Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a human boy raised by wolves in the jungles of India, lives peacefully under the protection of the panther Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley) and the wolf pack led by Akela (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito). When the feared tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba) returns and threatens to kill him, Mowgli is forced to leave the jungle for the safety of the man-village.
Guided by Bagheera, Mowgli begins his journey but is soon separated and must survive on his own. Along the way, he encounters the hypnotic python Kaa (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and befriends Baloo (Bill Murray), carefree bear who teaches him to enjoy life. However, danger follows when monkeys capture Mowgli and bring him to King Louie (Christopher Walken), who seeks the secret of fire—the “Red Flower.”
After escaping, Mowgli learns that Shere Khan has killed Akela, prompting him to confront the tiger himself. He retrieves fire from the man-village but realizes it only brings destruction when it ignites the jungle. Rejecting it, Mowgli uses his intelligence and resourcefulness to outwit Shere Khan during a final battle, leading to the tiger’s death. With peace restored, Mowgli chooses to remain in the jungle, finally embracing both his human identity and his place among the animals.
The soundtrack for The Jungle Book was released on April 15, 2016, and features the film’s musical score as well as a few of the tracks from the original 1967 film’s soundtrack. Those tracks include “The Bare Necessities” written by Terry Gilkyson and performed by Bill Murray and Neil Sethi in the movie with a cover version performed by Dr. John in the end credits, “Trust in Me” written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and performed by Scarlett Johansson during the end credits, and “I Wanna Be Like You” written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and performed by Christopher Walken.
At the 89th Academy Awards on February 26, 2017, The Jungle Book won the Oscar for Visual Effects - Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, and Dan Lemmon.
First released on home video (DVD and Blu-ray) on August 30, 2016. Rereleased on Blu-ray on November 15, 2016, in 3D. Rereleased on Blu-ray on January 14, 2020, in a 4K HD version. The Jungle Book is available on Disney+.
CAST & CREW
- Director: Jon Favreau
- Producer(s): Jon Favreau, P.G.A., Brigham Taylor, P.G.A.
- Executive Producer(s): Peter Tobyansen, Molly Allen, Karen Gilchrist
- Screenplay: Justin Marks
- Director of Photography: Bill Pope, ASC
- Production Designer: Christopher Glass
- Costume Designer: Laura Jean Shannon
- Editor: Mark Livolsi, ACE
- Visual Effects Supervisor: Robert Legato, ASC, Adam Valdez
- Visual Effects Producer: Joyce Cox
- Animation Supervisor: Andrew R. Jones
- Music: John Debney
- Casting: Sarah Halley Finn, CSA
- Cast / Voice Cast: Neil Sethi (as Mowgli), Bill Murray (voice of Baloo), Ben Kingsley (voice of Bagheera), Idris Elba (voice of Shere Khan), Lupita Nyong’O (voice of Raksha), Scarlett Johansson (voice of Kaa), Giancarlo Esposito (voice of Akela), Christopher Walken (voice of King Louie), Garry Shandling (voice of Ikki), Brighton Rose (voice of Grey), Emjay Anthony (voice of Young Wolf), Max Favreau (voice of Young Wolf), Chloe Hechter (voice of Young Wolf), Asher Blinkoff (voice of Young Wolf), Knox Gagnon (voice of Young Wolf), Sasha Schreiber (voice of Young Wolf), Kai Schreiber (voice of Young Wolf), Jon Favreau (voice of Pygmy Hog), Sam Raimi (voice of Giant Squirrel), Russell Peters (voice of Rocky the Rhino), Madeleine Favreau (voice of Raquel the Rhino), Ritesh Rajan (as Infant Mowgli’s Father), Kendrick Reyes (as Infant Mowgli), Sara Arrington (voice of Neegai Deer)
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- MPAA Rating: PG
- Runtime: 108 minutes
- Sound: Dataset, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, Aura 11.1, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS)
- Format: Color
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Genre(s): Action and Adventure, Family, Live-Action (from movies.disney.com)
BOX OFFICE (from IMDb.com)
- Budget: $175,000,000 (estimated)
- Opening Weekend (U.S. & Canada): $103,261,464
- Gross (U.S. & Canada): $364,001,123
- Gross (Worldwide): $967,724,775
RATINGS
- My Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Tomatometer) | 86% (Popcornmeter)
- Metacritic: 77 (Metascore) | 7.4 (User Score)
- IMDb: 7.3 (out of 10)
- The Movie DB: 69% (User Score)
- Letterboxd: 3.2 (out of 5)
- Combined Rating: 75.88
MY THOUGHTS
Disney’s The Jungle Book is a visually stunning and thoughtfully reimagined adventure that blends realism and heart to breathe new life into a Disney Classic. Disney’s live-action reimagining of The Jungle Book definitely has a darker tone than the 1967 animated feature film. It is definitely not a musical; even the three songs that are in it, “The Bare Necessities,” “Trust in Me,” and “I Wanna Be Like You,” are more woven into the story than they are musical numbers performed by the cast. It does honor the original while adding a few new elements to stay fresh. Unlike some later attempts at reimagining some animated classics, The Jungle Book’s computer-generated visuals are pretty good in this one.
Have you seen The Jungle Book? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Great care has been taken to be as accurate as possible when it comes to details in each of the entries I post. As with anything, mistakes can happen, dates can be wrong, information not readily available, etc. If you see a mistake, information that is incorrect or inaccurate, or missing information, please contact me at disneymovieandfilmencyclopedia@gmail.com so I can make corrections.
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