The Jungle Book (1967)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Wolfgang Reitherman

Writers:

Larry Clemmons (story) &
Ralph Wright (story) ...

Release Date:

18 October 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Musical

Tagline:

The Jungle is JUMPIN'!

Plot:

Inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s "Mowgli" story, The Jungle Book follows the ups and downs of the man-cub Mowgli as he makes his way back to the human village with wise panther Bagheera to escape ruthless tiger Shere Khan. Along the way, he meets unforgettable friends and foes including mad King Louie of the Apes, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the loveable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches Mowgli “The Bare Necessities” of life and the true meaning of friendship.

Plot Keywords:

Jungle | Boy | Tiger | Bear | Panther

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Phil Harris	...	Baloo (voice)
Sebastian Cabot	...	Bagheera (voice)
Bruce Reitherman	...	Mowgli (voice)
George Sanders	...	Shere Khan (voice)
Sterling Holloway	...	Kaa (voice)
Louis Prima	...	King Louie (voice)
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Col. Hathi / Buzzie (voice)
Verna Felton	...	Winifred (voice)
Clint Howard	...	Junior (voice)
Chad Stuart	...	Flaps (voice)
Lord Tim Hudson	...	Dizzy (voice)
John Abbott	...	Akela (voice)
Darleen Carr	...	The Girl (voice)
Ben Wright	...	Rama (voice)

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:o.Al. | Portugal:M/4 | South Korea:All | Finland:K-8 (1968) | Finland:S (1977) | Norway:5 | New Zealand:G | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | Chile:TE | France:U | Peru:PT | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G (1978) | Brazil:Livre

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

'Shere' as in Shere Khan means Tiger in Persian.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: During the "The Bare Necessities" song, Baloo is shown picking the fruit off Prickly Pear cacti - a type of plant that only grows in North America and nowhere near India.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bagheera: Many strange legends are told of these jungles of India, but none so strange as the story of a small boy named Mowgli. It all began when the silence of the jungle was broken by an unfamiliar sound.
[Sound of baby crying]
Bagheera: It was a sound like one never heard before in this part of the jungle. It was a man cub! Had I known how deeply I was to be involved, I would've obeyed my first impulse and walked away.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Just a Minute: (#2.2)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Colonel Hathi's March (The Elephant Song)

The Simple Bear Necessities

The Jungle Book, one of Disney's ultimate classics, it has great characters, an awesome story and terrific animation. I'll admit it, I adore Disney movies, I could never choose just one Disney movie as my favorite, I love them all for so many different reasons. The Jungle Book is one of my fav's though, after buying the new release on DVD, I realized that I love this movie now more than ever. The reason that I think this movie is so wonderful is because of the characters, they just brought so much life to the story and really made this into a wonderful Disney classic.

Mowgli is found in a basket as a baby in the deep jungles. Bagheera, the panther who discovers the boy, promptly takes him to a wolf who has just had cubs. She raises him along with her own cubs and Mowgli soon becomes well acquainted to jungle life. Mowgli is shown ten years later, visiting the wolves and getting his face licked eagerly when he arrives. That night, when the wolf tribe learns that Shere Khan, a man-eating tiger, has returned to the jungle, they realize that Mowgli must be taken to the man village, to protect him and those around him. Bagheera volunteers to escort him back. They leave that very night, but Mowgli is determined to stay in the jungle and loses Bagheera. Kaa, the hungry python, hypnotizes Mowgli into a deep and peaceful sleep, traps him tightly in his coils, and tries to devour him, but comically fails. The next morning, Mowgli tries to join the elephant patrol. Bagheera finds Mowgli and they argue; Mowgli runs away from Bagheera. The boy soon meets up with the fun-loving bear Baloo, who shows Mowgli the fun of having a care-free life and promises not to take him to the man village. Mowgli now wants to stay in the jungle more than ever. Shere Khan is after Mawgli though and won't rest 'till he kills him.

Seriously, these are some of the most memorable characters in Disney history, we have Baloo, the care free party bear that just wants to have fun and only needs the "bear" necessities of life. Begheera, a panther, that we've all known this kind of person, the one that just wants to get down to business and get as much done as quickly as possible, the party pooper, but deep down still has that heart. And one of Disney's most memorable villains of all time, Shere Khan, voiced by George Sanders, classy, sassy, menacing and vicious, I wouldn't be surprised if he was Scar's inspiration(the lion villain in The Lion King). If you haven't seen The Jungle Book, just buy it, believe me, it's worth the money. It's a classic fun animated film that I will love forever, still to this day I will always sing along to Bear Necessities, it's a good time.

10/10