Former Disney Film Producer Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Secrets
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to make many friends in the movie industry. Some of them are more interesting than others, though. One of those dear friends actually joined me during my last visit to Disneyland. Since he worked for The Walt Disney Company at the time, he got our entire party into the park for free!
Recently, I was sitting around thinking about the upcoming Jungle Cruise movie, and I remembered something. This friend had once mentioned that he’d worked in pre-production on the Jungle Cruise movie that you don’t know, the one that never got made back in the 1990s.
This no-longer Disney employee also managed some of the duties on several other Disney movies based on park attractions. I’ve always suspected that one of his saddest days is when he packed up his things at Disney and took a better job at a different movie studio. He was always a diehard Friend of the Mouse.
A couple of weeks ago, I caught up with him and asked him to relay a few details and memories from those projects. Here are the highlights of our conversation.
Working for Disney
MickeyBlog: Hello, my old friend! On which Disney movies based on rides did you work?
Former Disney Film Producer: When I was there we produced three and developed one more. I was there for The Country Bears, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, & 3. Early on, I read and helped on an unproduced version of Jungle Cruise.
MickeyBlog: What was your role in each project and how long did you work on each one?
Former Disney Film Producer: I was in Business and Legal Affairs, and our job was to make the deals for directors, writers, producers, and actors. What we in Hollywood call “Above the Line” deals. I’d call the agents of the people our Creative people wanted to hire and hire them within the legal and budget requirements of each picture.
About Disney Imagineering Collaborations
MickeyBlog: How closely did you work with Imagineers and other Disney employees on these projects?
Former Disney Film Producer: Very closely. As I recall, our writers and creatives were going over to the Imagineering libraries all the time to use the underlying material.
MickeyBlog: Were there any projects where they were particularly hands-on or hands-off?
Former Disney Film Producer: No. What makes Disney great is the collaboration between groups (something missing, in my opinion, at Warners and the other major studios). The attitude was that any good idea deserved attention, no matter the source.
The Frustrating Performance of Haunted Mansion
MickeyBlog: How would you describe the performance of Haunted Mansion?
Former Disney Film Producer: It was disappointing. We thought it had a great director, producer, and script, full of excitement and great moments that reminded me of what I love about the rides. Sadly, I think casting Eddie Murphy, while great on paper, was an odd choice. It reminded audiences of America’s difficult racial history during and after the Civil war in the south.
MickeyBlog: In terms of quality, did the film reach the heights that you’d hoped?
Former Disney Film Producer: Yes, the effects and film itself work, for the most part. The problem was having an African-American Lead cast in a ghost story about an antebellum mansion.
MickeyBlog: In hindsight, was the casting of a huge star like Eddie Murphy a blessing or a curse?
Former Disney Film Producer: A bit of both, actually. It made the movie an event, but as I said above, it was hard for the audience to get that his wife was a doppelgänger for a 150-year-old lost love of the house owner.
MickeyBlog: Was there any version of Haunted Mansion the ride that played more heavily into the movie’s story than the others?
Former Disney Film Producer: The movie is basically the ride. I don’t remember any parts of the ride that were not incorporated.
MickeyBlog: If Disney did a new update of Haunted Mansion at some point, what would you like them to do differently?
Former Disney Film Producer: Oh, they will do an update. It’s a great story with a fun-horror basis. It was only complicated by the time frame when it came out.
Did You Know about The Country Bears Movie?
MickeyBlog: What do you think went wrong with The Country Bears?
Former Disney Film Producer: I think people were not quite ready for the camp/silliness of a world with popstar bears. I think it needed to explain who the bears were (Why do some bears talk? Why was Berry being raised by humans who didn’t notice he was a bear?).
MickeyBlog: It seems like you cast based on voice quality, bringing along terrific talents like Toby Huss and MC Gainey, who became more famous afterward. What was the thought process there?
Former Disney Film Producer: Our casting people found great actors who just were not well known. Good timing, I suppose.
MickeyBlog: Given the low budget of The Country Bears, was Disney setting expectations or did they lack confidence in that particular project?
Former Disney Film Producer: I don’t think so. It cost what was appropriate given the expectations. Adding more money would not have improved the movie.
MickeyBlog: What elements of Country Bear Jamboree do you wish had made it into the film?
Former Disney Film Producer: I thought if anything, they should have used songs from the rides, not new songs, although the music was great.
MickeyBlog: And which ones are you glad that they did?
Former Disney Film Producer: I loved the animatronic bears.
The Perfect Disney Movie Project
MickeyBlog: Why did Pirates of the Caribbean work when the other two projects didn’t?
Former Disney Film Producer: I think it wasn’t as faithful to the ride and made the more problematic parts of pirate history fun and funny. All credit should go to Terry Rosario and Ted Elliot, the writers. Gore Verbinski really understood why kids like pirates, and that they were the rock stars of the 1600s.
MickeyBlog: When did Johnny Depp come onboard?
Former Disney Film Producer: As I recall, very early. He was Gore’s and Bruckheimer’s pick.
MickeyBlog: What’s your favorite aspect of Pirates the movie?
Former Disney Film Producer: Johnny Depp. He nailed the Arthur/Pepe LePew swagger and fun.
MickeyBlog: You switched movie studios around this time. As an outside observer, what do you think of the way Disney handled the sequels?
Former Disney Film Producer: I loved the scripts, but the first was so successful nobody could say no and they got bloated.
MickeyBlog: Which project was the most enjoyable for you professionally and which one do you like the best as a movie?
Former Disney Film Producer: Pirates. Always Pirates!
The First Attempt at a Jungle Cruise Movie
MickeyBlog: You told me something I’d never known, which is that you worked on the Jungle Cruise movie that never came to be. Was this the Tom Hanks/Tim Allen version that Disney announced in 2011 or a project even earlier than that?
Former Disney Film Producer: It was around 1991. It was a Robin Williams/John Candy story about two men who worked the ride at Disneyland.
MickeyBlog: What can you recount about the development of that project?
Former Disney Film Producer: I think it fell apart when Candy died.
MickeyBlog: What were the plans?
Former Disney Film Producer: As I recall, it was basically just an excuse to get Williams and Candy on the board cracking jokes.
MickeyBlog: What would you personally like to see in a Jungle Cruise movie?
Former Disney Film Producer: An adventure story, like Raiders of the Lost Ark.
MickeyBlog: Are you excited about the 2020 film with The Rock and Emily Blunt? Why or why not?
Former Disney Film Producer: I am – I can’t wait! Blunt is always great and I think they should capture the fun of that ride.
MickeyBlog: So, there you have it. Disney movies based on theme park attractions have been something of a moving target. A couple of them like Country Bears have disappointed mightily. Others like Disney’s Haunted Mansion may have deserved a better fate, but they suffered from bad timing. However, from day one, everyone at Disney knew that Johnny Depp would provide the magical ingredient for Pirates of the Caribbean.
Similarly, for almost 30 years now, Disney has toyed with the notion of a Jungle Cruise movie. Unfortunately, it would have been a straightforward buddy comedy with a beloved duo like John Candy and Robin Williams or Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Instead, we’re getting a more fitting romantic comedy akin to The African Queen, which was the inspiration for the ride in the first place!
PS: Every movie discussed here is available for consumption on Disney+!