Reviewer: Federica Roberti
Among the many live action movies already produced by Disney, the Jungle Book is the one that kept and celebrated the soul of the original cartoon, while bringing to the screen a new serious tone and depth to the story.
Everyone will remember clearly the tale told in The Jungle Book. A young boy, found by the wise panther Bagheera, is raised by a pack of wolves and is learning to live according to the jungle’s law. However, not everyone is open and ready to accept a human cub. Shere Khan, the feral and dangerous tiger mutilated by the men’s red flower, wants to kill Mowgli because he is destined to grow up and become a man who will endanger the animal species.
In his quest to go back to the village, against his own desires, Mowgli will learn how wild and menacing the jungle can really be. But he will also learn to be truthful to himself while still be able to respect the nature around him.
What makes the Jungle Book a well crafted movie, is the perfect combination of great directing, extraordinary cast ensemble and a moving source material that can still be relevant even after almost 50 years.
Since this film involves talking feral beasts and a young boy who interacts with them, it is clear that the use of CGI is prominent throughout the story. As usual Disney hasn’t left anything for granted and the quality of their work is always thriving to perfection. The special effects were so outstanding that the young Neel Sethi was able to give a truthful portray of Mowgli, with witty comebacks and showing an honest affection for each of his friends in the jungle, as if they were truly real.
The 3D experience is one of the best seen lately. The screen is crystal clear and the images are so neat that every small detail being represented, is perfectly visible. From every animals’ fur or scale to the leaves on the trees, the vivid colours of the jungle, along with the brilliant sparks of fire, seem almost alive.
However, the voices that each actor borrowed to the wild creatures are what makes the furry characters even more real for the audience. The soulful performances, paired up with the incredible facial expressions, make it possible for the viewers to empathise and create a connection with all of them, even with the sly orangutan King Louis.
Scarlett Johansson once again proved that she can enrapture and hypnotise everyone just with her voice. Her Kaa didn’t have much space in the film, but the few scenes with the python are fascinating to watch as Scarlet’s voice embodies Kaa’s characteristics effortlessly.
Christopher Walken, as well as Idris Elba, brought an amazing performance to the screen. His King Louis was intimidating and patronising just has everyone would expect. His obsession to master fire, known by the animals as the red flower, and the need to be the most powerful creature in the jungle, makes him the more dangerous among Mowgli’s enemies.
However, who really stole the scene and brought the movie to life is Billy Murray’s Baloo. As soon as the famous bear comes in the story, the tone shifts immediately. All the comedy aspect in the film belongs to this character. Along with Mowgli’s clever come backs, Baloo is the one that holds the whole movie on his shoulder, bringing to the screen some comic relief after some of the heaviest and emotional scenes.
It’s with the benevolent and sometime lazy bear that the soul of the old Disney cartoon comes to life.
Baloo’s theme song is the first one that is used in the film and it instantly brings back fond memories of the original masterpiece.
The soundtrack celebrates with some chords the historical and original one, however, only two songs make it in the movie itself, Baloo’s and King Louis’, leaving Kaa’s hypnotic melody to the credits.
All in all, The Jungle Book is a respectful celebration of one of the historical Disney’s masterpiece. It is still a cautionary tale reminding the audience how important it is to respect nature and all the creatures that live in it. In doing so it also teaches that strength relies on unity with the ever present line “the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack”.
