There will be two Jungle Book movies coming out in the next couple of years and both of them will be live action treatments based on the Rudyard Kipling’s beloved novel. Disney is first to the gate with The Jungle Book, directed by Jon Favreau and boasting the voice talents of Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Christopher Walken and Scarlett Johansson.
The Story With the main source of material taken from the Kipling book, the movie kicks off immediately with Mowgli, the human man cub, living as part of the wolf pack led by Akeela. With the Panther, Bagheera as his guardian Mowgli lives and breathes by the code of the jungle, until the feared Tiger named Sheere Khan discovers his existence. Threatened by the new enemy, Mowgli has to flee his pack to journey to the only people who can save him – the humans who reside in the human village. But with Sheere Khan Hell bent on capturing the boy, Mowgli is thrust into an adventure like no other, encountering various creatures along the way.
What Worked The Jungle Book adventure orchestrated by Disney and Favreau is a visual masterpiece, blending live-action visuals and characters with Mowgli (Neel Sethi) the only actor in this visual spectacle. The story also sticks true to the Kipling book, and it’s not afraid to tackle more mature oriented topics that the classic animated feature did not have.
What Didn’t It’s heavily-laden with CGI, but that somehow takes away some elements of the storyline. Sethi does a fine job of gelling with his computer generated co-stars but certain it almost seems too much to ask of the young actor in certain scenes.
Plus Points Arguably some of the best visual effects scenes ever made for film. Exceptional voice talents that bring life to the characters and Favreau’s take on towing the line of the Kipling classic albeit with some welcome dark turns ever so often.
Minus Points The film tends to lend heavily on its strongest selling point which is its visuals, which takes away some of the shine from the storyline.
Conclusion The Jungle Book is destined to be a Disney classic that will enthral audiences of all ages for a long time to come. Visually, it ranks up there with the best and it may well be a shoe-in for an Academy Award nomination next year. But it’s also a family-friendly film that has heart, which will undoubtedly make it one of Disney’s big box-office hits of 2016.