The Jungle Cruise had its beginnings in Disneyland where it was inspired by the film 'The African Queen'. Walt's original plan for the California park's ride would have included real animals but he had problems finding ways to control them. Animals have a tendency to do what they want, and not 'act'.
The Amazon, Congo, Nile and Mekong rivers are the main rivers which you travel down. The boats take their names from these rivers and other silly names. Most of them were redesigned in 1998 to give them a more aged look. The Imagineer's did not want the boats to look clean, but rather grungy and well used. The boats names are Amazon Annie, Bomokandi Bertha, Congo Connie, Ganges Gertie, Irrawaddy Irma , Kwango Kate, Mongolia Millie, Nile Nelly, Orinoco Ida, Rutshuru Ruby, Sankuru Sadie, Senegal Sal, Ucyali Lolly, Volta Val, Wamba Wanda, and Zambesi Zelda.
The dialog given by the skippers has evolved over time but usually include a dry and corny jokes. Originally the ride had a serious tone to it but has evolved into a more silly spiel. The skippers do not actually steer the boat as it is guided on an underwater rail. The steering wheel is only a prop. The skippers are responsible for controlling the throttle of the boats, which can go forward up to 3.2 MPH, or backward up to 2.18 MPH. The Boats are powered by 4 large engines. The canal in which the boats travel is on average 3 feet in depth. Brown die is added to the water to make it seem dirtier.
Much of the queue line was redesigned in 1994 (1994) to allow for larger capacity and giving shade to more of the line. The queue also had new props and more hidden jokes such as the crew mess menu. Also, in the Asian temple tunnel, the animals eyes glow. This may seem like a great effect, but they are are glass marbles with a reflective coating to reflect light from the boat
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