Disney’s Jungle Cruise Trailer Is like Pirates of the Caribbean Meets Anaconda

We’ve all been living in Pandemic World for so long at this point that it’s almost become easy to forget exactly what the media landscape was even like before the era of COVID-19. And then you see a trailer like this newly released one for Disney’s Jungle Cruise, and it all comes rushing back, for better or worse. Initially filmed more than three years ago at this point, Jungle Cruise is finally getting its simultaneous release in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access (an additional fee) on July 30, 2021. Here’s your synopsis:

Set during the early 20th century, a riverboat captain named Frank takes a scientist and her brother on a mission into a jungle to find the Tree of Life, which is believed to possess healing powers. All the while, the trio must fight against dangerous wild animals and a competing German expedition.

In terms of tone, the comparison to Pirates of the Caribbean is sitting there, just begging to be made. Like Pirates, this is an adaptation of a classic Disney river boat ride, and it seems to be shooting for the same sort of swashbuckling, macabre (but family friendly) energy. There are also elements of something like Kong: Skull Island in the mix this time around thanks to the tropical setting, while the plot itself is basically in the same vein as the likes of Anacondas: Hunt For the Blood Orchid. One thing it’s certainly not lacking: Big-budget CGI, which is on display in every second of this trailer. It feels like the sort of ostentatious use of a movie budget that we just haven’t seen in a while.

Oh, and have we mentioned that Jesse Plemons shows up as a villain who looks to be, for all intents and purposes, like some sort of German U-boat captain? Because he totally does.

Jungle Cruise started filming waaay back in May of 2018, and was originally intended to be released before the pandemic, in Oct. of 2019. It was eventually pushed back to the summer of 2020, however, which then ran into the obvious issue of theaters all being closed. At this point, it’s been a well over three year wait—will anyone still care when Jungle Cruise arrives? Check out the trailer below and decide for yourself.