Le Livre de la jungle

From the very first minute that Walt Disney conceived of "The Jungle Book" he promised for the sakes of general audiences that he'd absolutely Pile Rudyard Kipling's classic book with energetic, toe-tapping, show-stopping music and unforgettable crazy songs though many people around him had doubts for the original novel was apparently quite serious. Throughout his entire career he had proved so many critics and members of his crew wrong, that he Could enhance the familiar yet ageing qualities of the original tellings of many of the world's most beloved classic books by putting his own magical, musical, charming, ambitious nature into them and would then transfer his versions onto film. Not once had he failed to prove the world and the world's opinions wrong in all his life and "The Jungle Book" was no exception. It's got to be his own happiest, most carefree, most musical adventure movie to date! I haven't read the book yet because I don't even have it though I do have a shortened Ladybird book of it but I haven't read that so I can't judge any inaccuracies or changes to the story but I'm positive there are some alterations - all for the best, of course. I must say that Mowgli is quite rebellious here and impudent. He's always running away when things don't go his way, I've noticed he hits and threatens a lot of his friends and yet they still like him! Baloo is - as everyone sees him - so lovable and kind. For the first time in a Disney film, Sterling Holloway provides the voice for a villain - the murderous Kaa the python snake. For a happy-go-lucky cartoon, I think it's unpleasant how a bonkers snake could randomly get a little boy into his deadly coyles (at night at one point), hypnotize him and prepare to eat him! But at least Mowgli gets the last laugh by causing the python to have a knotted tail and shifting him off his tree. My favourite dance number has got to be with King Louis of the Apes in the ancient ruins ("I Wanna Be Like You") and how all the crazy dancing sends the ruins tumbling. My second favourite is "Bare Necessities". In my opinion, the part where the mildly poor comedy comes in most of all is with Colonol Haithi and his elephants and his whiny wife; poor Verna Felton had Winifred the elephant as her final role on film. Colonol Haithi is supposed to be a no-nonsense, snooty leader but my eyes (and ears come to think of it) tell me that he is just a totally absurd loud-mouth. If there is any character in this film who won't stand for any nonsense it's Bagheera! I know that all he really wants is for Mowgli to be safe and therefore return to the man-village but he was certainly a miserable old busybody after the King Louis scene. He had the cheek to break up that special bond between Mowgli and Baloo that so many people have grown to love! Charming! Recently, I bought the twin DVD release of the Platinum Edition of "The Jungle Book" from Woolworths and it was just amazing! Better than most Disney DVDs today (even though they're not bad themselves)

There aren't many animated Disney films I don't like, basically every single one of them until the end of the seventies was amazing. But for me, this is the one which stands out.

Sadly, Disney himself never got to see the finished film (he died during the production), but this is one he would have been proud of. Crafted beautifully and with attention to every little detail, from the way the different animal species move to the colorful jungle backgrounds.

Wolfgang Reitherman has directed some of the studio's best - but here he has created his masterpiece. Outstanding animation, fantastic characters - and what a killer soundtrack.

A joy for every generation to discover anew (my 9-year old nephew currently has a bit of a Shere Khan fixation), I guess I will never outgrow this timeless classic. 10 out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

The Jungle Book is a great classic animation movie. It is famously known for being the last film that Walt Disney himself ever got to work on. He died while the film was in production, and sadly never got to see the outcome of the movie. The animation in this film is excellent, and the songs and performances are even better! Each character has something about him or her that makes you like them. The movie seems to be very cheery and happy. I remember watching this movie as a little kid, and I absolutely loved it! I give The Jungle Book a 10/10.

In case you're wondering, I'm 25 and my favourite films of all time include Heat, Once Upon a Time in the West and Apocalypse Now. This is just a pointer to how, considering the film I'm writing about, eclectic a true film fan's taste has to be. I'll start with one statement: this film should be compulsory viewing for every child. If, at the end of this film, you're face is not permanently disfigured from smiling, there's something wrong with you. Everything about this film is enjoyable. The characters so loving, the songs so memorable; everything is so uplifting. I first saw this as a child and right then I loved it, but not until you reach a certain age do you realise how much a film can affect you. Every character has something about them that you cannot fail to love. Baloo and King Louie are obvious - they are there for light relief, but even the sinister Kaa the snake and Sheer Khan the tiger are lovable in their own ways. Mainly I put this down to the voice cast and the way they portray their characters. Everybody with a good knowledge of film knows that Tom Hanks was the voice of Woody in Toy Story and that Mike Myers was Shrek, but who knows who provided the voice of Baloo? It shouldn't matter and, as is the case with The Jungle Book, it doesn't. The characters are what is important. Character and plot are the only things that matter in great films and this film has that theory at its bedrock. If you have a child, sit them down to watch this and I guarantee they will be transfixed. I'm 25 and I make sure I watch this every 12 months. Age wise I'm an adult, but I'm still a child when I see this on screen, and that's the way it should be.

It may interest readers of these reviews that the voice actor who played King Louie is not in fact black.

If you follow this helpful link right here at imdb ( http://us.imdb.com/Name?Prima,%20Louis ), you'd find that Louis Prima is in fact white, and was quite well known at the time for his musical repertoire, of which the song "I Wanna Be Like You" is a prime example. I don't think he was chosen for that role because of how 'black' he sounded, but rather for his musical abilities, and how that fit into the character of King Louie.

As with all the other voice actors chosen for this film, Walt Disney made perfect choices.... so much so that the film works perfectly: animation, voices and story all mesh together perfectly to make one of his best films, precisely because it *is* so simple, yet effective.

No need for fancy computer graphics here.