When it comes to iconic movie posters, there is one name that is synonymous with some of the most memorable of all time, but Drew Struzan did not come out of retirement to create the newJungle Cruiseposter forDisney’s theme park ride-based movie, for one good reason.
Many fans of Struzan’s work were adamant the artist was responsible for the artwork for one of the latest offerings from the House of Mouse, so much so that the artist himself felt the need to set the record straight on his Twitter account.
“No, I didn’t come out of retirement to illustrate the new #JungleCruise poster for Disney…Been there, done that.”
Drew Struzanwas referencing to his previous work onTarzan The Ape Manin the 80s, which he obviously felt was very much in the same vein, even posting that artwork in the tweet, and who would want to come out of retirement to do something they already covered years ago.
Over the last forty decades, Struzan has created some of the most iconic and instantly recognizable movie posters, but you won’t necessarily know they were all the work of the same artist. A shortlist of his work includes multipleStar Warsepisodes, theIndiana Jonesmovies, theBack to the Futuretrilogy,Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the variousMuppetmovies,Hook, and fantasticposter art for John Carpenter’s The Thing.
When you look at the montage effect that Struzan uses in many of his adventure movie posters, it’s not hard to imagine why some would think theJungle Cruiseposter was his work. There is certainly a homage to his style at least evident, if nothing else, which some were quick to point out in response to his post. There were, however, some who picked up on something else. Struzan was behind the posters of everyIndiana Jonesmovie, including the belatedCrystal Skullsequel, so does his “done that, been there” response toJungle Cruisemean he won’t be dipping into the artiste pallet one more time when Spielberg comes knocking forIndiana Jones 5?
Disney’sJungle Cruiseis the company’s latest attempt to cash in on one of their long-serving park rides, and we all remember what happened when they did the same withPirates of The Caribbean, so why would they not attempt to strike gold again? This time, we have Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in the lead roles, taking on a mission to find the Tree of Life, which is believed to have healing powers, through a jungle, on a river cruise boat. It’s almost like they tell you everything in the title. Just likePirates of the Caribbean, the story is fabricated around the action that takes place on the ride, so there are plenty of wild animals to contend with, while the film also adds in come Germans also hunting for the tree as well. It’s no wonder people thought Drew Struzan was behind the poster art, because it could almost be a watered downIndiana Jonesadventure in the making.
Jungle Cruisearrives in theaters and on Disney + Premier Access on 30th July.