Reeling from the failure of The Sword in the Stone, Disney badly needed another animation extravaganza. They got it in the form of The Jungle Book, another underrated gem. Ditching the stylized look and dramatic depth of 101 Dalmatians, they made something with a little more curves, a little more color, and a lot more of the funny stuff. The result was just as effective and entertaining as the predecessor.

The Jungle Book tells the tale of a young kid named Mowgli, who was abandoned by his parents and raised by wolves. But he's not alone in the jungle. He has friends. Besides his wolf family, Mowgli has the lazy and fun-loving bear named Baloo and the proper and uptight panther named Bagheera, whom Baloo affectionately calls "Baggy". Mowgli is quite happy with his jungle friends, but he also has enemies. The big boss of the entire jungle is the fearsome tiger Shere Khan. He knows what humans are like and hates all of them, even a kid such as Mowgli. He wants to see Mowlgi killed. Then there's Kaa, a rather large and goofy snake who wants to get to Mowgli before Shere Khan does. Finally there's King Louie, who's just plain crazy, and his group of monkeys really don't make life easy for Mowlgi, Bagheera or Baloo.

Being neither sugary nor overblown and self-important, The Jungle Book is a great film for kids and adults alike. The characters are lovable and well characterized, owing much to the stellar voice cast. This is especially true of the villain, Shere Khan, who is probably one of the best villains of Disney history. Of course who could forget the fact that Louis Prima voices King Louie? There is much in this movie for kids to like, such as great songs that are actually fun and actually fit. Songs like "Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You". There are also a lot of great scenes for the kids. With Walt Disney at the helm and Phil Harris voicing one of Disney's finest characters, it doesn't take long for this movie to become nonstop crackerjack fun. A fine example involves the scene after "I Wanna Be Like You" where Baloo bursts into the monkey camp and starts singing silly gibberish, or what is more properly known as scat. What follows is nothing short of pure dynamite. Which suits me fine because I can't stand slow movies.

The ending wraps up this movie nicely, changing into a small but good piece of drama as Shere Khan finally tracks down Mowgli. The closing is also nifty and slightly different as Mowgli is forced to choose between his jungle friends and safety in human civilization.

If there's a problem with The Jungle Book, it may be that it feels too "oldie" today. The 90s were notorious for making films with hyper-realistic animation and stories that were too big for their britches and a tendency to cause adults to look for hidden meanings in everything. Worst case scenario resulted in Dinosaur, easily one of the most despicable Disney movies ever. Good thing The Emperor's New Groove saved my sanity, but that's another story. Couple this with the fact that The Jungle Book doesn't appear to have a deep, strong story, and does this movie still hold up as being great? I like to think that it does. Strip this movie to its core, and it's still all about having fun. The animation may not look like something special now, but it was great back then. Yet even today, the animation is vibrant and good, if not exceptional. All that flash and dazzle is nothing but wasted bucks anyway(only kidding). A few critics may have complained that this movie was too vaudeville and had no plot, but most critically acclaimed this movie, making The Jungle Book one of the highest grossing movies of its day. It deserves that praise. It still ranks as one of the best classics of the middle era.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8