Review 379: The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book is a delightful animated film and one of Disney's most daring and mature offerings.

Based on the story collection The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, As a baby, Mowgli (Bruce Reitherman) was found in a basket all on his own in the jungles of India by Bagheera (Sebastian Cabot), a Black Panther who brought him to a pack of wolves who have subsequently raised him his entire life. But the fearsome tiger, Shere Kahn (George Sanders) returns to the jungle, Bagheera is tasked with bringing Mowgli to the safety of the Man-Village. Along the way, the encounter many friends and foes such as Kaa (Sterling Holloway) the snake, the crazy money King Louis (Louis Prima) and the fun loving bear Baloo (Phil Harris)

The plot veers from the works of Rudyard Kipling, but the result is a fast paced, fun and joyful experience with fun characters that stay with you long after you leave the theatre.

I think this is one of Disney's most mature, unconventional and unique looking films mostly because it has vibrant and wild setting, it has wonderfully crafted characters and it deals with such mature and serious themes such as growing up and friendship.
At its core The Jungle Book is a coming-of-age film, one about Mowgli going from innocent jungle boy with the wolf pack that have adopted him to taking his place amongst his own kind or in the "Man Village" as the animals refer to it. The wolf pack and Mowgli's life with them represent the innocent, carefree period childhood, his journey through the jungle and all the quirky animals he meets along the way as well as his determination to remain in the jungle is meant to represent adolescence

Director Wolfgang Reitherman animation direction is lively and energetic, the animation is vibrant, crisp, colourful and majestic and captures the lush, beautiful look of the Indian Jungle.
The production design (recreating the Indian Jungle and sets like King Louis' castle) is brilliant, the character design (creating loads of different animals such as Wolves, Elephants, Sankes, Panthers, Bears, Monkeys) is fantastic and beautifully detailed, the score by George Burns is rousing and thematic, the songs (The Bare Necessities, Trust in Me, I Wan'na Be like You to name a few) by Terry Gilkyson and the Sherman Brothers are catchy and fun

With Disney's The Jungle Book, we're presented with a cast of some of Disney's most enduring and well rounded characters.

 

Sebastian Cabot provides a great deal of authority and gravitas playing Bagheera, a black panther who also serves as Mowgli's 

 

Phil Harris is a joy as Baloo the Bear  

Sterling Holloway is  as Kaa, the snake who acts a terrifcally entertaining foil for Mowgli and his friends.

You really can't go wrong with George Sanders as your villain and he plays one of Disney's best in the form of Shere Kahn.

The Jungle (Book) is Jumpin! 5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.