The Jungle Book




Man that's what I call a swinging party.

Mowgli (Bruce Reitherman) is a human boy raised among wolves in the jungle. He is quite happy there, but when danger threatens the boy he must be returned to a man village. Helping him along is Bagheera (Sebastian Cabot) the panther and Baloo (Phil Harris) the bear. They find, however, it is rather difficult to get the stubborn boy to go with them.

There are several striking things that keep The Jungle Book from being a Disney great. It lacks the heart and depth of the better works. There is a slightly muddled message about wanting to be someone else and finding where you belong. But this is usually pushed aside in favor of the next song. The cartoon also moves too fast for its own good. It is a quick trip around the jungle, meeting all of its denizens. Within minutes Mowgli makes friends by simply singing a song with them. That's not to say other movies never do that, but it is handled a little too clumsily, along with the rest of the movie.

Cold hearted nitpicks aside, it is a fairly entertaining yarn all the same. Although lacking in magical elements or settings, the jungle is filled with many unforgettable characters. This isn't really about Mowgli at all, but the animals he meets. Who can fail to recall who Baloo or Shere Khan (George Sanders) is? They are the ones that really make this movie what it is, and are voiced quite wonderfully. There also are musical parodies of Louis Prima and the Beetles (you can tell when this movie was made).

Certainly not among the best of Disney fables, The Jungle Book remains a decent family film with some memorable songs like "The Bare Necessities."



-The Gnome