Inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli stories The Jungle Book is the 19th animated feature by Walt Disney and the last he worked on, dying before its release. Set in the jungles of India, Bagheera the panther finds the man-cub Mowgli abandoned in a wrecked boat, and takes him to be raised by wolves.
When it is learned that Shere Khan the tiger is returning to the jungle, the pack decides Mowgli needs to be returned to the man village for his own protection. Bagheera volunteers to take him, but Mowgli resists, leading to a series of wild and wooly adventures. He makes friends with Baloo the bear, a baby elephant, and a group of vultures, but can they help when he gets caught in the coils of Kaa the snake, is kidnapped by King Louie’s monkeys, and comes face to face with Shere Khan? Being a Disney film, The Jungle Book’s conclusion isn’t surprising, but the trip has been so entertaining it more than makes up for the obvious finale.
The film’s main strength is the voice talent. Disney fans should recognize Sebastian Cabot (Bagheera the panther) and Sterling Holloway (Kaa the snake) from their previous work on Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. Phil Harris (Baloo the Bear) went on to play another bear (Little John) in Robin Hood. Louis Prima as King Louie of the Apes and George Sanders as Shere Khan the tiger rounded out the cast of familiar and distinctive voices.
The two-disc Platinum Edition offers a lot of content for adult fans and children discovering the film for the first time.
Disc 1 offers a commentary track that’s insightful in a lot of areas where the film succeeds. The participants are Bruce Reitherman, who played Mowgli and was the son of the director, Disney animator Andreas Deja, who has been with the company since 1980, and composer Richard M. Sherman. There are also archival appearances from different members of the crew.
Music was always a prominent part of Disney films and The Jungle Book was no exception. It had two hit songs: “The Bare Necessities” by Terry Gilkyson, and “I Wan’na Be Like You” by the Sherman brothers, Robert B. and Richard M., which featured a great scat duo between Prima and Harris. The DVD allows you to pick four tunes and have the lyrics play on screen. There’s 21 minutes of demos from deleted songs. The only extra not worth looking at is a video for “I Wan’na Be Like You” by Jonas Brothers, obviously some Disney property, with their boy-band rock version. Maybe if I were a ten-year-old girl this would be worth hearing.
Article comments