Disney’s The Jungle Book Movie Review!

Frugal mom “lets the cat out of the bag and admits After seeing this film, if you would have told me Disney’s The Jungle Book was a digitally created environment, I probably would not have believed you”.

Now as a reference, as soon as I found out about this live action version, I was interested to see how this would be handled based on the original classic. Would it have singing, the same characters? I was curious to see how different it would be, if at all.

After seeing this action filled film, with a excellent story and amazing backdrop, I can tell you that it was truly created to make the viewer feel like they are a part of Mowgli’s story.

As you can already tell, I liked the movie and as I watched I was entertained and was able to embrace this new portrayal of the characters and story line.

I am still thinking of the film’s environment, like the movements of the trees, insects in the air, and the expressions of the animals.

Even details like Mowgli’s long hair, dirt and scratches, and the reflection of fire (The Red Flower) in the man cub’s eyes really make it realistic. The viewer can believe that he was a boy out in the wild.

Photo Source IFAW.org

There is even environmental awareness addressed in this film, by the caution given to fire as well as bringing attention to an endangered species in the film called the Pangolin. Be sure to look for it’s portrayal and fun interaction with Baloo.

For more information about this animal read my post called, What Does A Pangolin Look Like? Meet This Endangered Species and Read Its Story!

I must stress that the performances of the cast in this movie are wonderful and their reactions are choreographed perfectly. You could definitely hear the dominance of Akela (Giancarlo Esposito), the pain in Raksha’s voice (Lupita Nyong’o), the concern of Bagheera (Sir Ben Kingsley), and the anger of Shere Khan (Idris Elba).

As for Neel Sethi as Mowgli, this young actor nailed his performance. It is hard to believe that all of this was new to him, he is quite the professional.

Baloo (Bill Murray) was true to his funny self with plenty of one liners, and King Louie (Christopher Walken) was just as eager and relentless about getting the Red Flower. All the actors did a great job of conveying their roles and animal personas.

As I watched, I laughed, I sang, I cheered, and was on the edge of my seat.

Through the talented artists that developed the back drop, the emotions expressed through the voice cast and Neel Sethi (Mowgli), as well as the direction of Jon Favreau, this story truly becomes alive to the viewer. I feel like all the contributors to this film did an excellent job of marrying the original with the new, to create a reenvisioned Disney Classic.

I admit that I would enjoy watching this movie with or without the kids, in fact hubby and I might make it a date night.

So why the PG Rating?

In advance, let me just say that I will be taking my 7 and 10 year old to see this film in the next week or so.

Now because there are fight scenes between the tiger Shere Khan and the threatening encounters with Kaa the Snake and King Louie, this film may be alarming to smaller children.

Adults can prepare for those moments based on the tone of the scene and reassure a child if they become alarmed. I will be leaving my 3 year old with a sitter because I am not sure how he will react, and I want to have a pleasant time at the movies.

Parents obviously know what their children are comfortable with, and need to use their best judgement in this situation.

About The Jungle Book:

Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film “The Jungle Book”, this all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves.

But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat.

Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray).Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.

The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela.

The Jungle Book is in theaters NOW and in 3D, RealD and IMAX 3D!  For more information about the film, check out Disney.com/thejunglebook, also follow along on Facebook at facebook.com/DisneyJungleBook, and Twitter twitter.com/thejunglebook.