The Jungle Book is, and will always be, one of my very favourite animated movies.  Based (loosely) on Rudyard Kipling's famous book of the same name, The Jungle Book features a young boy called Mowgli  (voiced by Bruce Rheitherman, the Director's son)- separated from his own kind, he finds himself raised by the animals.  In particular the panther Bagheera (Sebastian Cabot) tries to keep him on the right side of the tracks, and realises that it's inevitable for Mowgli to go back to the man village one day.  Not quite so sensible, but highly likeable, is Baloo the bear (Phil Harris), who has a more carefree outlook on life.  Both of them have reason to fear the tiger Shere Khan (George Sanders) however, who may put a rather lethal finish to Mowgli's journey to the village.  Along the way there are other dangers or distractions to tackle... sometimes not always helped by Baloo...

There are a whole host of memorable characters here - Baloo is one of the all-time most loveable rascals in animated history, Bagheera is surprisingly memorable for one so sensible, and Shere Khan is a menacing villain.  Among the other notable creatures in the jungle are the ape King Louie (Louis Prima), who wants to obtain information on how to make fire from the young human; Colonel Hathi (J. Pat O'Malley), an elephant who along with his regiment are on a mission to... something; Kaa (Sterlin Holloway), a serpent with mesmerising eyes; and four vultures, who can never quite decide what they want to do next.  The plot is pretty good and there's a lot of humour (much of it visual, but it works), and the action is well paced.    

The animation in The Jungle Book is very good, and the jungle backdrops beautifully painted.  The sound effects add atmosphere, and the voice acting is very good (I've read other reviews saying it should have been better, but I can't agree with them!).  George Sanders' deep, laid-back but menacing voicing of Shere Khan is just about perfect, and Sabastion Cabot strikes the right balance between natural caution, concern and frustration at Baloo's antics to be right for Bagheera's character.  The vultures and the elephants are funny, King Louie is hilarious, and Mowgli sounds about right.  However the voice acting gold medal again goes to Phil Harris - his wonderful voice coupled with a background in singing and comedy make him the ideal person to be Baloo. 

While the action, humour and characters alone would be enough to make this an enjoyable film, the ace in The Jungle Book's sleeve is the fact that it has some of the most infectious songs of any Disney movie - in fact any movie - ever made.  From "The Bare Necessities" to "I Wann Be Like You"  are unforgettable songs and extremely catchy, "We're Your Friends" sung by the vultures is very funny, and even "Trust In Me" sung by Kaa is fairly memorable.  The background music (George Bruns) is also good and considerably adds to the atmosphere of some of the more dramatic scenes. 

Despite the humorous nature of the characters and most of the happenings in The Jungle Book, it actually presents quite a touching portrayal of friendship and courage.  It's most definitely child-friendly, with perhaps one or two sequences that may scare very small children.  Overall it comes together as a nearly perfect package - great animation, great characters, great songs - and it has a certain charm that more modern animated movies are probably never going to quite match.  Really, what more could you want?

Quotes

Bagheera: You wouldn't marry a panther, would you?
Baloo: I don't know. Come to think of it, no panther ever asked me.

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Bagheera: Ah, it was inevitable, Baloo. The boy couldn't help himself. It was bound to happen. Mowgli is where he belongs now.
Baloo: Yeah. I guess you're right. But I still think he'd have made one swell bear.

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Bagheera: This will take brains, not brawn.
Baloo: You better believe it, and I'm loaded with both.

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Related Links

Disney also did a live-action version of The Jungle Book, which was also very enjoyable.  Click here for the review.

Also directed by Wolfgang Reitherman - The Aristocats, Robin Hood

This review was an entry to both the Good Movies 2 Write Off and the 80 Years of Mickey Mouse Write Off.


See also:

My Top Ten Animated Movies

Recommended: Yes