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The Jungle Book,
based on Rudyard Kipling's classic novel, was the final animated film
Walt Disney had a hand in before losing his battle with cancer just
before the films release - and it's quite possibly the best swan song
an animator could have. Following jungle boy Mowgli on his way back to
'The Man-Village', this classic tale showcases some of the best
character animation in the history of the art form. From Bagheera the
wise panther to the jazzy King Louie, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the
lovable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo (who teaches Mowgli "The Bare
Necessities" of life and the true meaning of friendship).
What
makes this such a delight – moreso than any of the other Disney
Classics – is the number of quality songs on offer. The just don’t
write melodies (Robert and Richard Sherman, who also wrote the songs
for Mary Poppins, did a superb job penning the tracks) the way they used to. Try as they might, I just don’t see the High School Musical tunes living on until the year 2047 – while TJB features timeless hits like Bear Neccesities and I Wanna Be Like You which just adds to the wholesome nostalgic warmth that oozes from the screen.
The
animation style is uniformly Disney - and the similarity of characters
from the Disney universe are no more prevalent than during TJB, with most of the animals likely to fondly remind you of the likes of Robin Hood and The Lion King (both of which used TJB
as reference points). The casting, too, is superb - with Walt Disney
opting to hire the likes of Phil Harris and Louis Prima in a time where
'celebrity voice casting' was unheard of.
The transfer onto
DVD is top notch also. The picture quality is so clear, and the colours
are just so vibrant. There is a lack of rustic quality in today's sleek
and clean modern animated films – it’s the improvised charms of this
Golden Era of Walt Disney’s reign of the animated film that makes films
like TJB so unique.
I must admit, I had a grin from ear to ear through the entire running time of The Jungle Book.
Balooo is quite simply one of the most enjoyable cartoon characters
ever recorded on film – and you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that
disagrees.
A classic – a deservedly so.
EXTRAS
I've yet to encounter a Disney DVD that fails to impress when it comes
to Extras. There is just so much packed into every inch of free space
(even the menus themselves are very cool) – and all of it worthwhile
stuff (there isn’t one extra that’s not watchable).
Deleted
scenes, are generally, one of the biggest wastes of time on DVD – but
even the deleted sequence on offer on the first disc is a fascinating
look at the creative process of animated films. It takes a look back at the missing
character “Rocky the Rhino” and discusses the various stages of
development of the scene and why it never ended up hitting the big
screen. If only every Deleted Scene was so thoroughly researched!!
Theres
a whole bunch of deleted songs on offer as well, which is rather cool,
including the original demo version of The Bare Necessities (yep,
with record scratches in toe for that extra bit of authenticity).
In
the times of Eco-Conservation, there is a featurette which dissects the
history that Disney has with Animals and preserving wildlife – again,
made with such thoroughness and a kid-centric attitude that it’s just a joy to watch.
The
second disc too is packed with more featurettes than you can poke a
stick at. And unlike most of the usual fluff that accompanies film
featurettes – each one included here is really enjoyable and slightly
left of centre. One of the coolest is the featurette which catches up with the
(now grown up) actor that played the voice of Mogli – who now is a film
maker himself.
Theres a bunch of games on offer as well which will keep
young and old occupied for at least a couple of hours – which is just
phenomenal when you think about it compared to other DVDs.
And
of course what Disney DVD would be complete without a feature where you
can sing along to all of The Jungle Books' songs with lyrics on the screen – just great
for the kids! Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 90%
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