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9[[quoteright:325:[[Franchise/{{Tarzan}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0124_tarzan.png]]]]
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11Derived from the name of it's cousin SpaceOpera, Jungle Opera is another SubGenre of science fiction that was largely influenced by pulp. While SpaceOpera commonly focuses on themes of Physics, Cosmology, Biology and Computer Science, Jungle Opera tends to focus more on other sciences such as Anthropology, Archaeology, Zoology, Cryptozoology and Ecology, but has on occasion had more traditional science fiction themes. It is common for this genre to be set in the late 19th to early 20th century, where this genre was most prevalent, but it's not uncommon for this genre to be set in the [[AfterTheEnd future]], the [[AgeOfReptiles distant past]], on [[PlanetaryRomance other planets]] or in [[LostWorld other dimensions]].
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13The key common point about the setting is that it is almost always set in a mysterious and lawless HungryJungle, largely unexplored by modern humans. DarkestAfrica, TheShangriLa, and the TempleOfDoom are all common locations. Most always, the protagonist is an outsider, either a BoldExplorer, from a more developed part of the world, or they are RaisedByWolves or [[RaisedByNatives Natives]], but are still from somewhere else. Usually this is used as a means of connecting with the audience who is equally unfamiliar with the hostile environment, but a BadassNative is far from unwelcomed in this genre. Just because the protagonist is an outsider, that doesn't mean [[MightyWhitey they have to be white]]. Kipling's Mowgli was an Indian character. Still often expect to see a PrejudiceAesop for them if they live in the jungle.
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15Similar to SpaceOpera, this genre has a theme of travel. Rather than going to physically different locations, this genre focuses on culturally different locations, either with [[LostTribe humans]], [[TalkingAnimal animals]], [[NotQuiteHuman non-humans]] or even Aliens. characters will often travel hundreds of miles with nothing occurring between trips, because SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale. Although there is great potential in {{Worldbuilding}} the LostTribe with a deep lore and culture the worldbuilding is usually focused focused entirely on animal factions while the LostTribe is most often a PlanetOfHats living as a stereotypical tribe of [[NobleSavage Noble Savages]] who InHarmonyWithNature, especially in GreenAesop stories. Sometimes other forms of HollywoodNatives appear as well, including the CannibalTribe.
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17There are two very different aesthetics depending on where the characters are from. BoldExplorer characters include, but are not limited to, the AdventurerArchaeologist, GreatWhiteHunter and the ActionSurvivor. Usually their aesthetic includes the AdventurerOutfit complete with [[{{BFG}} Big Guns]], Fingerless Gloves and BootsOfToughness. Due to the overlap of this genre, seeing some {{Steampunk}}, DieselPunk or even UsedFuture can all appear depending on when and where the Jungle is. For jungle dwelling protagonist, expect the BadassNative, TarzanBoy or JunglePrincess and well as their ActionPet. Usually their asthetic includes, EarthyBarefootCharacter, Loincloth, FurBikini, and BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins (though a more exotic version), and using BambooTechnology, VineSwing, [[AnimalThemedFightingStyle Animal Themed Fighting Styles]] and CombatParkour often.
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19As mentioned before, this genre is known for its action and violence, so stunts like BoundAndGagged, UnwillingSuspension, CapturedByCannibals, ChasedByAngryNatives, and HuntingTheMostDangerousGame are all very common. Expect natural threats to include PantheraAwesome, PiranhaProblem, BigCreepyCrawlies and a PrehistoricMonster. Human threats commonly include the classic {{Outlaw}}, EgomaniacHunter, the similar (but distinct) EvilPoacher, RuthlessModernPirates, CannibalTribe or simple HollywoodNatives with a WitchDoctor conducting any form of HumanSacrifice. Due to this genre being so steaped in lawlessness and violence, AntiHero characters like HiredGuns, the VenturousSmuggler, and the RoguishPoacher might appear. Despite all of this, this genre usually takes advantage of it's setting, so expect some SceneryPorn.
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21The genre could be considered one of the first genres in science fiction. Although speculative science fiction esc tails date all the way back to the second century, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe could be considered the first in the genre, and it was written in the age of enlightenment, with several scientific themes. It was later picked up by Rudyard Kipling with ''Literature/TheJungleBook'', which introduced many of the standards of worldbuilding [[{{Romanticism}} romantic]] themes that would come to define the genre. Shortly after came pulp with Tarzan and Doc Savage coming to define how we know the genre today.
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23Although classic works often feature anthropology, archaeology, cryptozoology, botany, paleontology and other sciences, most authors today seem to settle for focusing primarily on Ecology. This is due to rise in environmental awareness over the past decades, causing many authors to incorporate more GreenAesop into their stories. In classic stories [[ReligionOfEvil Cults]], Serial Killers, violent felons hiding from the law etc. we’re all common threats, but in more modern stories tend to feature environmental criminals like the EvilPoacher, CorruptCorporateExecutive, as well as illegal operiations who are all motivated primarily by greed like the others. This is quite a deviation from it's cousin SpaceOpera, which went for a much grander set of villains including the EvilOverlord, NazisByAnyOtherName, TheEmpire and classic western style HiredGuns. SpaceOpera also opted for featuring making the antagonist a TragicVillain and using the Redemption Arc for both villains and [[AntiHero Anti Heroes]] motivated by greed as LovableRogue scoundrels. Jungle Opera never really used the latter, opting for the classic IdealHero, especially today by using the NobleSavage trope to further the GreenAesop. Other RealLife villains such as RuthlessModernPirates, HumanTraffickers, HiredGuns, Warlords, dangerous rogue or rebel soldiers, terrorists, actual cults, [[TheSyndicate Drug Cartels]] and various other {{Outlaw}}s have appeared as well with human traffickers having been most prominent before the rise of environmentalism.
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25This genre tends to be closer to science than HighFantasy, and generally avoids the massive religious and mythological themes of other science fiction stories. This is often because the jungle is so much easier to explore than space, despite the fact that to this day much of our rainforests on earth remain unexplored, and that we have found hundreds of unusual and borderline species, not to mention cryptozoology. The focus on GreenAesop also plays a big role here, as beating up a poacher doesn't really work with the archetypal trials of a hero going into the underworld to battle the shadow and rescue their father from the belly of the beast. In classic stories there was sometimes a ScienceVersusMagic conflict between a superstitious WitchDoctor and a more rational MightyWhitey hero, but such portrayals have understandably fallen out of favor in recent decades.
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27Of course, it would be very wrong to assume this genre never embraces the supernatural, as jungle spirits and [[OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious Cryptids]] also sometimes make an appearances. Even Creator/HPLovecraft wrote some of his CosmicHorror stories in this genre. This genre often features [[MacGuffin something for the explorer to look for]] as well, weather it be a LostTribe, an Ancient Treasure, an ArtifactOfDoom, [[FindTheCure The Cure]] or even [[GoBackToTheSource the civilization they came from]]
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29Similar to the SpaceOpera, this genre also has a poem.
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311. There should be something valuable lost in a distant unexplored land.
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332. And an outsider, sharper than their blade, to hunt it.
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353. This hero must encounter the most barbaric of places, peoples and creatures.
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374. Skilled with weapons of wood and rope against magic and machines.
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395. The scenery as breathtaking as it is wild with ancient rivers of crimson.
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416. The hero must have companions as loyal as wolves.
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437. And an adversary as predatory as a leopard.
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458. To bind them as the sands of time sink like quicksand.
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479. Then all must be put right, but not ended.
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49This trope does have a lot of TruthInTelevision, as everything from stories of explorers, to stories of missionaries, to cryptozology surrounding rainforests, real MixAndMatchCritters discovered (i.e. the platypus), stories of cults and secret societies even Tarzanesque jungle dwelling orphans, and many other things have popped up in RealLife, at least in the form of rumor and legend, but on occasion officially documented.
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51See Also: TropicalIslandAdventure, TrappedInAnotherWorld, TwoFistedTales, SteamPunk. DieselPunk, PlanetaryRomance with which this genre usually overlaps. See Also: Characters: TarzanBoy and BoldExplorer.
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53Compare TrappedInAnotherWorld with LostWorld.
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55If you’re an author: See SoYouWantTo/WriteAJungleOpera
56
57----
58!!Examples:
59
60[[foldercontrol]]
61
62[[folder:Comic Books]]
63* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'': Many a Scrooge [=McDuck=] story.
64* The beginning of ''ComicBook/IronMan [[ComicBook/MarvelNoir Noir]]'' features this.
65* ''ComicBook/{{Marsupilami}}'': The Marsupilami lives in the jungles of [[BananaRepublic Palombia]] and the comics often feature the native tribe, a GreatWhiteHunter, and foreign documentary filmmakers and industrial investors entering its wild world.
66* Any ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'' comic that takes place in the Savage Land, home to ComicBook/KaZar.
67* And in the same way, several volumes of ''ComicBook/SpirouAndFantasio'', who are some of the mentioned documentary filmmakers who are the first to prove the marsupilamis' existence and take one back to France as their pet.
68* ''ComicBook/SensationComics'': The Franchise/WonderWoman feature "In the Clutches of Nero" is about an anthropologist from Holliday College going to a recently discovered jungle island with three of his students and trying to learn about the natives there, who prove to be quite hostile.
69* ''ComicBook/SheenaQueenOfTheJungle''
70* ''ComicBook/Superboy1994'': The Wild Lands are an island that is almost completely hidden from the outside world and has lost their knowledge of it. When SB ends up washed up on shore he is enslaved and drugged and has to fight his way free and tell the unaware locals that humans from the outside world are actually intelligent creatures which has been hidden by a local conspiracy that has been drugging any humans who end up on their shores to hide their sapience.
71* Franchise/{{Tintin}} had this every once in a while (''[[/Recap/TintinTintinInTheCongo Tintin in the Congo]]'', ''[[Recap/TintinCigarsOfThePharaoh Cigars of the Pharaoh]]'', ''[[Recap/TintinPrisonersOfTheSun Prisoners of the Sun]]'') but ''[[Recap/TintinFlight714 Flight 714]]'' has this with a twist: [[spoiler:AncientAstronauts]].
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Comic Strips]]
75* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' briefly tried its hand at this trope with Safari Al, an imaginary alter ego for Calvin. Evidently, creator Bill Watterson didn't feel there was much there, as he only ever wrote one strip, with Al encountering a [[KingKongCopy giant gorilla]] (actually [[AndYouWereThere Calvin's mother]]), and Al never became a mainstay of Calvin's imaginary adventures like [[SuperHero Stupendous Man]], [[SpaceOpera Spaceman Spiff]], or [[NoirEpisode Tracer Bullet]].
76* ''ComicStrip/JungleJim''
77* ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom''
78[[/folder]]
79
80[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
81* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie'' has Arnold and friends exploring the fictional country of San Lorenzo and exploring ancient South American ruins to find Arnold’s long-lost parents.
82* ''WesternAnimation/MissingLink'' has elements of this, although it's not entirely set in the jungle.
83* ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado''. Two con men find a fabulously wealthy Central American city and try to save it from a HumanSacrifice-happy high priest and conquistadors.
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
87* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' is this [[RecycledInSpace in space]]. It takes place on the moon Pandora, which is [[SingleBiomePlanet covered entirely]] with a great forest and inhabited by a race of blue-skinned HumanoidAliens called the Na'vi whose culture is [[FantasyCounterpartCulture heavily inspired]] by real life Amazonian tribes. The story follows a human marine who learns to survive in the jungle in his Na'vi RemoteBody and later helps the natives fight off a greedy MegaCorp.
88* ''Film/BlondeSavage''
89* ''Film/CarryOnUpTheJungle'' is a parody of this, with the exploring party having different reasons of being on the trip, such as searching for missing people, and looking for exotic birds.
90* The [[ShowWithinAShow book within the film]] ''Film/TheFountain'' is about a Spanish soldier sent to South America to find a hidden temple with the Tree of Life.
91* ''Film/GreenMansions'' is a romance in the jungle for a large part, but the protagonists are also ChasedByAngryNatives for most of the third act.
92* Parts of ''Film/GungaDin'', what with the lost temple and all.
93* ''Film/IEatYourSkin'' is a horror version, where a writer in the Caribbean uncovers a voodoo zombie cult on an isolated island.
94* ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' is the example everyone remembers.
95* Played surprisingly straight in ''Film/TheJungleBook1994'', considering when it came out. It's been said that it feels more like a Tarzan movie than a ''Jungle Book'' adaptation, as it focuses mostly on Mowgli's interactions with human characters (including British colonists in Africa), and his various animal friends don't talk.
96* ''Film/JungleCruise'' is a modern version, featuring a British explorer and her brother delving deep into the jungle, along with the help of a sarcastic skipper, to discover hidden secrets deep within it. It has a few updates for the modern age, such as the [[HollywoodNatives local native people]] [[spoiler: putting on a "scary native people" act to scare the explorer off, with the skipper very much being in cahoots with them]].
97* The films based on the above-mentioned ''ComicStrip/JungleJim'' comic strip.
98* Every version of ''Film/KingKong'' has elements of this. ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' is probably the most straightforward example, as that film is set almost entirely on the eponymous island.
99* ''Film/LianeJungleGoddess''
100* ''Film/TheLibrarian'' is a satirical version.
101* ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy''
102* The films based on the above-mentioned ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'' comic strip.
103* ''Film/{{Secret of the Incas}}'', which was a major inspiration for the adventures of [[Franchise/IndianaJones Dr. Jones]].
104* ''Film/ShandraTheJungleGirl''
105* Aspects of this trope turn up in Creator/RayHarryhausen's movies about ''Literature/SinbadTheSailor'' (which are otherwise SeaStories with an ArabianNightsDays fantasy setting), particularly the latter two, ''Film/TheGoldenVoyageOfSinbad'' (which involves [[HollywoodNatives green-skinned primitive tribespeople]], the lost civilization of Lemuria, and a FountainOfYouth) and ''Film/SinbadAndTheEyeOfTheTiger'' (which involves the tropical LostWorld of Hyperborea hidden past Arctic ice, and populated by [[FrazettaMan giant cavemen]] and sabre-tooth cats).
106** Later on in his career, Harryhausen also had an [[WhatCouldHaveBeen unrealized idea]] for a movie adaptation of Creator/HRiderHaggard's novel ''People of the Mist'' (already a classic Jungle Opera story, and evidence suggests Harryhausen was planning to ramp up the fantasy elements with more monsters), but he couldn't find a studio that had faith in this type of old-timey adventure story (ironically, ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' would open shortly [[ItWillNeverCatchOn to spectacular success]]). This was one of the last films Harryhausen would try to make before finally announcing his retirement. All that exists of ''People of the Mist'' is some of Harryhausen's concept art, but it is [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ray_harryhausen_concept_art_people_of_the_mist_1.jpg truly]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ray_harryhausen_concept_art_people_of_the_mist_2.jpg spectacular]].
107[[/folder]]
108
109[[folder:Literature]]
110* In ''Literature/AlanMendelsohnTheBoyFromMars'', the heroes travel through a portal into AnotherDimension, the LostWorld of Waka Waka. Waka Waka is a tropical, jungle environment, built on the ruins of an ancient, great civilization, but now the inhabitants hide in the shadows from a mysterious beast controlled by alien invaders. It's something of a parody of the genre, as the heroes aren't dashing explorers but pre-teen boys who simply happen to be more competent than all the adults. Life in Waka Waka is pretty boring, and the solution to their problems turns out to be pretty mundane.
111* ''The Serpent'', the first novel in Jane Gaskell's ''Literature/{{Atlan}}'' series, takes place in a prehistoric civilization in ancient South America and contains such elements as giant carnivorous birds and a reptile-man villain. The rest of the saga is in the vein of a LostWorld but is still rife with jungle hijinks, particularly in ''The City'', in which the heroine returns to her former home.
112* ''Film/{{Congo}}'' by Creator/MichaelCrichton is a rare modernized version of this trope.
113* ''Literature/DocSavage''
114* Parodied in ''Literature/{{Eric}}'', which says that the rainforests of the Literature/{{Discworld}}'s Africa-counterpart are so full of {{Lost World}}s, [[LostColony Lost Colonies]], [[TempleOfDoom Temples of Doom]], and so on that there's barely room for the trees.
115* Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith's ''Hyperborea'' stories are a borderline case. Rightly, they could more be called SwordAndSorcery stories with a HungryJungle setting, since they're set in TheTimeOfMyths - a LostWorld in the process of [[JustBeforeTheEnd becoming lost]] - and don't feature any MightyWhitey European or American explorers, but they're full to the brim with Jungle Opera tropes like [[TempleOfDoom dangerous abandoned cities]], cave-dwelling [[BeastMan beast men]], occasional LivingDinosaurs, and more. Notably, the first of these stories, ''The Tale of Satampra Zeiros'', is about a pair of {{bold explorer}}s in the abandoned former capital of their ''own'' nation.
116* The ''Jack West'' series by Creator/MatthewReilly.
117* ''Literature/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'' by Creator/JulesVerne in 1864, chronicles the adventures of a German researcher, Professor Lidenbrock; his adventurous nephew, Axel; and Axel's girlfriend, Grauben, as they explore some dormant lava tubes within an Icelandic volcano. Though they never get to the center of the Earth, they do discover oodles of wonders and marvels, concluding with the discovery of a lake, warmed by fumaroles, that's home to heretofore extinct dinosaurs.
118* ''Literature/TheJungleBook'' by Creator/RudyardKipling.
119* ''Literature/KingSolomonsMines'' by Creator/HRiderHaggard is the UrExample.
120* [[Creator/ArthurConanDoyle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s ''Literature/TheLostWorld1912'' probably counts. The heroes end up on a lost plateau in the South American jungle with dinosaurs, ape-men, diamonds and EverythingTryingToKillYou.
121* ''Literature/OGuarani'' by José De Alencar
122* ''Literature/{{Tarzan}}'' by Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs. One of the most widely-adapted characters ''ever'', he also appeared in Comic Strips, Comic Books, Radio, Television (both live-action and animated), and of course Film (again, both live-action and animated). There was even a loosely-based Anime series, "Jungle King Tar-chan".
123[[/folder]]
124
125[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
126* ''Series/BringEmBackAlive''
127* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' is [[GenreRoulette primarily]] this genre, with the Island being an archetypical LostWorld.
128* ''Series/TheLostWorld2001'' is a somewhat revisionist take on this genre, deconstructing a lot of the imperialist politics from [[Literature/TheLostWorld1912 the book]], while still preserving the adventure and all the LivingDinosaurs.
129* ''Series/RelicHunter''
130* ''Series/SirArthurConanDoylesTheLostWorld''
131* ''Series/TalesOfTheGoldMonkey.''
132[[/folder]]
133
134[[folder:Pinballs]]
135* ''Pinball/{{Congo}}'' is about an expedition into a jungle that uncovers a lost city and a diamond mine.
136[[/folder]]
137
138[[folder:Radio]]
139* ''Radio/MoonOverAfrica'' is a classic example, a story about an explorer searching through DarkestAfrica for {{Atlantis}} and encountering horror, mystery, magic, and {{Lost World}}s galore.
140[[/folder]]
141
142[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
143* The genre is evoked by the classic ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' adventure ''Isle of Dread'', the less-classic ''Isle of the Ape'' and the fairly recent ''Tomb of Annihilation''.
144* The "gimmick" board games ''Fireball Island'' and ''Forbidden Bridge'', and many others, are all about this trope.
145* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' volume ''Cliffhangers'' has a lot about this kind of story and how to draw a typical plot of this kind.
146* The ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' adventure path ''Serpent's Skull'' (exploring ancient temples in the jungle) wallows in the tropes of JungleOpera [[spoiler: (though the AncientAstronauts are replaced by earthbound reptilian {{Precursors}}).]]
147* The theme of Venus in ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'', though Ganymede could also qualify.
148* The board game ''Spirit Island'' involves European colonial powers discovering and trying to take over a newly discovered tropical island. However, you play as ''the island'' in this game.
149* ''TabletopGame/SpiritOfTheCentury'' frequently visits this territory.
150* The historical wargame ''The Sword and the Flame'' has a DarkestAfrica variant where this applies in spades -- literally, as turning a card tells you whether one of your units has just met Livingstone, been attacked by a lion, or heard drums that cause you to lose a turn in fear.
151[[/folder]]
152
153[[folder:Theme Parks]]
154* The Adventureland sections of Ride/DisneyThemeParks are usually themed this way, often with a vaguely {{Mayincatec}}, DarkestAfrica, and/or East Indies vibe to its architecture. Rides like Ride/JungleCruise and Ride/IndianaJonesAdventure put guests right into this type of story.
155[[/folder]]
156
157[[folder:Video Games]]
158* ''VideoGame/CuriousExpedition'' is a rogue-like exploration game where you take on the role of [[HistoricalDomainCharacter a famous person from the late 1890s or early 20th century]] and send them and their companions on expeditions into wild places such as jungles, tundra, deserts, and more. You'll face everything from wild animals and distrustful natives to ancient curses and mad cultists in your quest for fame, treasure, and glory.
159* ''VideoGame/GreenHell'' is a SurvivalSandbox set in the Amazon, with an underlying plot about finding a miracle drug based on native medicine.
160* The central theme of the arcade game ''VideoGame/JungleHunt''. Explore a jungle, swim a pirahna-infested river, resolve [[CannibalTribe differences in culinary preferences]].
161* One of the most popular genres for early [[TextAdventure interactive fiction]], with examples like ''Kukulcan'', ''Savage Island'', and ''Island Adventure'', it mostly fell out of favor by the late 1980s.
162* ''Franchise/TombRaider.'' Travel to exotic locations, explore ancient ruins, fight [[LostWorld dinosaurs]] for some reason.
163* ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'', particularly in ''[[VideoGame/Uncharted2AmongThieves Among Thieves]]'', [[spoiler: it even has TheShangriLa!]].
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Webcomics]]
167* ''Webcomic/KazasMateGwenna'' takes place in a jungle opera setting. They deal with many of the things listed on this page and make an occasional foray out of the jungle too.
168[[/folder]]
169
170[[folder:Western Animation]]
171* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', as part of Scrooge [=McDuck=]'s frequent globetrotting treasure hunts.
172* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has the [[ShowWithinAShow in-universe book series]] "JustForFun/DaringDo", which is heavily based on ''Franchise/IndianaJones''.
173* ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' also had its share of mock archeological expeditions used as an excuse for treasure-hunting.
174[[/folder]]

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