A Bear Necessity for 40 Years!

This 2 disc anniversary edition of "The Jungle Book" is based on Rudyard Kipling's classic book. This film tells the story of Mowgli who's parent were killed by Shere Khan, a man-eating tiger. Toddling innocently away from the scene of the murder, Mowgli finds refuge with the leader of the jungle's wolf pack; Akela, his wife and cubs. Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear teach Mowgli the laws of the jungle as he grows, but when Shere Kahn returns those who love the boy most believe he will be safest in the village among his own kind. Mowgli, however, is determined to live forever in his beloved jungle and defeat the wicked Shere Kahn.

Walt Disney died during the making of this 1966 film, and it was not finished and released until 1967. There was much anxiety in the Disney animation department, for if the film did not do well at the box office the entire department might be eliminated. Audiences then were thrilled with the film and it remains a much beloved Disney classic. Nominated in 1968 for a Golden Laurel award and an Oscar in the Best Music/Original Song category, this film won the Golden Screen awarded in 1988. The xerographic system developed in 1961 for "101 Dalmations", was further refined in this film to combine Xeroxed cels with hand inked details.

The Vultures, who sing the song "That's What Friends are for", were originally meant to be voiced by the Beatles, but scheduling changes made that impossible. Disney had them change the song from it's original Beatles-beat to a barber shop quartet style as he believed the original scoring would date the film too strongly as a product of the 60's. Disney also believed that the original plot line and songs the team had come up with were too dark and brooding. The only song kept from that first writing was "Bear Necessities". Verna Felton, who voiced Winifred the wife of Colonel Hathi, died the day before Walt Disney, leaving this as her final performance. I find it interesting that this uplifting and much loved classic that was so plagued by production issues and death, is the same film that convinced the company to keep its animation department. Without the success of this Disney classic, we might never have seen later works like"The Black Cauldron", "Little Mermaid", "The Incredibles", or "Aladdin"

"The Jungle Book" is a wonderful family film with some timeless animation moments. The acceptance and naming of Mowgli by the Pack, the fun lessons from rumbling jazz-loving Baloo, the kidnapping of Mowgli by King Louie, Kaa's sibilant hypnotism, and Mowgli's first look at a real girl are moments that have made an indelible impression on children and parents for 40 years! The delightful soundtrack sounds great, and the restoration really brightened up this adored classic Disney film. "Forget about your worries and your strife" and give this anniversary edition a look!

Extras:

Restored sound and pictures- looks and sounds great!

Audio Commentary: Interesting for animation fans as it combines commentary from current animators with insights from the films original creative team.

The Lost Character: Rocky the Rhino: Storyboards and original voicing by Frank Fontaine bring to life this scene cut from the film involving an encounter between Mowgli, Baloo and Rocky, an ill-tempered rhino, just after the collapse of King Louie's palace. Walt Disney felt that two comic scenes back to back would lessen the film.

The Bare Necessities: The Making of The Jungle Book: I always enjoy a good "making of" feature, and this one does not disappoint. They included some wonderful archived bits and added interesting interviews with people like: Bruce Reitherman who voiced Mowgli, John Culhane who worked on films like "Fantasia" and "Frank and Ollie", Brad Bird who brought us such excellent works as "The Iron Giant" "Ratatouille" and "The Incredibles", Glen Keane who did amazing work on "Aladdin" "Beauty and the Beast" "Pete's Dragon" and many other Disney classics, Richard Sherman, Eric Goldberg, and many others. There is a collection of artwork and film treatments that have never been seen before in this section as well. A bright gem for animation collectors.

Disney's Kipling: Walt's Magic Touch on A Literary Classic: Footage from 1963 that includes scenes from Kipling's "Mowgli Stories" is used to illustrate Disney's interpretation of Kipling's masterpiece.
A nice feature in this anniversary edition.

The Lure of The Jungle Book: Interviews with Sergio Pablo, Will Finn, Eric Goldberg, Andreas Deja, and Brad Bird (some of today's biggest names in animation) talk about how this film inspired them and influenced their careers.

Mowgli's Return to the Jungle: This feature looks at nature filming with some interesting firsthand experiences from Bruce Reitherman, the voice of Mowgli.

Four all-new games including Baloo's Virtual Swingin' Jungle Cruise. Musical challenges and fun activities on this DVD-ROM section.

Still Frame Art Gallery: Nice to look at, this feature usually pleases only die-hard animation fans.

Image and Sound: 1:75: aspect ratio, Dolby. Here, the screen aspect has been cropped a bit, but the colors have been lovingly restored to their vivid best. Sound quality has also been boosted with the 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix so the soundtrack comes through clear and smooth.

Final Thoughts:
Well restored timeless animation classic with loads of extras... what's not to love? While it does not follow Kipling's tales faithfully, this Disney film is a fabulous complimentary piece to a much beloved book. Mowgli, Baloo and many other characters in this work have delighted audiences for an amazing 40 years without fading, and they will continue to bring joy and laughter to audiences for generations to come.