Of all the classic Disney animated films, The Jungle Book has always been one of my favorites. It's a great story accompanied by fun songs and memorable characters. In other words, it has all the right amounts of Disney magic that make their animated films so special. Disney has just released The Jungle Book in an two-disc platinum edition that is sure to please viewers of all ages.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. It tells the story of a young boy named Mowgli (voiced by Bruce Reitherman, son of the film's director Wolfgang Reitherman) who is raised by animals in the Indian jungle. As he grows older it becomes evident to everyone around him that he needs to join the humans in a nearby village. A panther named Bagheera (wonderfully voiced by Sebastian Cabot) agrees to take him back to the village. Along the way they encounter a carefree bear named Baloo (Phil Harris), a jazz-loving monkey King Louie (Louis Prima), a conniving snake Kaa (Sterling Holloway), and a vicious lion (George Sanders).
With the new edition, Disney has remastered the picture and sound so that the film looks and sounds better than it ever has before. As with other recent releases on DVD, they've also opened the vast Disney vaults to pull out a wide assortment of archival material for the film including a long lost character, Rocky the Rhino, and several deleted songs. There are also audio commentaries from Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston who originally animated the film as well as several current leading animation directors including Brad Bird (The Incredibles), Glen Keane (The Little Mermaid), and Andreas Dejas (Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King).
There are other great special features including "DisneyPedia: Junglemania!" which shows the animals that inspired the characters in the film. Bruce Reitherman explains how his experiences in The Jungle Book lead to his current career as a wildlife filmmaker. There are also jungle-themed games as well.
For the past few years, Disney has been re-releasing their classic animated films in new two-disc packages and have packed them full of bonus features. The Jungle Book lives up to the high standards set by previous offerings from Disney. This set will be one that any fan of Disney animation will want to own.
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