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Certainly Walt Disney's loose and light adaptation of author Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli Stories has stayed a perennial audience favorite, but it also influenced an entire generation of modern Disney animators who now carry on the landmark film's legacy. THE JUNGLE BOOK's naturalistic style in the verdant, atmospheric backgrounds of the Indian forests and the species-specific motion of the animal characters inspired today's leading animators as a high watermark of the artform. Watch the sleek, muscular power of Mufasa and Scar in THE LION KING and you'll see they're both design descendants of the villainous feline, Shere Khan the tiger. Delight to the Deep Canvas vine-swinging of TARZAN and you'll see he inhabits the same light-dappled, moss-mottled forest canopy of Mowgli's jungle home. One of the many bonus feature extras shares interviews with these contemporary animators who rightly lavish praise on this film, often crediting their careers to this last animated tale in Disney Studio history to bear Walt's personal touch. There is little doubt one of THE JUNGLE BOOK's most endearing qualities is its soundtrack, featuring many stand-out tunes such as The Bare Necessities by Terry Gilkyson, and I Wan'na Be Like You by Richard and Robert Sherman. Not only is The Bare Necessities a lively sing-along melody, but the words and animation blend perfectly during the song to reveal and enhance Baloo's jungle jive character. Bonus material stories tell how many of Walt's animators were hesitant about actor Phil Harris providing the voice for the fun-loving bear, but his vocal and scat-singing contributions were an immediate hit with both the crew and audiences later on.
The second show-stopping musical number, I Wan'na Be Like You, combined the Sherman Brothers' iconic tune with the swinging vocals and performance by jazz trumpeter Louie Prima and his band. Prima's improvisational scat singing and comical attitude were the perfect match for the orangutan King Louie, who goes ape with his monkey minions in the hilarious temple ruins sequence with Mowgli. When Baloo joins the simian scene disguised with a coconut muzzle and vine-draped fur, and this number's wild energy and rapid-fire humor are irresistible fun to watch and sing along with at home. The Shermans created a total of five songs for the soundtrack, including Kaa the Python's hypnotic ploy to ensnare Mowgli with Trust In Me (voiced to perfection by Sterling Holloway), Colonel Hathi's March, the vulture's Beatle-ized quartet That's What Friends Are For, and the siren song which leads Mowgli down the path of his human destiny, My Own Home. Each song is memorable in its own right, but all fulfill the main goal of advancing the story and deepening the characters along Mowgli's journey from jungle foundling to a human boy joining the world of mankind. Studio composer George Bruns also deserves a panther's share of credit for his moody, subtly magnificent original score which skillfully translates the tropical temples and shadowy jungle depths into an auditory piece of artwork which completes THE JUNGLE BOOK experience. And thanks to the DVD release's new 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater audio mix, these classic songs and jungle sounds play better than ever before, including the film's original theatrical release which was shown with a mono soundtrack only — a treat for fans' ears as well as their eyes! Yet THE JUNGLE BOOK 40th Anniversary experience on DVD is only just beginning! Disc One also includes a full-length feature commentary by a trio of experts: Bruce Reitherman, who was not only the son of THE JUNGLE BOOK's director, but also the voice talent and character inspiration of Mowgli himself; Disney songwriter Richard Sherman shares his own tales creating tunes for the 1967 production; and modern Disney animator Andreas Deja (who animated Scar for THE LION KING) rounds out the discussion as both a JUNGLE BOOK historian and lifelong fan. A Deleted Scene section features a brief tribute to the lost character of THE JUNGLE BOOK, Rocky the Rhino. Shown in concept art and storyboards, supplemented by voice track excerpts, this bonus chapter offers an educational glimpse into the creation and editing of animated stories. The results are entertaining while underscoring the wisdom behind cutting this "fifth wheel" character from the film. The Music & More section includes a contemporary kids band music video of I Wan'na Be Like You, a movie clip selection of JUNGLE BOOK songs from the film, and 21 minutes of audio-only takes of seven songs written by Terry Gilkyson, all of which but The Bare Necessities never made it into the final film. Animal lovers will enjoy the final feature offered on Disc One, a special look at the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund which ties the studio's fondness for animated fauna into their corporate desire to ensure a better future for nature's real-life denizens for generations to come. A second bonus disc of fun featurettes, interviews and games enhance this Platinum Edition release, with material that will entertain and educate an entire family of fans. Disc Two's extras offers DVD viewers a choice of exploring the Man Village (the Backstage Disney material) or the Jungle Fun games and activities. The Man Village is the home of six new behind-the-scenes featurettes exploring the trials and triumphs of creating an animated masterpiece like THE JUNGLE BOOK. The Bare Necessities offers over 46 minutes of fascinating interviews containing archival production footage of Walt and the animators back in the mid-60s, plus modern day observations and commentary on the film's history and legacy. Wisely, this lengthy bonus feature doesn't gloss over the difficulties encountered in developing THE JUNGLE BOOK from Kipling's stories into a style more suited to Disney's tastes and opinions, resulting in the classic we know today. Songwriter Richard Sherman is joined by contemporary Disney artists Brad Bird, Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, Eric Goldberg and film historians who provide context and pay tribute to Disney and his talented team who made this lasting gem of animation. Disney's Kipling: Walt's Magic Touch on a Literary Classic delves deeper into Walt's mission to simplify Mowgli's story in his film adaptation, infusing it with stronger characters and free-wheeling humor. The Lure of THE JUNGLE BOOK allows today's leading Disney animators to pay personal tributes to the film, elaborating with example clips on how this classic served as a valuable touchstone of quality during the rebirth of animation with modern-era hits like ALADDIN, THE LION KING and TARZAN. Mowgli's Return to the Wild briefly documents Bruce Reitherman's life and career after THE JUNGLE BOOK, as the boy who gave Mowgli his voice later found his own as a nature documentary filmmaker. Bruce has applied the lessons learned from his father, director Woolie Reitherman, and the other JUNGLE BOOK animators to his own films capturing the natural, real life stories about wildlife in the world. Frank and Ollie pays homage to these two best friends who were among Walt's 'Nine Old Men' of animation, and their work as supervising animators of about half of THE JUNGLE BOOK. Fans and historians marvel at how the lasting relationship between these two artists is so clearly reflected in the film, and credit this personal touch to the film's success. Lastly, an Art Gallery offers a collection of visual development, character designs, storyboards, layouts and backgrounds, plus production photos and publicity materials in a treasure trove of rare images. The final half of Disc Two, Jungle Fun, sets DVD viewers on their own animated adventures of skill and imagination, starting with Baloo's Virtual Swingin' Jungle Cruise: a collection of four strategy games geared to younger minds which mix animated characters with memory and dexterity tests. Next, Disney Pedia: Junglemania! is a 14-minute featurette of lighthearted education, interweaving animated clips of JUNGLE BOOK characters with actual footage of the animals in their native Asian habitats to encourage conservation and curiosity about these new friends. The third section, Fun With Language Games, challenges younger viewers to develop skills in word games with characters, played in both DVD and CD-ROM formats. Overall, this 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition of THE JUNGLE BOOK preserves the last, and some would argue, the greatest of Walt Disney's animated features, and enhances its arrival on DVD with a bounty of exclusive making-of material and entertaining amusements which celebrate this true work of art. This classic has never looked or sounded better, thanks to the painstaking digital restoration of image and new 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater audio soundtrack. Baloo, Mowgli, Bagheera and the entire cast remain among the most well-rounded, sympathetic and enjoyable characters ever to populate the Disney library of superb animation. Whether you grew up enchanted by THE JUNGLE BOOK like me, or if you're about to see it for the first time, this timeless wonder of artistry and storytelling will remain a proud and popular favorite in your own home for years . . . and for generations to come. With its limited release in this special two-disc Platinum Edition DVD, I highly encourage all Disney fans and families to take a walk on the wild side and consider THE JUNGLE BOOK an absolute necessity of life. |
