Film Review #14: The Jungle Book

There are those films that can reach you on a action packed level.  There are also films that can reach people with a sense of emotional simplicity.  These films, such as Charlotte's Web, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Pursuit of Happyness, and even Classic Disney films like Dumbo, are able to connect with their audiences in large part because it puts effort into making you care about their characters, without necessarily having seriously action packed things happen to them.  If there ever was a film that blew the previous films out of the water, it would be The Jungle Book.  Known infamously as being the last film Walt Disney personally supervised, before his tragic death in 1966, if this was going to be their last film, boy did Disney go out with a bang!

Plot: Set in the dense jungles of India, a man-cub named Mowgli grows up with a pack of wolves.  His life is suddenly put into jeopardy when the vicious tiger Shere Khan returns to the jungle.  Shere Khan hates man and has made it his life's ambition to kill Mowgli before he grows up into a hunter with a gun and a distinct ability to maim and destroy.

Seeing the boy's life in danger, the panther Bagheera tries to take Mowgli to the Man Village, but Mowgli's heart still belongs to the jungle.  Mowgli runs away from the panther and has several comic and memorable adventures such as marching with the Pachyderm Brigade, being kidnapped by monkeys, encountering a hypnotic snake named Kaa, and befriending a fun loving bear named Baloo.  As Mowgli looks to Baloo as a father figure, Baloo is torn between his own love of the boy ("I love him like he was my own cub") and taking him to the village before Shere Khan kills him.

What's Bad?:  The film's one and only flaw is it's vast difference to Rudyard Kipling's original novel, but even that is a nitpick.

What's Good?:  I think this question should be changed to "What's the Best?"  This film is rich in everything, from the studios best song set since Cinderella, to the best cast of characters in Disney's history (Yes, I will fight you over it!!!  XD)  The film is rich in almost every meaning of the word.  The best part of the movie is the strong relationship between Baloo and Mowgli, which is one of the first truly genuine friendships ever assembled in Disney's history.  It almost makes one teary-eyed when Mowlgi is enticed by the girl from the village, and leaves his life and his best friend behind.

Shere Khan is another great Disney Villain in the history of the studio.  George Sanders is able to make Khan into an egotistical monster, that I'm sure was an influence to both Gaston and General Zod.

Overall: If Pinocchio was Walt Disney's technical masterpiece, this film is Disney's greatest Character film of all time.  The film is one of the most memorable films with good reason.  It is a triumph in the history of animation.

Report Card

Hero:                            A
Heroine:                      N/A
Villain:                         A+
Side Characters:         A+
Songs:                          A
Musical Score:            A
Theme:                        A+
Story:                           A-
Animation:                  B
Special Effects:           B-

Final Grade: A