Josh Gad Pokes Fun At Josh D’Amaro in New Role As Jungle Cruise Skipper

If the “world-famous” Jungle Cruise isn’t one of your favorite Disney Park rides, then you must be in “the Nile”!

Disney’s Jungle Cruise boat ride has become one of the most popular attractions at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort, enchanting Guests for years with its witty skippers, abundant wildlife, and punny jokes.

And now, Disney Legend Josh Gad has finally got to live out his long-time dream of becoming a Jungle Cruise skipper thanks to some good old Disney magic.

Deep in the jungles of Disneyland and Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland, the Jungle Cruise awaits daring travelers with a sense of humor. Opening back in 1955 at Disneyland Park and in 1971 at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Guests can float down the Amazon, Congo, Nile, and Mekong rivers in ten minutes coming across fierce natives and amazing animals.

What makes the Disney boat ride truly special, though, is your Jungle Skipper, who not only steers the boat and narrates the expedition, but also makes the cheesiest jokes on the water. While the jokes are corny and the animals aren’t real, this timeless classic has proven popular recently with the release of The Jungle Cruise (2021) movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, now streaming on Disney+.

And one such famous celebrity had his dreams of becoming a Jungle Skipper come to life in a new video from Disney Parks.

Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf in the Frozen franchise, and LeFou actor in the live-action Beauty and the Beast (2017), was years ago rejected by Disney in his attempts at joining the Jungle Cruise Cast Member team. Disney decided it was finally time to put Gad in the Disney boat ride and entertain some lucky Disneyland Guests.

Josh Gad famously revealed a fun – and ironic – story when accepting the award to become a Disney Legend back at the 2022 D23 Expo ceremony alongside Frozen (2013) co-stars Kristen Bell (Anna), Jonathan Groff (Kristoff), and Idina Menzel (Elsa). Gad told the story of getting rejected for a position at Walt Disney World:

“And finally, to the person who rejected me at Disney Casting Headquarters in Orlando, Florida when I was 18 years old and applying to be a Jungle Cruise Skipper — true story — please make sure to update my resume to Disney Legend Josh Gad.”

After joking repeatedly about adding the prefix “Disney Legend” to all of his legal forms like car insurance and registration, he added a story about when he was 18 years old and failed to get the role of Jungle Cruise Skipper. 

Well, in a new video from Disneyland Resort, Olaf voice actor Gad finally got to put on the Jungle Cruise costume, complete with a nametag declaring he’s from Arendelle, and skipper a cruise! You can see the full video below:

With help from Skipper Kylie, who is driving the boat, Gad recites some of the ride’s famous jokes, including the backside of the water, the “pair-o-docks,”, and the bathing elephants having “their trunks on.”

Frozen voice actor Gad seems truly excited about his new Disney Cast Member role, saying “That was truly one of the highlights of my life.”

He ends his experience with some Disneyland Dole Whip, and jests “If you enjoyed this video, I’m Josh Gad. If you didn’t, I’m Josh D’Amaro.”

As Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, Josh D’Amaro is currently dealing with the aftermath of Disney CEO Bob Iger’s notice of approximately 7,000 upcoming layoffs as part of the Q1 earnings call. The news came as unions work to negotiate higher hourly pay for Cast Members at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

In a recent message to Cast Members, D’Amaro noted that while there will be workforce reductions in every area of the Walt Disney Company, hourly frontline positions at the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme parks are not expected to be affected.

Both stateside versions of Jungle Cruise were reimagined in 2021 to be more culturally sensitive and receive an updated backstory. A sequel is also in development for the successful Jungle Cruise movie.

Maybe Gad could join Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt on their next adventure!