As much as I love riding ("adventuring"?) on the Jungle Cruise, I'm always a bit disappointed when a group of slides has 8 or 9 photos from this ride. I suppose I can understand the guest's reaction, especially if this was their first trip to the park. But it's hard to get excited about pictures that look just like a million others.
The hippoppoppotapoptamuses have always impressed me with their realistic appearance. The Imagineers even duplicated their aroma, which is (surprisingly) minty-fresh.
Ah, the mother in-law! You don't hear as many mother in-law jokes these days, they were a true staple of television. And probably Vaudeville. I'm actually not sure if this is the bull elephant or his wife's mother! The blurry arm of the Skipper is to the left.
Of course I have always had a special love for the old, odd-looking gorillas that you could see on the Jungle Cruise. I think there were 2 of them, and they would bob up and down in a display of aggression and codependence. Being mostly black, and often in the shadows, it was hard to get a good picture of these guys. I have heard that their chassis were used for the Abdominal Snowmen introduced in the Matterhorn in 1978.
The nostrils of the hippoppoppotapoptamus (I copied and pasted that) on the left look like eyes sitting atop a big fat frog. A frog with tusks! This is actually a good picture of the hippos, even if we have seen many like it.
ReplyDeleteAgain, a pretty good picture of the elephant. They're usually mostly hidden in the foiliage or a bit blurry or the whole scene is hopelessly dark and murky. Seems odd that Disney would hire a CM that's so out of focus.
I wonder how the gorillas turned out looking so stiff and fake when all the other animals look so real? They look like the typical gorillas that you would see in amusement park (or carnival) dark rides. Still, like you said, it's a fairly good photo when compared to what we usually see.
Better than average Jungle Cruise photos. Thanks, Major.
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas......
ReplyDeleteI remember the JC gorillas, and yeah, they weren't as realistic as all the other animals. Looking at today's pic of one, makes me think of the robot King Kong that was built for the 1976 remake of the film, but then used/shown VERY briefly because it looked so bad.
Thank you, Major!
^ Ha! I saw that movie when it came out. I remember reading about the huge Kong they built, before I saw the movie. Then they only showed it for like, five seconds. But that was enough time to see how badly they screwed it up. I think I actually laughed ( or groaned) when I saw it in the theater.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy Jungle Cruise pics and these are nice. It is the one Disneyland attraction strongly rooted in my mind from childhood visits in the early 1960's. And I never tire of hippo shots.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major.
Oh boy, more Jungle Croozles™️!
ReplyDeleteThey aren’t just snoozles. As noted, these are really pretty good. The photographer was on the starboard side of the boat and kept to it. My issue is always trying to get pics of scenes on the other side of where I’m sitting, and end up with silhouettes of other guests, or the canopy etc.
I remember those gorillas, they acted like they were trained by Tweedledee and Tweedledum, bobbing up and down. I wonder if they got cold in their new home in the Matterhorn?
Thanks Major, good views of a favorite ride.
JG
JB, not everyone can spell hippoppoppotapoptamus correctly, so congratulations. It took me a second to see the “big fat frog”, but now I do. I will see it everywhere I go. Not only is that CM out of focus, he sometimes puts his hands in his pockets. I agree, why did the gorillas turn out so strange and unrealistic? Did they not have any good photos of the real thing? It makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I would be happy with a platypus for Christmas. Much easier to care for, just give it clean water to swim around in, and some worms to eat. You are SO right, the gorilla in the photo looks VERY much like the terrible barely-moving robot from the 1976 King Kong!
JB, I think “Kong” was very hyped in “Famous Monsters of Filmland”, and when I finally saw the movie in the theaters, I thought, “Wait a minute, that’s a guy in a costume!”. Rick Baker in a good costume, but still.
K. Martinez, the Jungle Cruise, for all of its changes, still can take you back to 1955, one of just a few rides that was there on opening day.
JG, I can't imagine anybody switching from one side of a Jungle Cruise boat to the other just for photos! For one thing, there are people on the other side! I don't believe I have ever taken a single photo aboard the Jungle Cruise. In spite of the weird appearance (and behavior) of the JC gorillas, I always loved them.
ReplyDeleteI can see where it might be harder to capture a primate's movement with the limited-action figures they were confining themselves to on the Jungle Cruise. That said, you would think they would take that into account when planning out the scenes! It could have been pretty effective to have them sitting still and then just turn their heads to look at the boat, or something like that, instead of bobbing up and down in a less realistic manner. But what do I know, I don't have a degree in Fungineering. And I think these shots are pretty nice; I don't recall seeing these particular views a bunch of times before.
ReplyDeleteHimpopropoloppopogotomopotomuses, ephalentines, and gloriadillos are all animals I saw Disney's robot versions of before I ever saw real, live ones. Pretty weird, kids!
Major, I don't think they even gave Rick Baker screen credit for his role in bringing Kong (which he also constructed) to life.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, you should've copied and pasted "hippoppoppotapoptamuses" like I did! :-D (I chuckled at your version.)
Melissa, you are right, in fact I think today the gorillas that are “trashin’ the camp” have minimal arm and head movements that work just fine. I wanted a degree in Fungineering, but couldn’t stand 8 years in college and then another four years as an apprentice.
ReplyDeleteJB, I think they wanted to keep Rick Baker’s involvement “hush hush” since that giant robotic ape got so much publicity. My older brother bought a huge two-volume book from Baker, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, I’m sure it’s amazing.
JB...Good on you recognizing that the photographer was sitting on the starboard side of that elephant pic! I would also guess that the photographer is sitting on the the front load jump seat without the canopy overhead. KS
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