Dwayne Johnsonwill be the face of a Disneyland ride-based movie whenJungle Cruisehits theaters next year, but it appears his interest in theme park attractions doesn’t end there. PerVariety, Johnson and his Seven Bucks Productions partners are teaming with The Nacelle Company—the team behind Netflix’sThe Toys That Made Us—to create a docuseries exclusively for Disney+ calledBehind the Attraction.
Disney Plus has ordered 10 one-hour episodes of the show, which will “take viewers into the history of how popular Disney destinations came to be, how they have changed over time, and how fans continue to obsess over them.” While this certainly sounds like one long ad for Disney Parks, I’m hopeful that the involvement of Johnson and the Nacelle Company team means the series will actually dig deep into the making of some of these iconic attractions and not simply serve as a way to drive ticket sales. The show will feature interviews with fans as well as Disney Imagineers and other people behind the scenes.
Johnson is executive producing alongside his Seven Bucks teamDany Garcia,Hiram Garcia,Brian Gewirtz, andKevin Hill, whileBrian Volk-Weiss,Robin Henry, andCisco Hensonfrom The Nacelle Company also executive produce. Volk-Weiss, who helmed multiple episodes ofThe Toys That Made Us, will direct the show.
Behind the Attractionis not entirely dissimilar from an existing docuseries set to launch on Disney+ in December calledOne Day at Disney, which will feature short-form episodes delving into a day in the life of a different Disney employee for each installment—including Imagineers. ButBehind the Attractionsounds like its squarely focused on theme park rides, and I genuinely look forward to getting an intimate deep dive into the making of everything from theAvatarrideFlight of Passageto the classicIt’s a Small World.
No debut date is yet set, but with the announcement just now happening, I expect this might not release until sometime next year. Perhaps just in time forJungle Cruiseto arrive in theaters on July 24th?
