• Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Drama, Family
• MPAA Rating: PG
• Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
• Medium: Live-action
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Country: United States
• Company: Walt Disney Pictures
• Director: Jon Favreau
• Cast: Neel Sethi
Bill Murray (Ghostbusters, Lost in Translation)
Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s List)
Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Zootopia)
Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Do the Right Thing)
Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Her)
Garry Shandling (Over the Hedge, Iron Man 2)
Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction)
As Disney has decided to reboot its animated classics that made it a household name and touched our hearts across generations into live-action territory, they have teamed with actor/director Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man 1 and 2) to look for the simple bare necessities of life by bringing us a surprisingly enchanting picture not only by being faithful to the 1967 animated version but, at the same time, also by doing justice to the original collection of jungle stories by adventure writer Rudyard Kipling.
Like a lot of people, I grew up watching the 1967 original hundreds of times as a kid and I still find it entertaining and influential as a grown-up with its memorable and lovable characters, catchy musical numbers by Terry Gilkyson and the Sherman Brothers, one of the best movie villains and its great character animation which has inspired many future artists and animators and continues to do so to this day. However, I have also read the original source material by Rudyard Kipling and let me tell you for those who haven’t, the Disney version has almost NOTHING to do with what it’s based on! While the Disney version is fun and bright and colorful, the Kipling stories are very dark, mysterious and adventurous. Anyhow, on to the new film.
The plot, if you’ve seen the 1967 version, is at first self-explanatory. A young boy (or man-cub, as the animals call him) named Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is raised the Seeonee wolf pack and Bagheera the black panther (Ben Kingsley) and lives happily in the jungles of India. Then one day, during a great drought, Shere Khan, the vicious man-hating tiger, (Idris Elba) returns to the jungle and demands that the man-cub be handed to him or he will kill anyone who tries to defend him. When he decides to leave his adoptive family so that they will be spared and Bagheera goes to take him to a man-village, Mowgli begins his journey of self-discovery, meets new friends like Baloo the lazy, carefree bear (Bill Murray), and many dangerous adversaries, like Kaa, the seductive rock python (Scarlett Johansson), and King Louie, a Gigantopithecus (a extinct species of giant ape; he was an orangutan in the 1967 film, but orangutans don’t live in India) who rules the Bandar-log (Monkey People) and desires to possess the one thing all other animals fear to rule the jungle: Man’s Red Flower. (what the animals call fire)
The plot not only remains faithful to the nostalgic simplicity of the 1967 film but also incorporates many key elements of the Kipling stories. While the overall tone is more dark and action-oriented, I also recognized certain quotations from Kipling’s books like the “Law of the Jungle” which all the animals must follow. It’s one thing to simply quote Kipling’s books nearly word for word, but it takes more thought and heart to go into the deeper themes of Kipling’s work, like the importance of family based on those you love rather than by blood. And in the end, this is exactly what this film does.
As for the characters, Mowgli in the 1967 cartoon was nothing more than a wimpy and often stubborn brat, but he is more developed here as a character. He is a bright, resourceful and ingenuitive child. Yet at the same time, he is still a child and his vulnerability makes us fear for his life, especially when pitted up against many of the jungle’s more threatening residents. Bagheera is still the stern authoritarian guardian like in the 1967 version, but still cares for Mowgli’s safety. Old Baloo is also the lazy bear who lives the good life with his anthem “The Bare Necessities”, but Bill Murray’s characteristic cynical, sarcastic yet charming wit make him an absolute delight, resulting in many of the film’s funniest moments. Shere Khan, while lacking the sophistication and gentleman-like stature that him such a great villain in the 1967 version, is still a force never to be reckoned with, and any scene with him may frighten small children. Scarred in the face by the dreaded Red Flower (fire) he is more cold and calculating with a dire plot to kill the man-cub. The wolves, including Mowgli’s adoptive mother Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) are more important here as they are Mowgli’s family, while in the cartoon they only have 3 MINUTES of screentime! Kaa, portrayed as a female, is more seductive and gives us Mowgli’s backstory before she attempts to seal his fate. Besides Bill Murray as Baloo, my favorite character would have to be King Louie, the head honcho of the ruined city where the monkeys take up residence. Christopher Walken’s trademark unusual mannerisms make the character of Louie a delight for me to sit through and his rendition of “I Wanna Be Like You” made it worth the price of admission!
Speaking of music, John Debney’s score also brilliantly incorporates many recognizable musical cues from the 1967 cartoon, like the songs “The Bare Necessities” and, as mentioned before, “I Wanna Be Like You” (My two favorite songs from the 1967 version).
The one thing I need to mention now is the visual effects. It’s not good CGI. It’s INCREDIBLE CGI. This is the kind of film that deserves to be seen in 3D or IMAX. You feel as if you have actually been transported into the jungle itself. The animals are so lifelike I almost thought they were real! The FX companies, Weta Digital and MPC, even managed to incorporate the facial characteristics of the actors into the animals they play, like how Baloo resembles Murray and how Louie kinda looks like Walken. The CGI is on par with Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and Life of Pi as some of the best visual effects anyone can boast of.
In conclusion, The Jungle Book is a must see for any fan of Kipling’s book and the 1967 Disney movie. It not only takes what made each version so special and blends them in a unique and enthralling way but also engulfs us into its world with its amazing special effects. Sometimes it takes it the best of both worlds to bring the bare necessities of life.
My personal rating: 5 stars out of 5.
Supreme Dream Machine 