The Jungle Book

A world adventurer I am not.  The most foreign place I've ever been to is Canada.  Also, I don't like dirt or bugs, so camping and I aren't really a thing.  But this week, I got a taste of the exotic in Walt Disney's The Jungle Book. 

This is the last film to experience Walt's personal touch.  Thankfully his work, passion, imagination, and legacy continue to live on in the films produced by the Walt Disney Company since his passing.  From The Aristocats to Frozen, Walt's influence can still clearly be seen in the entire collection of Disney films, even those after his time.

The Jungle Book is full of wonderful characters, warmth, humor, and toe-tappin' good tunes!  The film premiered in 1967 and tells the story of Mowgli, a baby boy found alone in the jungle who is raised by the jungle animals.  Eventually, the animals realize that Mowgli must go to the man-village for his own safety.  The film chronicles Mowgli's (rather unwilling) journey from jungle to village and all of the bumps, roadblocks, and adventures along the way.

 

The Jungle Book has a standout cast.  Even the characters that I wasn't crazy about were still entertaining!  The villains in the film, Shere Khan (the tiger) and Kaa (the snake) were foreboding and silly respectively.  I could have listened to Shere Khan's accent all day!  (The British really do make fantastic villains!)  Kaa, on the other hand, has muddled the happiness of my childhood.  Upon watching The Jungle Book this past weekend, I realized that Kaa's voice sounded familiar... and then I placed it.  He's voiced by the same actor who voiced Winnie the Pooh!  Eek!  This is definitely going to mess with my Disney inner child mental health.

I think the character that most stole my heart in this film was Bagheera, the panther.  It is Bagheera who first finds the man-cub Mowgli and finds him a family (of wolves) to take care of him.  It is Bagheera who undertakes the difficult journey of returning Mowgli to the man-village for Mowgli's safety.  It is Bagheera who runs to Mowgli's aid on countless occasions.  It is Bagheera who pretends to act aloof and nonchalant, but in truth cares about Mowgli (and keeping him safe) more than any other character in the film.

The most famed and beloved character to come out of The Jungle Book has got to be Baloo (the bear).  I mean he even got his own show in the 90s.  Tailspin anyone?  Oh.  I miss those days!  Baloo is a big, lovable bear (albeit rather lazy) with a penchant for living out: act (or take a nap) now, think later.  He adds great comedy and heart to the film.  He also provides the incomparable "Bare Necessities" musical number in the film.  It's a bit of jazz in the jungle.  And it's wonderful!  It is easily one of the most well-known and beloved songs to come out of the Disney jukebox. 

Speaking of show-stopping musical numbers, I cannot write this review without touching upon the greatness of King Louie (the orangutan) and his "I Wanna Be Like You" scene.  This swingin', jazzy number really gets the jungle jumping.  So good! 

This film and its characters are truly a delightful way to spend 80 minutes.  There are so many characters (Colonel Hathi, the elephant!) and special moments in the film that I haven't even had a chance to touch on.  If you haven't seen this film, add it to your to do list for the week.  It's classic Disney at it's greatest.  As Walt's finale piece, it is definitely worth seeing.

It seems fitting this week to end with these great words of wisdom from the Walt man himself:

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.

Thanks Walt for never giving up on your dreams and sharing your imagination and mastery of story-telling with the world!!


Coming Up Next Week: The Aristocats