Tiger Cruise
Encyclopedia
Tiger Cruise is the 54th Disney Channel Original Movie. It stars Hayden Panettiere
, Bill Pullman
and Jansen Panettiere
, Hayden's real-life younger brother. The film's fictional events are intertwined with the real-life events of the September 11, 2001 attacks
.
This is the first (and to date only) film in which both Panettiere siblings appear, although both were involved with Racing Stripes
(Hayden was the human star and Jansen's voice was used for the young zebra, Stripes, at the beginning of the film).
Tiger Cruise is one of only two DCOMs to receive a TV-PG rating and a "Viewer discretion" warning due to intense and/or disturbing scenes and/or images; the other is Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
. It is also another DCOM to be "inspired by true events".
(CV-64), to throw aside his career and come home, where she believes he belongs. In order to accomplish this, Maddie accepts her father's offer to participate in Operation Tiger, a week-long cruise for military families and their friends aboard his aircraft carrier. Along the way, she meets two other teenagers boarding the Tiger Cruise: Tina, who's fascinated by military life as well as her older sister Grace (a naval aviator
under Commander Dolan), and Anthony (whose older brother is a sailor), a carefree drummer who much prefers to have nothing to do with military life.
However, two days into the cruise, the passengers, to their horror, learn of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
and The Pentagon
. The ship goes into high alert, with many of the passengers going through fear and confusion, but also showing mental strength. Tina finally learns the full meaning of her sister's warnings about military life not being as glamorous as she thought it was; Anthony realizes the gravity of the situation when he fears for the safety of the people he personally knew (he lives in New York City), who had jobs in the twin towers. Maddie, while comforting passengers young and old, experiences first-hand her father's honor, courage, and commitment to his family and his will to make sacrifices for his country.
The ending shows the passengers holding up a giant American flag on the deck of Tiger Cruise as a suggestion by Maddie, impressing her father and the military officers. By the end of the cruise, Maddie tells her father to "keep doing what [he's] doing" and has accepted being a military brat
, a title which she had disliked earlier.
Tiger Cruise is a fictional story inspired by actual events aboard the USS Constellation
(CV-64), as well as 9/11.
, Downtown San Diego is featured in the background showing the Twin Hyatts where only the first one had been completed by September 2001, roughly around the time of the terrorist attacks
on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon
.
Much of the movie was shot on board USS John C. Stennis
with additionally filming on board USS Nimitz (the Constellation was decommissioned
before production started). The hull numbers of all three ships are visible at various times throughout the movie. Actual crew members of the Stennis were used as extras, and a few can be seen wearing Stennis ballcaps instead of the prop Constellation caps.
The shots in the beginning of the movie featuring Maddie's home was filmed at Orange Lake Country Club in Kissimmee
, Florida.
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
, Bill Pullman
Bill Pullman
William James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor. Pullman made his film debut in the supporting role of Earl Mott in the 1986 film Ruthless People. He has since gone on to star in other films, including Spaceballs, Independence Day, Lost Highway, Casper and Scary Movie 4...
and Jansen Panettiere
Jansen Panettiere
Jansen Panettiere is an American voice and film actor, and the younger brother of actress Hayden Panettiere....
, Hayden's real-life younger brother. The film's fictional events are intertwined with the real-life events of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
.
This is the first (and to date only) film in which both Panettiere siblings appear, although both were involved with Racing Stripes
Racing Stripes
Racing Stripes is a 2005 comedy film directed by Frederik Du Chau, the director of Quest for Camelot. Although set in Kentucky, the movie was filmed in Pietermaritzburg and Nottingham Road, South Africa.-Plot:...
(Hayden was the human star and Jansen's voice was used for the young zebra, Stripes, at the beginning of the film).
Tiger Cruise is one of only two DCOMs to receive a TV-PG rating and a "Viewer discretion" warning due to intense and/or disturbing scenes and/or images; the other is Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior is a 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Brenda Song and Shin Koyamada. Koyamada plays a Chinese monk who visits the title character, an American teenager played by Song, claiming Wu is the reincarnation of a powerful female warrior and the only person who can...
. It is also another DCOM to be "inspired by true events".
Plot
Maddie Dolan, an artistic teenager from San Diego, is on a mission to convince her father Gary Dolan, a U.S. Navy Commander (O-5) and executive officer of the USS ConstellationUSS Constellation (CV-64)
USS Constellation , a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the "new constellation of stars" on the flag of the United States and the only naval vessel ever authorized to display red, white, and blue designation numbers...
(CV-64), to throw aside his career and come home, where she believes he belongs. In order to accomplish this, Maddie accepts her father's offer to participate in Operation Tiger, a week-long cruise for military families and their friends aboard his aircraft carrier. Along the way, she meets two other teenagers boarding the Tiger Cruise: Tina, who's fascinated by military life as well as her older sister Grace (a naval aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
under Commander Dolan), and Anthony (whose older brother is a sailor), a carefree drummer who much prefers to have nothing to do with military life.
However, two days into the cruise, the passengers, to their horror, learn of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
and The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. The ship goes into high alert, with many of the passengers going through fear and confusion, but also showing mental strength. Tina finally learns the full meaning of her sister's warnings about military life not being as glamorous as she thought it was; Anthony realizes the gravity of the situation when he fears for the safety of the people he personally knew (he lives in New York City), who had jobs in the twin towers. Maddie, while comforting passengers young and old, experiences first-hand her father's honor, courage, and commitment to his family and his will to make sacrifices for his country.
The ending shows the passengers holding up a giant American flag on the deck of Tiger Cruise as a suggestion by Maddie, impressing her father and the military officers. By the end of the cruise, Maddie tells her father to "keep doing what [he's] doing" and has accepted being a military brat
Military brat
A military brat describes people who spend their childhood or adolescence while a parent serve full-time in the armed forces, and can also refer to the unique subculture and lifestyle of American military brats, the term refers to both current and former children of such families.Lifestyle: The...
, a title which she had disliked earlier.
Tiger Cruise is a fictional story inspired by actual events aboard the USS Constellation
USS Constellation (CV-64)
USS Constellation , a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the "new constellation of stars" on the flag of the United States and the only naval vessel ever authorized to display red, white, and blue designation numbers...
(CV-64), as well as 9/11.
Inconsistencies
When the Constellation arrives in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, Downtown San Diego is featured in the background showing the Twin Hyatts where only the first one had been completed by September 2001, roughly around the time of the terrorist attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
and the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
.
Much of the movie was shot on board USS John C. Stennis
USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74)
USS John C. Stennis is the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the United States Navy, named for Senator John C. Stennis of Mississippi. She was commissioned on 9 December 1995...
with additionally filming on board USS Nimitz (the Constellation was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
before production started). The hull numbers of all three ships are visible at various times throughout the movie. Actual crew members of the Stennis were used as extras, and a few can be seen wearing Stennis ballcaps instead of the prop Constellation caps.
The shots in the beginning of the movie featuring Maddie's home was filmed at Orange Lake Country Club in Kissimmee
Kissimmee
Kissimmee is the name of several things in the U.S. state of Florida:*Kissimmee, Florida *Kissimmee City Street Railway*Kissimmee Kreatures *Kissimmee Utility Authority...
, Florida.
Cast
- Hayden PanettiereHayden PanettiereHayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
as Maddie Dolan - Bill PullmanBill PullmanWilliam James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor. Pullman made his film debut in the supporting role of Earl Mott in the 1986 film Ruthless People. He has since gone on to star in other films, including Spaceballs, Independence Day, Lost Highway, Casper and Scary Movie 4...
as Cmdr. Gary Dolan - Bianca CollinsBianca CollinsBianca Suzanne Collins is an American actress. Bianca is currently cast as Lulu in the Teen Nick television series Gigantic....
as Tina - Nathaniel Lee, Jr. as Anthony
- Mercedes Colon as Grace
- Mehcad BrooksMehcad BrooksMehcad Jason McKinley Brooks is an American actor and former fashion model.-Early life:Brooks was born and raised in Austin, Texas, where he attended L.C. Anderson High School...
as Kenny - Jansen PanettiereJansen PanettiereJansen Panettiere is an American voice and film actor, and the younger brother of actress Hayden Panettiere....
as Joey - Lisa Dean RyanLisa Dean RyanLisa Dean Ryan is an American actress.Ryan played Wanda Plenn, the girlfriend of the titular character in the series Doogie Howser, M.D. Shortly afterwards she played Jessica Cohen on the short lived series Class of '96...
as Diane - Troy EvansTroy Evans (actor)Troy Evans is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Desk Clerk Francis "Frank" Martin in the television drama series ER. He has also appeared in the movies Tiger Cruise , Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Under Siege, Teen Wolf, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Black Dahlia and The...
as Chuck Horner - Ty O'NealTy O'Neal-Career:He is best known for playing the ice-skating cowboy, Dwayne Robertson, in D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks. In 2001 he portrayed real life outlaw Clell Miller in American Outlaws along side Colin Farrell, Scott Caan and Gabriel Macht....
as Danny Horner - Chris EllisChris Ellis (actor)Chris Ellis is an American film and television actor who was born April 14, 1956 in Dallas, Texas.Ellis always wanted to be an actor because of television...
as Capt. Anderson - Gary WeeksGary WeeksGary Weeks is a German-born, American film and television actor; he is also a film producer and screenwriter.-Film and television acting:...
as Lt. Tom Hillman - Barbara Niven as Kate Dolan
- Jennette McCurdyJennette McCurdyJennette Michelle Faye McCurdy is an American film and television actress and country pop singer-songwriter. She is best known for her role as Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly...
as Kiley Dolan - E. Matthew "Whiz" Buckley as Pilot Brown
- Mark Christopher LawrenceMark Christopher LawrenceMark Christopher Lawrence is an American character actor, stand-up comedian and voice-over artist. He is perhaps best known for his role as esoteric D.J., Tone Deaf, in the 1994 satirical rap mockumentary, Fear of a Black Hat. He has co-starred in popular films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day,...
as Pop - Ben Schenk as Tiger Kid