Disney Parks and Beyond - A Disney podcast for all things Disney

A Disney Secret...

We've just seen the latest Disney offering, 'The Jungle Book' and to be fair, it was a great movie; probably one of the best of these live-action versions that they've been making recently.

So if you haven't seen it yet, go see it, it's well worth it; for everyone else, continue reading as we have a theory we'd like to share with you...


The movie starts like all the Disney pictures, fireworks, village in the distance, a train comes past and the camera pulls out to reveal the infamous castle, little jingle and then the movie begins.  Nothing unusual there.... but wait did we notice something different!?


Above is the classic Disney Studios logo, this is the one that is on before 99% of Disney movies, but Jungle Book didn't use this one, it used this one...


Only a minor tweak, but looking closely one can clearly see that the castle before us is none other than Disneyland California's Castle, but why?  The answer might lay with what happens next.  The camera then turns and pull out slower, we're soon enclosed in jungle foliage and an eerie jungle-type song begins to play, an altogether familiar jungle-drums like song.  We're soon in the jungle, following a waterway and then the movie begins.  You can hear a snippet of the track here (main titles).



Now here's the theory: this movie isn't set in the jungle, its set in Adventureland.  Adventureland could be defined as whatever you like, but whatever you perceive it to be, it is IN Disneyland (plus Disney World etc).  Some have suggested that the logo is done in this way to represent the film's heritage with the original animated version, which could be true, though we'd be more inclined to say that the end of the movie with the 'The End' book credits is more in keeping with 'classic Disney pictures', it certainly harks back to the 50/60s movies for sure.

BUT, why does the camera turn?  Why does it show the Disneyland Castle and not the usual castle?  Why does the near exact same music as Adventureland begin to play?  Could it be that the film doesn't just take place inside a Disney park but it in fact set in the Jungle Cruise?  Maybe...

Perhaps this movie is 'Adventureland' the movie, following in the footsteps of the damp squib 'Tomorrowland', perhaps we will see a Liberty Square movie too, and maybe even a Main Street or a Frontierland movie.  Or perhaps, Disney's next live-action movie of 'Beauty and the Beast' will be the Fantasyland movie?

For whatever reason, you can't deny that this Easter egg is kinda suggesting that the movie IS SET inside a Disney park!  Which whatever way you look at it, this is sort of brilliant.

What do you think?  Let us know below!

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