Disney's Animated Classic -- The Jungle Book Review

The Jungle Book is the story of Mowgli, a young boy who has grown up in the wild.  Yes, it sounds very familiar to the infamous Tarzan series, but this was the first Disney adaptation to peruse those storylines.  Mowgli has grown up with a group of wolves in the jungles of India, but when he and the others are threatened by a menacing tiger, he is sent on his way to reunite with his own kind.  It is that journey which serves as the focal point of this story, and gives the audience an interesting and memorable experience as he comes face-to-face with the many animals of the jungle.

Mowgli is of course not prepared for the "real world" as it is presented in this film, and being outside of his den, this is the first time he has had to really fend for himself in the wild.  Luckily he finds a few friends along the way, which include a panther named Bagheera that helps in the nick of time, and of course, probably the most famous character of the bunch, Baloo the bear.  It Is Baloo that he strikes up a great friendship with, and who also provides a catchy song called Bare Necessities that I am sure many kids have sung along to over the years.  With the help of Baloo, Mowgli might just survive encounters with that scary tiger named Shere Khan, a snake named Kaa, and a very odd ape named King Louie.

It's interesting to note, that The Jungle Book was one of the last Disney pictures that Walt Disney had a direct hand in producing.  Though he never saw the finished product, it was an idea and storyboard that had been worked on for quite a while.  In my opinion the animation of the film isn't quite as good as past films such as Lady and The Tramp or Pinocchio, and it seems almost like it is moving in slow motion at times, because it doesn't have the human element that some of the computer generated pictures now have.  That shouldn't be held against the film though, as this was a 1967 creation, and the story does keep the attention of viewers for the quick 78 minutes of running time.  The ironic part of the film, is how many of the characters made it to the cartoon Tail Spin as far different presentations some 24 years later on the Disney Channel.  That is actually a show that this particular reviewer grew up watching.

The story behind ‘Jungle Book', is credited to the original novel written by Rudyard Kipling, but it is so loosely based, that many of the fans of the novel took offense to how the story was presented.  The characters where softened up, many song and dance routines were added to the mix, and the film was really a more "fun" representation of the story.  This is a Disney film after all, so it should be expected that there will be the slapstick comedy thrown in, and that there will be memorable songs for kids to sing along with for days after watching.  That music ended up being nominated for an Oscar, and it was well deserved in my opinion.  With the new release of The Jungle Book on DVD, you have a re-furbished version of the old film, cleaned up for presentation, and sold in a nice glossy case with many added extras.  The extras aren't really needed to keep the films appeal, and I think that the story is strong enough to still appeal to this generations younger viewers.  It is a strong classic from the Disney vault, and one I can still easily recommend.