The Jungle Book (2016) - Liked It

Disney's newest live action movie is The Jungle Book and it's pretty similar to the cartoon version. Which isn't a bad thing actually. The Jungle Book, which I'm sure mostly everyone has heard of, is about a young boy named Mowgli (played by Neel Sethi) that is raised by wolves in the jungle and eventually learns how to be a man. The basis of the story is Shere Kahn, the evil tiger and "leader" of the jungle wants to kill Mowgli because he is a man. With this threat, Mowgli sends himself away to protect his wolf pack family and try to survive. 

Now, this movie has many differences between itself and the original cartoon version that Disney made. Some of which I'm sure couldn't be included in what is supposed to be a children's movie. This live action has kind of a lot of violence. I was worried about many of the animals the entire time - you know me I love animals (except for Shere Kahn, he is clearly evil). One thing I was not expecting in this movie is for the animals to actually speak. I know, I know, this is The Jungle Book, isn't that the point? Well, with this being a live action, I just didn't expect it at all. But I'm glad that they still did. Another thing I wasn't expecting was the singing... has there been singing in any of the other live action films? Not the ones I've seen so far. But again, I'm glad that this was still in there. I enjoyed singing along to The Bare Necessities.

Speaking of The Bare Necessities, I loved Baloo in this movie. I thought that Bill Murray was fantastic in this role. He made me laugh, just as in the cartoon. After first meeting Mowgli, Baloo starts to inadvertently help him hone his human side and his intelligence. All Mowgli's life, his wolf family has taught him the ways of the wolf and taught him to no be human.

In the scene where Mowgli is cleverly cutting down the beehives, the viewers can see how his is transforming into himself. And this is the best background story that this film offers. 

Though there are many similarities, there are also some differences in the film from the original. First, there is no "love interest" for Mowgli to enter into the man village. Therefore in the end SPOILER ALERT he doesn't go to the man village. Second, the other animals had a much bigger part in this film. Mowgli's wolf family is an important part in the story-line as opposed to just being seen in the beginning. Last, the elephants are apparently really mean in the jungle and if a character comes into contact with them, they are supposed to bow to show their respect. 

Love this picture.

Lastly, I want to talk about the three things I liked most about this movie. First, I liked how King Louis was HUGE and terrifying. Totally was not expecting that, but it was an enjoyable scene to watch as he tried to get Mowgli to bring him the red flower. Second, I liked how they incorporated the red flower. I know that this was a major part of the cartoon version, but in the end after Mowgli gets it and runs through the jungle, it's just another step towards his change 

into the man he is supposed to become. Third, I loved how Mowgli saved the baby elephant. The baby elephant is one of my favorites from the cartoon, and the way that this live action incorporated him into the movie was powerful. Lastly, I liked how they incorporated a "jungle law" where there is a truce between all the species. This in the beginning, allowed for the story to unfold and then come back together in the end. 

Sorry for such a long post, I really enjoyed watching this movie and all the aspects that came along with it. I was pleasantly surprised as to how close they followed the cartoon original. I would be eager to find out how close these two flicks are to Rudyard Kipling's book. I bet it is terrific. Overall, I'm going to give this movie a "Liked It" rating and recommend it for viewing. 
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