Dr. Albert Falls, Sr. is a major character from the Jungle Cruise who is the founder of the Jungle Navigation Company, and adventurer who trekked much of the rivers journeyed through in the attraction.
History[]
Background[]
Origins[]
Dr. Albert Falls was a British doctor, riverboat pilot and colonial explorer during the 19th century. Albert married fellow adventurer Victoria Marie Falls, and together they had a son named Albert Falls, Jr.. By the 1880s, Dr. Albert Falls became a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, a secret-society of colonial explorers and aristocratic collectors. On the June 5 of 1888, Dr. Albert Falls discovered a flooded Cambodian temple belonging to the Khmer empire.
Rivers of Adventure[]
Around late July of 1891, Dr Albert Falls went on an expedition to map the, "Rivers of Adventure", mystical waterways which connected jungles across the world to make up, "Adventureland". Falls departed from his boathouse headquarters in India's Lost Delta on what became a 13-day expedition across the world. On the seventh day, Falls made his most famous claim in the form of, "Schweitzer Falls", a waterfall at intersections of the Nile and Congo rivers in North Africa. Despite the waterfall being part of the territory of the local African Umbala tribe, the waterfall was named after Dr. Albert Falls and was considered his discovery.
After thirteen days of travelling through India, Burma, the Congo, North Africa and the Amazon rainforest, Dr. Albert Falls ended his journey and returned to his Lost Delta boathouse. On the August 12 of 1891, the Society of Explorers and Adventurers made his, "Discovery" of Schweitzer Falls official, with the waterfall going on to be considered, "The Eighth Wonder of the World". In 1903, the Adventure Trading Company awarded him with an, "Elephant Juju" to commemorate his tracking abilities. Also in 1903, Dr. Albert Falls went on a river expedition on the Mbei river of Gbon.
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On the April 8th of 1911, Dr. Albert Falls founded the Jungle Navigation Company, an international colonial business which used the Rivers of Adventure to transport letters, cargo and passengers. The JNC's original headquarters were the boathouse in the Lost Delta which Dr. Albert Falls used to conduct his expedition along the Rivers of Adventure. Falls also became a member of London's zealous Royal Anthropological and Diverse Adventures Society, where prior to 1916, he went on a mission to discover the mystical Tears of the Moon tree, only to recover its key, the Arrowhead of Lukarina for the society.
Dr. Albert Falls was often assisted in running the Jungle Navigation Company by his wife, Victoria. In 1919, their son Albert, Jr., now a historian, would send his daughter Alberta Falls to live with her grandparents while he was away on a lecture circuit. Alberta instantly fell in-love with the jungle and with her father's permission, spent the rest of her youth growing up in Adventureland where she was raised by her grandparents and by the Jungle Navigation Company's skippers. Dr. Albert Falls took Alberta on adventures across the world, including in New Zealand, and Mystic Point in Papua New Guinea.
Throughout this time, Falls would host various members of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers in a secret-room within his family mansion in the jungle, hidden behind a bookshelf. On the August 19 of 1921, he was given S.E.A.'s Hightower Spirit of Adventure Award by Captain Mary Oceaneer. On the March 6 of 1928, Dr. Albert Falls was named the businessman of the year by the Adventureland Chamber of Commerce. He also wrote a books including, "A Small Village With A Large Heart" and "Rockefeller, Hippo, Pet, Family".
Disappearance[]
In 1928, Dr. Albert Falls mysteriously disappeared. After his vanishing, Alberta inherited the Jungle Navigation Company while continuing to search for her grandfather throughout the subsequent decade.
Development history[]
Schweitzer Falls was originally named in tribute of historic humanitarian, Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965). Skippers began using the joke that the waterfall it is named for is, "Dr. Albert Falls", though this later became part of the official script. Falls' backstory was elaborated in 2015 through the Skipper Canteen revealing him to be the long-lost founder of the Jungle Navigation Company. Falls' likeness is often inspired by the appearance of Albert Schweitzer.
Appearances[]
Adventure Trading Company[]
Dr. Albert Falls was mentioned in an article of the Daily Gnus newspaper, going over the history of the Elephant Juju.
Club 33[]
During the Tiki Takeover event, the menus featured Albert Falls' 1940 train-ticket from the Missouri Pacific Railway from Chicago to Anaheim. It was not however specified if this is Dr. Albert Falls, or his son Albert Falls, Jr..
Jungle Cruise[]
Dr. Albert Falls originates from jokes about Schweitzer Falls in this attraction. References to him can be found throughout the queue, such as a map he made in Disneyland, or a map gifted to him by, "F.W." (Frank Wolff) in the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise.
Magic of Disney Animation[]
A poster for the fictional Jungle Cruise film featured a crate adorned with skulls labelled, "Dr. Albert Falls".
Skipper Canteen[]
The Skipper Canteen is themed around being Dr. Albert Falls' former mansion and contains various references to his life including his portraits, books, and certificates.
Trader Sam's[]
The description for the beverage Schweitzer Falls states that it was Dr. Albert Falls' favourite drink.
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar[]
On one of the bar's shelves, Trader Sam has a bust depicting Dr. Albert Falls.
Tropical Hideaway[]
An oar is mounted on the wall with a plaque commemorating Dr. Albert Fall's 1903 expedition on the Mbei river.
Trivia[]
- Falls founding the JNC in 1911 may be a tribute to imagineer Harper Goff who was born that year.
- In a plot-hole, the Falls is identified as having found Schweitzer Falls in 1903 in the Adventure Trading Company, but 1891 on the documents in the Skipper Canteen.
- Albert and Victoria are likely named for Victorian era royal couple Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.
- Dr. Albert Falls' character has easter-eggs to different properties:
- On his map in Disneyland's Jungle Cruise, Dr. Albert Falls mentions being friends with Lord Henry Mystic from Mystic Manor. He also took Alberta to Mystic Point when she was a young girl.
- On his map, Falls references having found the Temple of the Forbidden Eye years before Indiana Jones did.
- Dr. Albert Falls shares his surname with Captain Rowan D. Falls from Phantom Manor, a riverboat captain suitor of Mélanie Ravenswood who was murdered by her father, Henry.
- The map which Albert received as a gift came from Frank Wolff, a major character from the Jungle Cruise film where Dr. Albert Falls was also an unseen character.
- Falls received his Hightower Spirit of Adventure Award from Captain Mary Oceaneer, while it is named for Harrison Hightower III from Tower of Terror.
- The original portrait of Dr. Albert Falls in the Skipper Canteen depicted a historic New Jersey state governor.
- Dr. Albert Falls shares his surname with with Captain Rowan D. Falls, a suitor of Mélanie Ravenswood and victim of Henry from the attraction Phantom Manor.
- Albert is similar to Ursus H. Bear from the Country Bear Jamboree in being a previously referenced character who had his history expanded in a refurbishment, with said history making him the absent/posthumous founder of a classic Disney ride which his grand-child now operates.
External links[]
- Dr. Albert Falls on the Jungle Cruise Wiki.