Day 19: The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book (1967)

Starring: Bruce Reitherman, Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima, George Sanders, Sterling Holloway, J. Pat O'Malley, Verna Felton, Clint Howard, Chad Stuart, Lord Tim Hudson, John Abbott, Ben Wright, Darleen Carr, Leo De Lyon, Hal Smith, Ralph Wright, Digby Wolfe, Bill Skiles, Pete Henderson

Songs: "Trust in Me," "Colonel Hathi's March," "The Bare Necessities," "I Wanna Be Like You," "That's What Friends are For," "My Own Home"

The Jungle Book is the story of young "man cub" Mowgli and his adventures with friends Baloo (a bear) and stuffy Bagheera (a panther).  It is loosely based on the Rudyard Kipling novel, as Disney hoped to repeat the success of The Sword in the Stone (another movie about a young boy and based on a novel).  This was the last animated movie Walt Disney was alive to be a part of.  It was released about ten months after he passed away, but his instincts were right, as this movie was a big financial success.

The original treatment for the script of this film was apparently much darker.  Story man Bill Peet took his cues from the darker tone of Rudyard Kipling's novel, and Walt Disney ended up feeling like the script was too dark for family entertainment.  Most of Peet's original ideas for the script were dropped, but one thing that remained was the fact that in the book (which is much more episodic in nature, and difficult to adapt to a screenplay), Mowgli went back and forth between the jungle and the man village, but Peet felt that Mowgli returning to man should be the film's ending.  

One thing I've always liked about this movie are the backgrounds.  They seem especially rich, and the way the characters look in them is very organic.  Plus, the music is undeniably fun.  It all feels very youthful, for lack of a better word, without feeling childish.  The movie received mixed reviews, and some critics at the time said the movie lacked action, but I disagree.  I feel like there's enough excitement, enough jokes, enough music... everything is balanced well.

This is a movie I loved as a child and I still love it now.

What I Liked: Oh man, it's such a fun movie.  I like the fact that it's a really enjoyable experience.  Additionally, the baby elephant, voiced by Clint Howard is adorable.  Also this:

What I Disliked: I hate to say this and be that person, but there was a really noticeable lack of girls.  We got the cute little girl at the end, who as far as I know doesn't even have a name, and the elephant colonel's wife.  No, it's not a make or break deal with the film (because I do still love it) but if I had to point out one thing, it would be that.

Should You Watch This Movie: You're going to get tired of this answer, but yes.  Yes, you definitely should.