Staying Fit
Dwayne Johnson (left) and Emily Blunt in "Jungle Cruise."
Frank Masi/Walt Disney Studios
Disney's theme parks are filled with attractions inspired by the studio's decades of hit films, from Dumbo the Flying Elephant to the Mad Tea Party and Peter Pan's Flight. Much rarer, however, is the inverse: Disney movies inspired by original theme park attractions. Jungle Cruise (July 30), which stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, joins this short list, which includes the hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. While they weren't always critical or box office hits, these films make for a unique marathon for Disney completists — and they're filled with clever nods to the theme parks that only a true fanatic would notice.
Kirsten Dunst (left) and Steve Guttenberg in "Tower of Terror."
ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Tower of Terror (1997)
The gist: Originally presented as part of The Wonderful World of Disney, this made-for-TV movie was the studio's first film based on an attraction. Steve Guttenberg, 62, stars as a disgraced tabloid journalist who sets out with his young niece Anna (Kirsten Dunst) to investigate a mysterious disappearance: On Halloween 1939, lightning struck the Hollywood Tower Hotel, and five guests who were in the elevator at the time vanished without a trace. Looking ahead, Scarlett Johansson is set to produce and potentially star in a new movie based on the thrill ride.
Trivia: Much of the hotel footage was filmed at the actual attraction in Florida's Hollywood Studios theme park.
Watch it: Tower of Terror on DVD to purchase on Disney.com
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(Left to right) Gary Sinise, Connie Nielsen and Jerry O'Connell in "Mission to Mars."
Rob McEwan/Touchstone Pictures/Getty Images
Mission to Mars (2000)
The gist: Mission to Mars was never one of Disney's most popular attractions; in fact, it shut down at Disneyland in 1992 and at the Magic Kingdom in 1993. Nevertheless, the studio spent $100 million on this sci-fi epic directed by Brian De Palma (80), with a score by Hollywood legend Ennio Morricone. After the first manned mission to Mars ends in disaster, a crew of astronauts — played by Tim Robbins (62), Connie Nielsen (56), Gary Sinise (66) and Jerry O'Connell — heads to the Red Planet to rescue sole survivor Luke Graham (Don Cheadle, 56). Despite some impressive special effects, the film was panned by critics and was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for worst director.
Trivia: While the original rides are no longer, props from the movie now appear in the queue at Epcot's Mission: Space thrill ride — which was hosted by Sinise from 2003 to 2017.
Watch it: Mission to Mars, on Amazon Prime
The Country Bears (2002)
The gist: Based on Frontierland's musical revue, the Country Bear Jamboree, this trippy movie features animatronic bear suits created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop and a world in which humans and anthropomorphic bears live together in harmony. The Country Bears, an all-bear country rock band, has disbanded, and greedy banker Reed Thimple (Christopher Walken, 78) is threatening to tear down their old concert hall. Preteen cub Beary Barrington (voiced by The Sixth Sense star Haley Joel Osment) sets out to reunite the band for a benefit concert to save the theater. The film was a flop, but you'll be impressed by the many stars who make cameos as themselves, including Don Henley (74), John Hiatt (68), Sir Elton John (74), Queen Latifah (51), Willie Nelson (88) and Bonnie Raitt (71).
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