I purchased the 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition of the old Disney classic 'The Jungle Book' a few weeks back, and I wasn't very excited, as 'The Jungle Book' was never a firm favourite of mine when I was a youngling. It started with a lot of narration, and although I love Bagheera, he really wasn't very lovable if the introduction was anything to go by.
However, it soon becomes clear that this poor start is just Disney's way of telling the audience "this is a summary of how the arrogant git spent his life, now all the boring stuff's out of the way, let's move on." From the point where Mowgli rides on Bagheera's back to get to the man-village, the film becomes incredibly absorbing and blesses its audience with a variety of smile-pulling events.
The film's storyline is really great: man-cub is hunted by tiger who hates men, while the wolves and panther try to get him to safety (along with some help from some characters introduced later on in the film). The man-cub is reluctant to go the man-village because he has grown an overwhelming bond with the jungle over his years of living there, and claims he isn't afraid of Shere Khan (the aforementioned tiger).
However, the plot wouldn't be half as good if it weren't for its dedicated characters and beautiful soundtrack. Meeting Kaa the snake for the very first time and watching his illusive encounters with Mowgli and Bagheera was very entertaining indeed. Yet while the film is full of many amusing scenes like this, it only really warrants a four out of five. Well, that is until a few seconds after the defeat of Kaa, when we are introduced to the "dawn patrol" (basically a parade of war-inspired elephants). Colonel Hathi's dawn patrol is in very different theme to the parts of the film before it, and just before you're tired of the repetitive string of events, this exciting scene helps to keep the audience gripped to the screen.
This army-like squadron of tusked organisms involves the compiling of several unique and personality-filled elephants, and is even more interesting than the previous encounter with Kaa. Colonel Hathi can be very humourous, especially when he thinks Mowgli is an elephant and asks him what happened to his trunk, all the while poking at his nose. Hathi then goes on with the famous statement "an elephant never forgets", subsequently forgetting all about his son (this joke is continued throughout the film).
You may recall in the above paragraph I stated "even more interesting than the previous encounter with Kaa." For the most analytical of readers, you might be persuaded that both of these amusing scenes are nothing compared to what happens later; and you'd be right. When Baloo first walked on to the screen I literally grinned with enthusiasm, I wanted the temple section to last forever and I laughed at how brilliant and personality-present the vultures were. Put simply, this film has far too many legendary parts to mention, and even if it were possible, I'd hate to ruin what is essentially a proper classic to any newcomers.
There is something I simply have to commend, however. The characters are fantastic, the art direction is magnificent and the scenes could be conjured up by only the most genuine of genii, but what I am really satisfied about is the awesome soundtrack. From classics such as "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You" to silent killers like "Trust In Me" and even background accompaniments like the dawn patrol theme, you'd be hard-pushed to find a more amazing and gripping selection of tunes.
That's not to say that Disney's 'The Jungle Book' is perfect in every aspect. There are a few things I was most frustrated about, and they contribute to the shocking length of the film. The longevity was too short for its own good, and while the characters and scenes are charming and brilliant throughout the entire film, by the end of it all you'll be left dissatisfied. The pace went along quite swiftly so that you don't get bored, but there are simply not enough scenes to balance it out, and because of this lack in length, I began to despise myself when it came to the ending.
This could have easily been fixed with the presence of the long-lost Rocky the rhinoceros, but Disney failed to assume this character. He wasn't even included in the 40th Anniversary Edition (which, to be fair, has enough boni to be worth purchasing), which is disappointing to say the very least, as he could have potentially been a lovable and hilarious 'villain.'
In all, 'The Jungle Book' is a brilliant film which is worth purchasing, and should definitely be seen at least once, although chances are you'll watch it over and over again with extreme enthusiasm. Suitable vouce-acting and upper-class language skills compliment the sweet visuals and audio, and there is plenty of character and an equal quantity of amazing scenes. You'd be doing yourself a favour to watch this.
Five Out of Five.
However, it soon becomes clear that this poor start is just Disney's way of telling the audience "this is a summary of how the arrogant git spent his life, now all the boring stuff's out of the way, let's move on." From the point where Mowgli rides on Bagheera's back to get to the man-village, the film becomes incredibly absorbing and blesses its audience with a variety of smile-pulling events.
The film's storyline is really great: man-cub is hunted by tiger who hates men, while the wolves and panther try to get him to safety (along with some help from some characters introduced later on in the film). The man-cub is reluctant to go the man-village because he has grown an overwhelming bond with the jungle over his years of living there, and claims he isn't afraid of Shere Khan (the aforementioned tiger).
However, the plot wouldn't be half as good if it weren't for its dedicated characters and beautiful soundtrack. Meeting Kaa the snake for the very first time and watching his illusive encounters with Mowgli and Bagheera was very entertaining indeed. Yet while the film is full of many amusing scenes like this, it only really warrants a four out of five. Well, that is until a few seconds after the defeat of Kaa, when we are introduced to the "dawn patrol" (basically a parade of war-inspired elephants). Colonel Hathi's dawn patrol is in very different theme to the parts of the film before it, and just before you're tired of the repetitive string of events, this exciting scene helps to keep the audience gripped to the screen.
This army-like squadron of tusked organisms involves the compiling of several unique and personality-filled elephants, and is even more interesting than the previous encounter with Kaa. Colonel Hathi can be very humourous, especially when he thinks Mowgli is an elephant and asks him what happened to his trunk, all the while poking at his nose. Hathi then goes on with the famous statement "an elephant never forgets", subsequently forgetting all about his son (this joke is continued throughout the film).
You may recall in the above paragraph I stated "even more interesting than the previous encounter with Kaa." For the most analytical of readers, you might be persuaded that both of these amusing scenes are nothing compared to what happens later; and you'd be right. When Baloo first walked on to the screen I literally grinned with enthusiasm, I wanted the temple section to last forever and I laughed at how brilliant and personality-present the vultures were. Put simply, this film has far too many legendary parts to mention, and even if it were possible, I'd hate to ruin what is essentially a proper classic to any newcomers.
There is something I simply have to commend, however. The characters are fantastic, the art direction is magnificent and the scenes could be conjured up by only the most genuine of genii, but what I am really satisfied about is the awesome soundtrack. From classics such as "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You" to silent killers like "Trust In Me" and even background accompaniments like the dawn patrol theme, you'd be hard-pushed to find a more amazing and gripping selection of tunes.
That's not to say that Disney's 'The Jungle Book' is perfect in every aspect. There are a few things I was most frustrated about, and they contribute to the shocking length of the film. The longevity was too short for its own good, and while the characters and scenes are charming and brilliant throughout the entire film, by the end of it all you'll be left dissatisfied. The pace went along quite swiftly so that you don't get bored, but there are simply not enough scenes to balance it out, and because of this lack in length, I began to despise myself when it came to the ending.
This could have easily been fixed with the presence of the long-lost Rocky the rhinoceros, but Disney failed to assume this character. He wasn't even included in the 40th Anniversary Edition (which, to be fair, has enough boni to be worth purchasing), which is disappointing to say the very least, as he could have potentially been a lovable and hilarious 'villain.'
In all, 'The Jungle Book' is a brilliant film which is worth purchasing, and should definitely be seen at least once, although chances are you'll watch it over and over again with extreme enthusiasm. Suitable vouce-acting and upper-class language skills compliment the sweet visuals and audio, and there is plenty of character and an equal quantity of amazing scenes. You'd be doing yourself a favour to watch this.
Five Out of Five.
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