#19 The Jungle Book

Title: The Jungle Book

Release Date: October 18th, 1967

Voice Cast: Bruce Reitherman, Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima, George Sanders

Recap: Based on a story from the book of the same name by Rudyard Kipling, the film tells the tale of a feral child raised in the jungle. He is found as a baby boy by a panther, Bagheera, who in turn hands him over to a family of wolves. Years later, it is realized that the boy, Mowgli, must be returned to a man village in order to escape the dangerous tiger, Shere Khan. Bagheera tries to take Mowgli back to the village, but is cast aside when Mowgli meets Baloo, a care-free, simple bear. Now, Mowgli wants to stay forever in the jungle with Baloo, though threats such as wild monkeys, a hypnotic snake, and of course, Shere Khan still await.

Review: The first thing I noticed about The Jungle Book that differs from other movies is that the score is so appropriate to the story. It's dark, but not too dark, and fillled with woodwinds and brass to fit the jungle theme. I've never seen a Disney movie as well-scored as this one.

The soundtrack is even better than the score, and it's part of the reason why this film was so big when it was released. Who could forget the upbeat, cheery "The Bare Necessities"? Or the jazzy, scat-song "I Wan'na Be Like You" (my personal favorite)? These alone make the film a fantastic show of song, but that doesn't make the other tunes throw-aways. "Colonel Hathi's March" is very catchy for a parade song, and "Trust in Me" hits the right notes for the eerie mood.

Honestly, the music is 75% of why I enjoy the film. It's most definitely the forte. There's nothing wrong with the story or the characters, but it's difficult to pick out either flaws or strengths when the music is what has your attention. Sure, Bagheera is serious enough, Baloo is silly enough, Mowgli is stubborn enough, Shere Khan is evil enough, and so on. But even if they weren't, or even if they were superb, I don't think I would notice immediately. It's up to you to decide whether or not that's a good thing.

Don't take that to mean that the film is only good for it's music. I still loved it. Plus, it was the last Disney film to have Walt's effort in development. He passed away only 10 months before this film was released.

Under the Sea (Darling, It's Better...)