The Jungle Book [G]

Found alone in the Indian jungle as a baby, Mowgli is raised by wolves and happily a member of their pack until the wicked Shere Khan returns to the jungle with the threat of hunting down the boy and killing him. A panther named Bagheera agrees to take Mowgli to a “man village” where he will be safe with his own kind, but Mowgli resists and it takes a few dangerous experiences as well as one face to face with Shere Khan for him to be convinced that leaving the jungle is the right thing to do. 

The last feature that Walt Disney himself oversaw, The Jungle is a another timeless Disney classic that’s armed with heart melting moments, lovable characters, and a brilliant and contagious soundtrack. I LOVE The Jungle Book. 

Found alone in the Indian jungle as a baby, Mowgli is raised by wolves and happily a member of their pack until the wicked Shere Khan returns to the jungle with the threat of hunting down the boy and killing him. A panther named Bagheera agrees to take Mowgli to a “man village” where he will be safe with his own kind, but Mowgli resists and it takes a few dangerous experiences as well as one face to face with Shere Khan for him to be convinced that leaving the jungle is the right thing to do. 

Based on the book by Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book is a fantastic movie that affords whole-hearted enjoyment for audiences of all ages. 

The animation is so-so with strong chalky outlines accompanying every character, but what sets The Jungle Book apart from other Disney films of that time was really the fact that it had real celebrities providing the voices of its characters. 

The story itself deals with a lot of complex and mature themes such as identity confusion, abandonment, and the extreme harshness of nature, but all these macabre and gloomy themes are toned down by fantastic characterisation and a contagiously jazzy soundtrack, which includes the classic tracks I Wanna Be Like You and The Bare Necessities. A little bit of barbershop quartet even sneaks into the mix. 

The characterisation of the animals of the jungle provides much of the films comic relief, for the adults at least: we have the elephant resembling a military company and the vultures are these four moping mop-fringed fellows who are bored out of their minds. When you think about it, the whole script and screenplay was very cleverly constructed and deserves an accolade. 

Featuring the voice talents of Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Sterling Holloway, J. Pat O’Malley, Bruce Reitherman, Verna Felton, Clint Howard, Chad Stuart, Lord Tim Hudson, John Abbott, Ben Wright, Darleen Car, and George Sanders who provides a truly wicked and attractive voice as Shere Khan, The Jungle Book is a wonderful animated classic that’s filled with action, adventure, species confusion, catchy songs, drama, and plenty of comedy. It’s a truly wonderful film. 

I wanna be like you-oo-oo. I wanna walk like you, talk like you too-oo-oo.