The sequel to one of my all time favorite movies was released in 2003 and I went to the theater with a lot of optimism. I left thinking I had been ripped off. A sequel that recycled virtually the entire storyline and characters as the first one, The Jungle Book 2 has very little to offer entertainment wise. To me, it's basically watching a bad stage version of the original film, with some elements work surprisingly well, but the rest is very mediocre. Plot: Mowgli, who now lives in the Man Village with a gentle mother and a domineering yet devoted father (John Rhys Davies). But his heart still belongs to the Jungle, where he strongly desires to run away to. After getting caught trying to return, a crestfallen Mowgli turns on his best friend/ girl friend Shanti.
Meanwhile, in the Jungle, Baloo (John Goodman) decides to rescue Mowgli from the Village and take him back to live in the Jungle once more. After a mix up, Shanti and Mowgli's little brother go off in pursuit of Mowgli, who is also being pursued by Bagheera, his father, Kaa (Jim Cummings), and of course the wicked Shere Khan (Tony Jay). However, Mowgli begins to realize that the Jungle isn't as fun and exciting as it used to be, and decides to go off and look for his friends. Naturally, they come across Shere Khan and the kids must escape from the tiger before he gets his vengeance.
What's Wrong?: Like The Little Mermaid 2, this film has WAY too many characters in it. Some of them, like Colonel Hathi and the Vultures, do absolutely nothing in the plot and are there just for fan service. The only two animals in the plot that serve any purpose are Shere Khan and Baloo.
The songs aren't very good. But what did I expect?
Also, John Goodman seemed really out of place as Baloo.
There's also this really annoying Vulture played by Phil Collins that I wanted to shoot with a crossbow.
What's Good?: Giving yet another marvelous performance, Tony Jay is able to match George Sanders as the wicked and cruel tiger. Also worth noting is John Rhys Davies performance as Mowgli's father. I think that was a very interesting performance to come out of a sequel character, which usually range from annoying kids, to bland and forgettable characters, or even rehashes of the original. But Davies really tries in this role, showing that even a mediocre film is worth giving 100% for.
Mowgli's girlfriend also has an expanded role in this film, acting not only as a friend to Mowgli, but also as a mediator between him and the jungle.
Overall: The film as a whole is fairly weak. While some elements are solid, the film falls into a weak category of Disney Films that were being made at the time. This is a decent film to skip.
Report Card:
Hero: C
Heroine: B-
Villain: A-
Side Characters: D-
Songs: D
Musical Score: C
Animation: B
Story: F
Theme: F
Does this film hold up to the original?: NOT ON YOUR LIFE, SPORT
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