x
Breaking News
More () »

How much of 'Cool Runnings' is true? | What the Disney film got right about Jamaica's bobsled team

Jamaica's entrance into the sport is still considered one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history.

ATLANTA — You've likely seen "Cool Runnings," right? The 1993 movie, which tells the story of Jamaica's very first bobsled team back at the 1988 Winter Olympics?

It's a classic sports flick that often comes up whenever the Winter Olympics are in full swing. 

On Saturday, the Jamaican bobsled team was back in action for the nation's first appearance in the four-man in 24 years. Jamaica's entrance into the sport is still considered one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history.

However, with the country's bobsled team once again shooting down the track in this year's Beijing Olympics, many online have wondered; how much of that movie is true?

After all, it's not unheard of for Hollywood to fudge a few details in service of compelling drama.

Unfortunately for fans of the movie, Olympics.com said "barely anything to do with the story in the film 'Cool Runnings' actually happened in real life."

The website adds that Dudley 'Tal' Stokes, one of the team's founding members, spoke on the film and its creative liberties during an "Ask Me Anything" event on Reddit. There, Stokes said "It's a feature Disney film, not much in it actually happened in real life."

Director John Turteltaub even admitted to changing some of the story, telling Entertainment Weekly in 2018 "we just kept refining the true story to make it into a better movie."

He added that while the changes were made "the feeling is the same. The tone is the same. The ambition is the same. The absurdity was the same. And the main key events were the same."

So, what exactly was changed? 

According to Olympics.com, elements such as the team's song, the egg, the depiction of the coach, the qualification process, and the names of those involved were all altered in the name of cinéma.

However, one thing Olympics.com did point out was accurate was a crash the team had on the third run, preventing them from competing in their final run.

And yet, the website is quick to point out that the cause of the crash wasn't exactly the same as in the film. While the movie puts the blame on a mechanical malfunction, Olympics.com said the real culprit was speed combined with driver inexperience.

While that 1988 team finished in 31st place, according to the website, and the country still has not won a medal in the sport, "Cool Runnings'" popularity has managed to imbue a sense of goodwill for the Jamaican team that's sure not to run out as long as people are rediscovering the Disney classic.

Before You Leave, Check This Out