Nilo Nemolato

**Nilo Nemolato** is a supporting antagonist from the *Jungle Cruise* film. He is portrayed by Paul Giamatti.

## History

### Biography

#### Background

Nilo Nemolato was an Italian entrepreneur in the 1910s, during which time he was around his 50s. Nilo ran a successful sightseeing cruise company called Nilo's River Adventure in Porto Velho, Brazil within the Amazon Rainforest. Because of this, Nilo was a powerful figure and loan-shark in Porto Velho where he operated out of a cantina and had a pet cockatoo named Rosita, whom he acquired by unknown circumstances.

At some point prior to 1916, Nilo loaned money to a boatsman named Frank Wolff so that Frank could purchase an engine for his boat, *La Quila*. Frank belonged to his Nilo's far less successful business rival, the *Jungle Navigation Company*, an international colonial business which in Porto Velho mainly ran a charlatanizeid boat ride with crude mechanical animals and paid actors.

#### Jungle Cruise

"*You borrow money from me to get a new engine, well, you got to pay me back, plus interest.*"
—Nilo Nemolato[src]
In 1916, Nilo and Rosita demanded returned payment from Frank with interest. To avoid Nilo's wrath and get the money, Frank impersonated Nilo to seek business with his would-be-clientele Lily and MacGregor Houghton who were on an expedition to find the mystical Tears of the Moon tree. Even after having his identity outed, Frank successfully stole the passengers with a lower price for down-river passage after learning of their expedition.

However, Frank and Nilo's involvement with the Houghtons caused Porto Velho to be attacked by their enemy Prince Joachim, a noble of the German Empire who came to the port in a U-boat submarine. As a result of this attack, Nilo's boathouse was destroyed by the mad German's submarine. Much later on, Frank returned to Porto Velho with the La Quila on the verge of destruction before leaving it to Nilo as a fulfillment of his debt and leaving Porto Velho with Lily.

#### Later history

By the late 1930s, Nilo's beloved Rosita had seemingly left Nilo's side and became a resident of the *Enchanted Tiki Room* of Polynesia before leaving there too for a solo-career in entertainment. In 1938, a crate was addressed to Nilo amongst Christmas decor and presents being delivered by plane to the Jungle Navigation Company. This crate found itself in the African veldt of North Africa, along the Nile river.

## Appearances

### Film

#### Jungle Cruise

Nilo is a supporting-antagonist in this film.

### Attractions

#### Jingle Cruise

The 2021 Magic Kingdom Jingle Cruise has a crate addressed to Nilo Nemolato among the scattered Christmas cargo in the Trapped Safari scene.

### Other connections

#### Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

Nilo's pet bird Rosita is a character from *Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room* and who physically appears in Disneyland's *Jungle Cruise* and *Tropical Hideaway*.

## Trivia

* Nilo's boats' red/white stripes resemble the stripes which used to adorn Jungle Cruise boats in the Disney Parks before being refurbished in the 1990s to aesthetically tie in with *Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye*.
	+ In universe artwork often depicts the JNC as having used boats with these canopies.
	+ In the attraction, Chief Nah-mee's skirt and a part of O.I. Cyhu's shack were made of this canopy; both of whom also being Amazon rainforest characters.
* Originally, Giamatti wanted a monkey as a pet but a cockatoo was chosen instead due to monkeys being difficult to work with.
* Much of Nilo's dialogue was improvised by Giamatti.
* Nilo's surname is a tribute to concept-artist Luca Nemolato.
* Nilo's position in the story is very similar to the character of Jabba the Hutt from *Star Wars*, being a wealthy gangster who the film's rogue owes money motivating him to transport the protagonists in his ramshackle vehicle.

## Gallery

Nilo kissing RositaCrate in the Jingle Cruise
## References

1. ↑ https://wdwnt.com/2021/11/photos-video-jingle-cruise-holiday-overlay-returns-to-jungle-cruise-at-magic-kingdom/
2. ↑ https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2021/11/01/jingle-cruise-returns-to-magic-kingdom-2021/
3. ↑ https://collider.com/jungle-cruise-movie-paul-giamatti-interview/