Earlier this
year, I reviewed Disney’s live action 1994 film titled “Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book”. In that post, I noted that all
my child hood fondness for “The Jungle
Book” began with that movie, as I was somewhere between three and four
years old. While it admittedly strayed from the source material, it’s still my
favorite movie to bare the title. Truthfully, it wasn’t until years later,
around the age of seven or eight that I discovered Disney’s more famous 1967 animated
classic “The Jungle Book”. No joke,
whenever someone mentioned Disney’s “The
Jungle Book”, I always thought they were talking about the live action 90’s
film. Well, I eventually came around to watching the animated original, and …
even though I liked it back when I was a kid, I always found it a little
underwhelming. There were certainly things I loved in the film, namely some of
the characters, as well as some catchy tunes, but the experience just never
stuck with me as anything really special either. Looking back as an adult … I
still find it a mostly okay film, but I did discover more things I liked about
it then I did as a kid. This was the studio’s 19th animated picture,
and it’s often cited as the last film to receive Walt Disney’s personal touch
before his untimely passing. Because of this, “The Jungle Book” has always stood out among Disney purists as …
maybe not one of the absolute best, but certainly one of the most special.
Things start strong as the movie begins
with an excellent opening credit sequence.
As the title’s role, we get sketchy
details of several locations in the jungle, including ancient ruins, and
intimidating landscapes. The imagery is all set to this chillingly atmospheric
music tempo, which sets the mood for a mysterious, yet exciting excursion into
this Jungle setting. It’s actually the closest the film ever gets to capturing
the spirit and tone of the original source material. Events take shape with an
abandoned human baby, who’s discovered by a noble black panther named Bagheera. This is the kind of character who would much
rather keep to his own business, but he’s got such an honest heart that he just
can’t turn away from his responsibilities. While he’s not my absolute favorite character
of the movie, he’s arguably the most dignified of the bunch. So, along with the
aid of a pack of wolves, Bagheera raises the child into a young boy, who adorns
the name Mowgli. As time goes on, Mowgli finds himself more connected to the
jungle, yet his family animals know deep down that one day he’ll have to return
back to his own kind. Then, the looming danger of a bloodthirsty tiger named
Shere Khan escalates the need to get Mowgli back to the safety of a far-off man-village.
The big issue with the plan is that Mowgli has become so attached to the jungle
that he refuses to leave it, and after meeting his sergeant “papa bear” named
Baloo, it makes things all the more difficult to leave.
When compared to the original Rudyard
Kipling books, this version is obviously a lot goofier, and lighter in tone.
None of the dramatic themes or ideas really carry over, and it goes for a
simple, cheerful experience, which is fine, but it’s almost a little too
derivative for its own good. This may seem like an odd comparison, but I always
felt that this version of “The Jungle
Book” follows the same basic formula of “Alice in Wonderland”.
In the case of both animated Disney films,
it’s less about telling a story, and more about following a single human
character on a journey through a unique setting, and have varying encounters
with some colorful characters along the way. In one scene Mowgli might
encounter a group of elephants lead by the pompous Colonel Hathi, and after
spending some time with them, they march off and disappear from the movie
altogether … as if they were never there. In another scene, Mowgli might be
having a swinging party with a group of monkeys, lead by a very goofy fellow
named King Louie, and when it’s done, they too disappear from the film … as if
they were never there. That’s the basic layout of the film, Mowgli will be
walking aimlessly through the jungle, encounter someone unique, and then he’s
off walking again until he bumps into the next colorful character. In essence, Mowgli
has always felt less like a character to me, and more like an avatar for the
audience to inhabit, as we go on a walkabout in this colorful jungle setting,
and meet all these entertaining characters. The down side is that, when
compared to the aforementioned “Alice in
Wonderland”, that film at least had a human child that I cared for, felt
concerned for, and had an end goal I wanted to see her reach. See, when I
connect with my figurative avatar, a feel the experience is all the more
rewarding for it. By contrast, I never connected to Mowgli, and found him more
annoying then not.
However, where Mowgli leaves much to be
desired, his sergeant father figure Baloo completely makes up for it.
Personally, along with The Genie from “Aladdin”,
Baloo has a secure place in my nostalgic heart as one of my all-time favorite
animated Disney characters. Aside from being the popular figurehead of the
movie, he also has the most meaningful character arc in the film. Baloo is a
lax, living a completely carefree life, that is … until he finds someone he
genuinely cares for. Despite his careless nature, he absolutely has a heart of
gold at the center, and such a positive personality as a result. There’s just
something incredibly warm and optimistic about Baloo that makes him a sheer
delight whenever he’s on screen. By the end of the film, while he still
maintains his cheery persona, Baloo has also grown into a different person then
he was in the opening. He’s someone more mature, but still just as positive and
fun as ever. The real strength of Baloo is the late voice actor Phil Harris,
who in my opinion was Disney’s greatest reoccurring vocal talent. Every
animated Disney character voiced by Phil Harris ranks among my absolute
favorites, because he had a distinct charm and style that could never be
duplicated. Baloo is naturally the most famous Disney character he ever voiced,
and it’s his charm and charisma that adds so much appeal to the character. Many
of his lines were improvised, like when he’s training Mowgli to fight, and he
playfully says “You better keep circling, or I’m going to knock your roof in
one more time” ... and it’s little touches like that which make me love this
character.
I should also note that I’ve loved
Tigers my whole life, so having one as the main antagonist of this movie gives
Shere Khan an easy hook as a memorable Disney villain from my childhood. While
he admittedly isn’t present in the movie until the third act, he still owns
every moment he’s on screen. He’s intimidating, but he doesn’t show off, and I
just love how chill and laid back he is. Whenever Shere Khan engages someone, it’s
always a slow burn leading into his more savage attacks, and that for me is
when villains are at their best. Truthfully, my favorite moments with him are
when he’s just talking with other characters. He casually smiles and nods, but
you just know he’s got everything mapped out in his head, and he’s just
savoring the build-up for when he makes his move. Once again, I have to give credit
to the late voice actor George Sanders, who was one of the classiest actors of
his decade, and his juicy talents really carry over into his vocal performance for
Shere Khan. Of course, he was just fresh off of playing Mr. Freeze in the 60’s Batman series, and if you can portray
my favorite Batman villain with both class and dignity, then you’re a winning
choice for a villain role.
One thing that never clicked with me was
the overall Jungle setting, as it just felt very average, especially when the
opening built this place up as something really absorbing and atmospheric. Even
the animation seems kind of sketchy when compared to Disney’s earlier animated
offerings. For instance, “Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs” came out over two decades earlier, yet the animation in
that film still looks stunning to this day, with captivating colors and lots of
detail.
The overall design of “The
Jungle Book” just never looked complete to me, with visible pencil
sketches, and a fairly basic color scheme. I will say that the animation of the
characters is very lively, energized, expressive, and certainly helps to keep
things visually engaging. Aside from that, the films biggest appeal comes from
individual highlights. My favorite scene of all is the whole segment with King
Louie, as his song “I Want to be like you” is the liveliest
musical number of the whole film, and it contains the best improvised lyrics
from the cast. Also, the ensuing action scene with Mowgli and his friends
escaping Monkey City is a lot of fun, thanks to some well-placed comedy, and
it’s considerably more fast paced then most other scenes in the film. As a side note, it's hard to imagine the line-up of Jungle Book characters without King Louie, but it may surprise you to know that he was never in the original book. The monkey kidnaping Mowgli was certainly lifted from the source material, but they never had a leader. King Louie was then created as an original character for the film to give the monkeys a leader, and now it's hard to picture any Jungle Book adaption without him. Also, both the Vultures and village girl were original characters created for this film, but I'll get to them in a minuet.
Another difference from the original book is the giant snake Kaa, who originally was one of Mowgli's closest friends and mentors, just like Baloo and Bagheera. Of course, in the Disney movie, he's changed into the secondary villain of the film, and his encounters with Mowgli make for more enjoyable highlights. This is another memorable
character, who’s both goofy and kind of a looser, yet there’s still something
unnerving, and predatorial about him. His song “Trust in Me” comes off as
average in presentation, but thematically it’s actually one of the darkest of
all the Disney villain songs. It’s a song that highlights the creepy concept of
“stranger danger”, and why kids shouldn’t be so open to excepting candy from
questionable figures. Also, the visual design of Kaa is one area in which the
animation of the film really shines. Of course, everyone loves to point out
that Kaa is voiced by Sterling Holloway, the same talent most famous for
voicing Winnie the Pooh ... which is a hilarious contrast. Actually, it gets a
little surreal with Mowgli being voiced by Bruce Reitherman, the same kid who
would voice Christopher Robin. Hearing those two distinct character voices in
these roles just amuses me to no end, especially if you dub their lines over
the Winnie the Pooh characters. Just to round up the similarities, Bagheera and
subsequently the film’s opening narrator is voiced by Sebastian Cabot, who
would also be the narrator of “The Many
Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if
the Disney studio kept their vocal talents stored in a closet.
Unfortunately, it’s around the third act
when the films formula gets tired, and I start losing interest. Every time Mowgli
wanders into the barren lands and meets those goofy vultures, I always find
myself getting bored. The location is dull, and those goofy birds are just very
dated products of the time, as their clearly modeled after a barbershop quartet, and
their singing just never did anything for me. Even the climactic showdown with Shere Khan is a
bit of a letdown, especially with all the exciting build-up to this
confrontation. It’s just a basic scuffle in this boring setting, and the
fighting is no different from the goofy antics during the monkey scene, except
less fun. Even Shere Khans defeat is kind of embarrassing. For as bad as the
animated sequel “The Jungle Book 2”
got, I could at least give that film credit for setting its climax in the ruins
of an ancient temple, which made for an exciting set piece. Another little
detail that always bugged me was that Bagheera wasn’t present during any of the
battle, and it would have been awesome to see these two mighty jungle cats go
at it. Now I do love when Bagheera arrives on scene and gives his little speech
in memory of their fallen friend Baloo, who’s sneakily still alive and
listening to every word. The payoff to this joke cracks me up every time, and
it’s easily the highlight of the whole finale.
I suppose the last thing I should talk
about are the songs, which in this film range from catchy and hum-able, to
boring and forgettable. None of the songs provided by either the elephants (“Dawn Patrol”)
or the vultures (“We’re You’re Friends”) ever stuck with me. Of
course, the most famous song “Bear Necessities” is what always comes to mind
when people mention “The Jungle Book”.
For me, Bear Necessities is every bit as annoying as it is delightfully
nostalgic, so if falls somewhere in the middle for me. Aw … who am I kidding, I
still love Bear Necessities, as it puts the spotlight on my favorite character,
and it’s an easy “feel good” song when your having a down day. My favorite song
surprisingly is “My Own Home”, which is sung at the very end by the little
village girl, who “invites” Mowgli into her tribe. It’s a beautiful, majestic
melody, with kind of a haunting tempo to boot, and I just love the duality of
it. It’s almost like a Siren song, luring Mowgli in, and truthfully, there’s
just something about that girls stair that I never trusted. All joking aside,
this is a terrific scene, and after the lackluster climax, this dose close the
film on a strong final note.
In the end, I still have humble feelings
for “The Jungle Book”, even though
it’s never ranked as high on the animated Disney totem pole for me. Speaking
personally, this film will always loom in the shadow of its live action 1994
remake, but this still works as its own charming experience. It still has its
fun moments, at least half of the songs have stuck with me, the villains are memorable, and Baloo still
ranks high as one of my absolute favorite Disney characters. I don’t know if
it’s aged as a big crowd-pleas-er, at least the same way it was back in it’s
day, but it still has its place in animation history, and I think it’s endured
better over the years then other animated offerings of its time. While this is
probably my least loved of Disney’s three jungle themed films, it’s still a
solid middle of the road picture. Not exactly one of the greatest, certainly
not one of the worst, but a comfortable middle ground experience.
Thanks for reading my review of Disney’s 1967 classic “The Jungle Book” ... and continue to enjoy whatever movies you Love!
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