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).
The second disc contains plenty of extras for the kids, including games and activities such as memorization, dexterity, and counting. Adults will appreciate the 45 minute featurette on the making of The Jungle Book. Disney s quality animation and simple tale of growing up will find very few objectors, and the extra features are pleasantly diverting.
Children and adults can enjoy this two-disc collectors edition together, and adults just might find themselves singing along with Baloo as he recounts to Mowgli about the necessities of life. Oh, to be so carefree again! Bonus features included: The Lost Character: Rocky The Rhino For the first time ever, the near-sighted, short-tempered rhinoceros named Rocky is brought to the screen using original storyboards and original voice recordings by Frank Fontaine.
The Bare Necessities: The Making of The Jungle Book A comprehensive look at the last animated film that Walt Disney produced using existing archival footage in addition to new interviews with Richard Sherman, Brad Bird, Glen Keane, Eric Goldberg, James Baxter, Will Finn, Andreas Deja, Burny Mattinson, Ted Thomas, Bruce Reitherman, John Culhane, John Canemaker, and Neal Gabler plus a never-before-seen collection of artwork and treatments from the film. Disney s Kipling: Walt s Magic Touch on A Literary Classic A discarded film treatment from 1963 includes scenes from Kipling s Mowgli Stories and more are used to illustrate Walt s interpretation of the literary masterpiece. The Lure of The Jungle Book Many of today s biggest names in animation were inspired to pursue their careers after seeing The Jungle Book ; this feature examines this phenomenon and features new interviews with Brad Bird, Andreas Deja, Sergio Pablo, Will Finn and Eric Goldberg.
Mowgli s Return to the Jungle Learn about nature filmmaking and the experience of making The Jungle Book firsthand from Bruce Reitherman, the voice of Mowgli. Baloo s Virtual Swingin Jungle Cruise Join everyone s favorite bear in this set-top and DVD-ROM game on an adventure through the jungle: enjoy fun activities and musical challenges, but keep an eye out because there s no telling what s on the other side of the river bend! Audio Commentary Jeremiah Lewis is the author of Fringe , a blog of dubious worth.
He blogs about writing (especially novel writing and screenplays), writes film reviews and critiques, and humorous takes on mundane, everyday life. Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!
News RSS