a.m. PT on FX
Declare your independence from making plans and watch a marathon of some of your favorite movies, including Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The Simpsons Guide to America—Sunday, July 4, at 12 p.m. ET on FXX
Celebrate America’s birthday with The Simpsons as the family travels from sea to three-eyed-fish-filled sea this holiday weekend. Join Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta), Marge (voice of Julie Kavner), Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright), Lisa (voice of Yeardley Smith), and Maggie (voices of Cartwright and Smith) as they take in all America has to offer, whether that’s a “hate-cation” in Boston or a patriotic tour of Washington D.C. Episodes featured include “Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington” (Season 3), “Bart on the Road” (Season 7), “Summer of 4 Ft. 2” (Season 7), “Kill the Alligator and Run” (Season 11), “Any Given Sundance” (Season 19), “Angry Dad: The Movie” (Season 22), “The Town” (Season 28), “Lisa Gets the Blues” (Season 29), “’Tis the 30th Season” (Season 30), and “Mad About the Toy” (Season 30). Watching FXX’s marathon sure beats staring at those purple mountains…

Inside Marvel Studios’ Epic Black Widow World Premiere Fan Event

June 30, 2021July 1, 2021

By Zach Johnson

As Florence Pugh said, “The wait is finally over.”

Fans from Melbourne, London, New York, and Los Angeles celebrated Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow at four red carpet fan events held around the world that included an advance screening of the film and a surprise big-screen shout-out from Scarlett Johansson.

Fans in Melbourne were treated to a Q&A with director Cate Shortland, while Pugh, who makes her Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut as Yelena Belova, greeted fans in London. Next, David Harbour, who stars as Alexei aka Red Guardian, hit the red carpet in New York, while producer Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios and Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer, joined executive producers Victoria Alonso and Brad Winderbaum and co-producer Brian Chapek at the Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood. “It’s a huge, fun action movie,” Harbour raved of Black Widow. “It’s got a lot of heart and a lot of humor.”

Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Black Widow finds the titular hero confronting the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. To show their admiration and appreciation for the character’s journey, fans at each of the global events dressed up in costumes inspired by the MCU. The cosplayers’ looks “rival the costumes we have on set and in the movies,” said Feige, who added it’s “been too long since we were able to interact with [fans] in person.”

Fans also dressed up as other fan-favorite characters from the MCU, including Black Panther, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Loki, Star-Lord, and Sylvie. Celebrity guests from the MCU included Emma Caulfield (WandaVision), Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness), Lia McHugh (Eternals), and Meng’er Zhang (Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings), who all attended the Los Angeles fan event.

The first film in Phase Four of the MCU, Black Widow will launch simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access (for $29.99) in most Disney+ markets on July 9, 2021. “It has been a remarkable journey. It has been a long time coming—not just for Black Widow to get her own standalone movie, but for us to actually be able to release that movie here—in Hollywood, with a crowd, with real people,” Feige said. “It’s amazing.”

Enjoy more photos from the Black Widow red carpet fan events:

Emily Blunt and Director Jaume Collet-Serra Preview Jungle Cruise, Out Next Month

June 30, 2021

By Max Lark

Spend some time in Hawai‘i and you may hear a local say, “Hawai‘i is the only state in the United States that has never hit 100 degrees” (technically, this is sort of not true: Hawai‘i—and Alaska—have both hit 100 degrees only once before, but in each case, that was prior to their joining the United States). Hawaiians may like to think their famed trade winds keep things cool, but on the day D23 visited the Kauai set of Jungle Cruise, the eagerly anticipated film that floats into theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on July 30, an on-again/off-again rain shower was spiking the humidity, and the vast set for the port town of Porto Velho—where the journey up the Amazon will begin in the film—seemed wrapped in the heat of an Amazon-like fever: damp, humid, hot. This was definitely going to be a bad-hair day.

But a superlative, pinch-me day for anyone who loves visiting film sets—especially one as convincing, detailed, expansive, and true to life as this one is. At the center of everything is an S-shaped freshwater reservoir, which gently curves, river-like, through the location. Traipsing through the buildings on its shores was like walking through a town in the upper Amazon Basin, circa 1916. Every structure—from the Porto Velho town set and Nilo’s (Paul Giamatti) jungle cruise operation and tavern to Skipper Frank Wolff’s (Dwayne Johnson) steam cruiser, La Quila, and his home on the water—seems more like found artifacts left behind in a real jungle rather than a movie set. Each building is kitted out with props—a functional-looking barber shop here, aged books, trinkets, jewelry, and clothing there—that make a set visitor feel more like a cultural anthropologist than a guest. It all looks that real. La Quila, for example, is a real boat, with a real steam engine, that feels like it was transported from the 1951 movie The African Queen (yes, we got to go on board and check it out).

In the film, Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns, A Quiet Place) stars as Lily Houghton, a doctor in botany who is the impetus behind this jungle cruise. Boldly refusing to conform to what women were expected to do during the era in question, she is following up on research conducted by her father, and, using an ancient figurine she believes may lead her to the location of a tree that has mysterious powers, hires Frank Wolff to conduct her down the river. The two, of course, don’t get along that well, to put it lightly, but Blunt says that’s not the case off screen. “It’s a funny thing when you become instantaneous buddies with someone like DJ; it is hard to sum up exactly what that quality is about your chemistry with that person, but we just really got each other, and we both made each other laugh. I think he is kind of amazing, and I adored working with him. We were a good team, we approached the film with the same love for the movie. We were both terribly excited about the film from the get-go. This wasn’t just a job for either of us. It wasn’t just any other movie. We’re both madly in love with films like Romancing the Stone and Indiana Jones—I grew up with those movies! We approached the film and the experience with lots of love and lots of excitement and that ultimately leads to a really productive and creative experience. Although we do like to give each other hell just for fun!”

Blunt blames Johnson and Jack Whitehall (Jack Whitehall: I’m Only Joking, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), who plays her brother, MacGregor Houghton, a foppish dilletante who prefers tea and crumpets with a glass or two of champagne to anything that can be uncovered in a jungle, for some extra work on set. “There were certain scenes that were really hard to get through with Dwayne and Jack making me laugh; it just became a matter of how far would you go to make that person break? And those two boys were evil with me with that. Evil! But it was all great fun.”

Blunt sings the praises of the entire Jungle Cruise cast for making the time spent in Hawai‘i—and later in Atlanta—so rewarding, but singles out Giamatti for his electric performance as Nilo. “Nilo is this swindling, rather revolting character. No one does rage like Paul Giamatti. No one can play rage and outrage like Paul Giamatti. He’s perpetually outraged as his character, and it’s just heaven to watch him do that.”

For his part, director Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop, The Shallows) says that Jungle Cruise offered the opportunity to make the type of storyline he “loved as a kid, but had never gotten the chance to make, something like Romancing the Stone,” he says. “Visually, I wanted to make a movie with a lot of scope. That would feel like you’re on an actual journey through the Amazon. And this set really helped us bring that to life. What makes it difficult is that there is a certain tone you are striving for. And you need great actors who can banter like Dwayne and Emily do, but you have to put them in circumstances that are fast-paced and can create visually funny moments.

“Another objective was to have a movie that looked like it was shot a long time ago,” he adds. “Nowadays with digital, most lenses are cold and sharp, but we wanted to create a look that was old and warm. We shot the film digitally, but we wanted to capture aberrations and flares and mistakes that you associate with a period movie.”

Collet-Serra says what will surprise audiences most about Jungle Cruise is the mesmerizing performance of the two stars at the top of the credits. “You probably wouldn’t expect Dwayne and Emily, who are probably two of the most different people on the planet, to have that great, even amazing, chemistry. But when you watch it, you can’t get enough of it. So I think that chemistry is what is really going to surprise audiences, make them laugh, and ultimately, move them.”

Last week, the lucky few of us who traveled to Hawai‘i to see the Jungle Cruise set were fortunate enough to see the film’s first act. And there it all was. The town of Port Velho. The winding river. The impossible green of the Kauai valley. The La Quila that we all got to board.

And it all looked even better on film than it did in real life.