Where was Jungle Cruise filmed?

Near the beginning of our adventure in Disney’s Jungle Cruise, we see Lily and her brother at the Royal Anthropological and Diverse Adventures Society. It doesn’t take us long to notice that the society is quite misogynistic and does not include women in their ranks, which is why Lily puts her brother, MacGregor, up to the task of distracting them while she breaks into their storage to search for an important artifact. During his speech where he asks the council for financial support, he gives us a hint as to what he and his sister are really looking for; “All legends are born in truth. From the Amazon came the legend of the Tears of the Moon. A single petal from the great Tree could cure any illness and break any curse.”

Meanwhile, viewers watch as Lily breaks into the archives with skill and resourcefulness, timing her movements in order to avoid the staff who are working in the same room. After navigating the room and searching through boxes she manages to get her hands on the artifact, which is an ancient looking arrowhead, until she is spotted. This is when we first meet Prince Joachim, our main villain, and she manages to narrowly escape with the item. This is a great introduction to the main characters, and shows exactly how determined Lily is to not let anything stop her on her quest!

This well choreographed scene is significantly made using CGI. The outside of the building, for example, was created and put up on set and most of the cars and streets that you see outside are also not real. However, some of the crew and extra actors were spotted in Oxford all dressed for the setting. It is assumed that some of the scenes taking place inside the society were filmed at the Oxford College of Emory University. Come visit in person to see if you can recognize any of the Jungle Cruise locations from this scene!

After successfully snatching the artifact, we continue our journey into the jungles of the Amazon in search for the Tree of Life. Lily has to convince MacGregor to accompany her on the trip, although it doesn’t take too much convincing since he is worried about her traversing the jungle alone. However, this doesn’t stop him from complaining, saying; “If I wanted to go to a primitive backwater where I can’t understand a word anyone’s saying, I’d visit our relatives in Scotland.”

But soon enough, you see the pair exiting the train station and entering the city of Porta Velho in the Amazon. This is where they begin their search for a skipper who can take them into the jungle by boat and can finally begin their quest for the Tree of Life.

Although the scene is short, it is full of some great moments. The railroad station used in the film was actually the Kilohana Plantation Railway situated close to Lihue. This structure was perfect for the movie since, although it is a modern building, it was constructed to resemble a historical railway station with Hawaiian trains that look like those from the 1880s. Come visit in person and maybe take a ride on one of the awesome old trains which can bring you on tours through orchards, farmlands and forests!

Definitely one of the most loved scenes in the film takes place on Frank’s steamboat when he is giving a tour to a group of unimpressed tourists. This scene will definitely remind any fans who have visited the Disneyland theme parks of the Jungle Cruise ride, and Frank does his best to entertain the crowd with some incredibly witty jokes.

One of them being; “You know, before this, I used to work in an orange juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn’t concentrate. Yeah, they put the squeeze on me too.” Although the skipper does his best to make his passengers laugh, they are definitely a tough crowd. But one thing is for sure, the audience watching in the theaters definitely enjoyed it.

During this scene, we are brought through the jungle and eventually arrive back at Porto Velho, Brazil. Believe it or not, but the city where Frank concludes his boat tour was not filmed in Brazil and does not actually exist. Instead, the film crew spent nearly six months creating the set at the Kapaia Reservoir in Kauai, Hawaii. The set was massive but was definitely worth the effort for one of the funniest scenes in Jungle Cruise. After filming was finished, the set was taken away and the area was restored to its previous use as a reservoir. It is located on private property, so if you want to visit in person you will need to contact the owners of the land.

Now that we have been introduced to all of the main characters, it is time to begin our adventure into the jungle and closer to finding the Tree of Life. Lily and Frank agree on a price and she insists that they leave for the Lagrimas de Cristal, the site where the Tree is supposedly located, right away. However, their departure from the harbor will prove to be the first obstacle on their journey and is one of the best Jungle Cruise action scenes.

Both Lily and Frank have people after them, since Frank had to steal his engine back from a man named Mr. Nilo, who he owes money, and Lily realizes that Prince Joachim is pursuing her and trying to get the arrowhead back. Cue an exciting scene where Frank expertly guides the boat out of the harbor and narrowly misses being shot by Prince Joachim’s torpedoes and machine guns. After the group is safely on their way through the jungle we hear Frank talking lovingly to his boat, which has definitely seen better days; “Look what they did to you. Poor thing. I'm so sorry. Machine guns. Who brings a submarine to the Amazon? But you still outran them. Every time.”

Throughout the film you will see some gorgeous shots of the jungle and birds-eye views of the boat as it passes through a river that winds through the forest. Some of these scenes were shot at the Huleia Stream in Kauai. This place is stunning and filled with wildlife, which is why it has been a filming location for other movies as well. You can come see it in person if you don’t mind going for a bit of a hike, and we recommend taking a guided tour through the area.

Although the main characters in the movie are definitely Lily and Frank, the Jungle Cruise production team did a great job at developing secondary characters as well. In this scene we get to learn a lot more about Lily’s brother, MacGregor, as he and Frank sit on the shore of Ucayali Cove and have a heartfelt conversation.

While Lily is still on the boat the boys have decided to rest on the shore of the cove, and Frank complains to MacGregor about Lily’s attitude and asks him why he decides to join her on her adventurers. This is when we learn that MacGregor is actually gay, and was not accepted by his family. “Uncle threatened to disinherit me, friends and family turned their backs… All because of who I loved. I would’ve been ostracized from society were it not for Lily. She stood by me. And for that, I would follow her into a volcano.”

This touching scene in Jungle Cruise is complemented by the beautiful scenery behind the two characters as they talk. You can see breathtaking waterfalls surrounded by lush green trees and flora, and it is quite an amazing sight. This scene actually took place at the Opaekaa Falls in Kauai. You can drive to a nice lookout spot where you can get a good view of the falls from a distance. Do not try walking to them, they sit on private property.

Eventually, Lily and Frank discover that the entrance to the location of the Tree of Life is actually at a place called La Luna Rota, and not Lagrimas de Cristal. They change course and head there, not knowing that they are still being followed by Prince Joachim and his newfound friends who are hoping to break their curse with the petals from the Tree.

Our favorite pair of adventurers explore the falls at La Luna Rota, and Frank realizes that there is a chamber with a lever in it underneath the water. He believes that if they pull the lever then the entrance will be revealed. But there is only one problem; Frank cannot fit through the opening into the chamber and Lily is afraid of swimming. After lots of encouragement from Frank she understands that the only way that they will get to the Tree of Life is if she faces her fears and swims down into the water to pull the lever. Frank helps swim her down to the chamber, but first he motivates her by saying; “Listen… Look, I can’t do this without you. I need you. You have to trust me.”

This is one of the best scenes in Jungle Cruise, since it shows how much the two adventurers have changed throughout the movie and how much they have learnt to trust each other. This scene takes place in a beautiful place which, unfortunately, was created entirely using CGI. However, it is believed that the cove and its waterfalls were inspired by the amazing Devil’s Throat in the Iguazu National Park of Misiones, Argentina. If you ever find yourself nearby make sure that you take your own cruise to see them in person, they are well worth the journey.