Thomas Lee "Tommy" Kirk (1941-present) is an American actor who frequently worked for Disney films. He played Ernst Robinson in The Swiss Family Robinson (1960) which greatly influenced Adventureland via way of the Swiss Family Treehouse.
Jungle Cruise tributes[]
- Kirk is referenced by a crate in the queue for Walt Disney World's Jungle Cruise. This crate is addressed to, "'Thomas Kirk, Esq." and, "M. Jones", the latter of which being a character played by Kirk in the film The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964) at Cartographers Ltd.s office on the island of Bora Danno.[1] Bora Danno is a fictional island, potentially referencing Kirk's Swiss Family Robinson co-star James MacArthur (1937-2010) whose character in the show Hawaii Five-O had the catch-phrase, " Book ’em, Danno".
Other connections[]
- The Swiss Family Robinson is prominent in the Adventureland mythos.
- In the Skipper Canteen's library is an edition of the Swiss Family Robinson along with a book titled Treehouse Construction by Mills, referencing Swiss Family Robinson co-star John Mills.
- Kirk's frequent co-star Annette Funicello is referenced in both Trader Sam's bars and in the Tropical Hideaway.
- The character of Merlin Jones is referenced in Epcot's Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment as a member of EPCOT's Imagination Institute. This institute was seemingly affiliated with the character of the Dreamfinder who was a patron of the Skipper Canteen. The characters Wilby Daniels from The Shaggy Dog (1959) and Prof. Brainard from The Absent Minded Professor (1961) are also referenced as members of the institute with Kirk having appeared in both of their respective films.