Like many Disney animated classics, the inevitable 40th anniversary release of The Jungle Book is met with an array of interesting and fun extras that complement the classic film, which, even from a child's point of view and by Disney animators' admission, is devoid of much of a story, consisting simply of Mowgli's encounters with various animals of the jungle, whose antics and odd behavior are either bent toward encouraging Mowgli (Bruce Reitherman) to stay or to leave the jungle forever and join the man-village.
Nevertheless, this indelible classic — Walt Disney's last picture before he died — was a landmark film in many ways, and the care and attention given it by Disney and the animators shine through gloriously.
Mowgli is, of course, the young boy who is left stranded in the jungle and found by Bagheera (Sebastian Cabot), the black panther (I was saddened to find Cabot was not actually from the Black Panthers) who leaves Mowgli with the wolf clan to be raised with the wolf cubs. But after many long years, Shere Khan, the bloodthirsty tiger (voiced by the sonorous, deliciously evil Brit George Sanders) has returned to the jungle. Knowing the boy will be in danger from Khan, Bagheera must take the unwilling Mowgli to the nearest man-village to drop him off.
Mowgli encounters a troupe of elephants haplessly led by Colonel Hathie (J. Pat O'Malley), and befriends a small elephant named Junior, voiced by none other than Clint Howard. Later he meets Kaa (Sterling Holloway), the python with the hypnotic eyes. He also encounters Baloo (Phil Harris), a bear who leads an indolent lifestyle. Baloo convinces Mowgli the jungle life and a kind of proto-hippie mindset is all he needs. Armed with the "bear necessities" of life, they seem fated to become best friends when Mowgli is kidnapped by monkeys. They take him to their ruler, the scat-and-bebop orangutan King Louie (Louis Prima), who wants to be a man.
Naturally, Mowgli also encounters the fearsome Shere Khan and meets his first human — a young girl who beguiles him with the sultry look of an Indian princess — and the film ends with a pleasant reprise of the feature's most notable song, "The Bear Necessities."
The entire film is 78 minutes long, and is fully restored with incredibly vibrant and lush colors and a remixed soundtrack that sounds great in any pair of speakers. Children will appreciate the songs and simple animations, though some of the song lyrics might be difficult for some to understand (the elephants' songs are particularly difficult to decipher amid the odd trumpeting and marching drums).
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