Kevin Lively was a Disneyland cast-member (and skipper) turned writer and story-editor at Walt Disney Imagineering who worked on projects including the Skipper Canteen and the Jungle Cruise. Lively is also author of the 2018 children's book, "Jungle Cruise ANIMALS!", a book which was largely recycled from Disney Parks Presents: Jungle Cruise. Lively was a writer and the primary spokesperson for the Jungle Cruise's 2021 refurbishment where his known contributions included the creation of the controversial scene, Trader Sam's Gift Shop!. Later in the June of 2021, Lively stopped working for Walt Disney Imagineering, stating it as being due to a need to relocate from California to Florida which they could not manage.
Jungle Cruise tributes[]
- There are various books by, "Lively" and, "K. Lively" in the library of the Skipper Canteen. These books' titles are all the name of an animal followed by the word, "book", a possible allusion to The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. The books include: The Panther Book, The Baboon Book, The Snake Book, The Monkey Boat and The Tiger Book.
- In the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise there is a book in the queue titled, "The Kakapo Book" by K. Lively.[1]
Trivia[]
- Lively named his pet fish, "Trader Sam" after the infamous Jungle Cruise character of the same name.
- In his 2021 promotional video for the Jungle Cruise's refurbishment, Lively wore a pendant for the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. This is a fictitious colonial secret-society from the attraction Fortress Explorations and which is tied to the Jungle Cruise's backstory.
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