Growing up in the 90’s and being fed Disney movies like Midwest TV dinners we of course saw The Jungle Book. With its silly charm and fun music it fit in perfectly to the Disney lexicon. But we didn’t often return to the jungle with Mowgli and Baloo and I’m not sure why. It’s not that the original animated film didn’t have the charm or good-natured intentions of its counterparts but maybe it lacked the verve of The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. Well fear not, because Jon Favreau’s stunning remake is here and it’s his masterpiece.
The story is simple: Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is a man-cub raised by wolves in the Indian jungle. He recites the pack code every morning and spends his days with Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) – a wise and massive black leopard – and his pack learning how to run, jump and hunt like a wolf. Not a bad life for a 10 year old with the dexterity of an Olympic decathlete. He’s looked after by his mother Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) and her four wolf-cubs. One dry season that the narrator recalls as the worst in recent memory a perfectly formed arc in the rocks, where the river stalls at a drinking hole, is exposed. This “peace rock” brings all the animals together in a “water truce” because in the jungle – drinking comes before eating.
Here we get our first true look at Favreau’s jungle palette. It’s a stunning mix of CGI and practical effects that I can’t recall seeing on screen since first experiencing Avatar. The world is so fully realized that I would recommend that audiences see it multiple times. There’s not just lions, tigers and bears (although they are well represented) but every species seemingly in the animal kingdom – many with their own distinct personality.
One whose personality is less than kind is Shere Khan (Idris Elba) – a Bengal tiger who does not take kindly to the existence of a man-cub in the wild. As he stalks from side to side at peace rock, intimidating his jungle mates, he makes things abundantly clear – when the rains return give the boy over to him and peace will remain in order. If not – the wolves and their pack leader Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) are going to have a problem with the one-eyed beast.
Not wanting to upset the natural order or get anyone hurt Mowgli lets the pack know that he will leave and retreats with Bagheera into the jungle en route to the man village. This journey is not an easy one though as Mowgli is often separated from his leopard driend while meeting some of the jungle’s more interesting residents. Kaa (Scarlett Johansson) makes an appearance as a python with a penchant for exposition. King Louie – in a hysterical mobster turn by Christopher Walken – the monster orangutan and leader of the monkey kingdom propositions Mowgli with a less than ideal way of life. And of course Baloo (Bill Murray) arrives just in the nick of time to provide the levity and laid-back stoner charm we’d all hope a bear would have if we ran into them in the wild.
Favreau paces all of this action in such a way that each character gets their time to shine while peppering in fun set pieces and wonderful humor. It’s this naturalistic approach that gives The Jungle Book its charm and keeps it from feeling like an over-stuffed comic book adaptation (I’m looking at you Dawn of Justice.) Rarely to so many characters – and their splendid voice-actors – get just the right amount of screen time to make their appearance memorable while simultaneously not cheapening the core themes.
Favreau’s ease of direction combined with a wonderful script by Justin Marks (adapting from Rudyard Kipling) fully brings The Jungle Book to life. This is easily the best of Disney’s real-world adaptations and it may be hard to top. From the opening chase scene to the fantastic closing credits, the movie whisks you away to another world that I wasn’t ready to leave. As King Louie tells Mowgli in song form, “I wanna be like you, walk like you, talk like you, too.” I can sympathize with that after watching The Jungle Book – Mowgli may only need the bear-necessities but that kid has an immensely enviable life.
Rating: 
