'Cool Runnings' Is Officially 25 Years Old Today

Twenty-five years ago, film history changed forever as Cool Runnings hit cinema screens and it's still as funny as ever.

The 1993 Disney film is set in, what has become, the 1988 Olympics Cinematic Universe, featured four Jamaican runners attempting to strike gold in bobsledding in the Winter Games - true story, kinda.

Buena Vista Productions/Disney

Fun-loving and full of spirit the film soon became a big hit - shot in both Calgary and Jamaica, the film ended up being an instant classic and brought in nearly $155 million in the box office.

This is pretty incredible considering they were working with a $14 million budget while creating the movie.

The film has been described as a "near-perfectly executed tale" that centered on "one of the nuttiest and most inspiring modern sports stories."

The Jon Turteltaub film is the loosely based on the factual tale of the Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

"It's the timeless story of the underdog. And here, the underdog was going to the Winter Olympics from a country with no snow." Jeff Sagansky, who acquired the script in 1989 when he headed TriStar Pictures, told Hollywood Reporter earlier this year during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games.

Those games not only marked the 25th anniversary year of the film's release but the 30th anniversary of when the Jamaican team actually made it all the way to Canada for the Calgary Games.

Buena Vista Productions/Disney

At this year's games there was also an added extra level of resonance, with the film celebrating its 25th anniversary and Jamaica competing with its first-ever qualifying female bobsled team.

The women went on to complete their first run in 51.29 seconds, earning 17th place. After their final two runs, they ended up in 19th place overall.

But it didn't matter what the women placed, because fans were still over-the-moon to see them compete.

PA

So, while the women may not have bagged themselves a gold (this time) they've still managed to overcome a few hurdles and take part. I reckon there's definitely a Cool Runnings sequel to be made out of this.

Topics: Film, olympics, News, TV

Rachael Grealish

Rachael is a NCTJ qualified journalist from West Cumbria, with a passion for news, features and journalism. Outside of work Rachael loves plenty of coffee, running and reading.

@RachaelGrealish