Disney Parks across the globe have had to close their gates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most recently with Disneyland and Walt Disney World extending their closures indefinitely due to government restrictions. Even so, it doesn’t look like it's going to stop Jungle Cruise’s punny Skippers from playing for laughs – even if they have to work from home.
There are a ton of Skippers who work at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, usually spending their days narrating the happenings of the classic boat ride in Adventureland with sarcastic humor and dad joke-esque lines. It’s one of the more quirky jobs at the theme parks that guests have to live without for the time being. But tons of them have come together to record their best knee-slappers from the comfort of their quarantined environments, as you'll see below:
So… this is the kind of the wholesome content we all need in these troubling times. More of this please. Along with some especially creative recreations of Disney rides by fans, tons of Skippers have come together in this video to bring the Jungle Cruise magic home to people. There’s some classic jokes in here that you’d expect at the ride like the whole “backside of water” bit. But each Skipper does get free reign to make up their own, and some of these jokes are pure gold.
The at-home Disney cast members filmed themselves in their homes and around nature near them to show off their Skipper skills. Between Anaheim, Orlando and even employees from the Tokyo and Hong Kong parks, they all came to lighten up the day of the many fans who are obviously saddened that the parks are closed for only the third time in history.
It’s an adjustment for cast members too, who are without work for the foreseeable future. Last week when Disney announced it’d be extending park closures past the initial two weeks, the company also mentioned it would be paying employees through April 18. The coronavirus is not a situation with an expiration date that can be currently determined, but according to the parks’ hotel bookings, it may reopen on June 1.
2020 was set to be an especially big year for Skippers since a movie based on the ride starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt was going to be released over the summer. Jungle Cruise's theatrical date has just been moved a full year to July 31, 2021, alongside shifts for Mulan, the MCU and much more. The action-packed adventure flick that will bring new life to the ride that has been operating starting at Disneyland the year the park opened in 1955.
In other Disney news, the company is giving back by donating its unused food to a local food bank in Orange County, California. It will also extend the use of passes to those who currently hold annual tickets to the parks.
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