Walt Disney's The Jungle Book, which came out back in 1967, is one of my personal favorite Disney films. If I were to rank all of the films in the Disney Animation canon, The Jungle Book would easily be in my top 10. And now with Disney's recent obsession with remaking their classic films in live-action, a remake of The Jungle Book made me very skeptical. However, with each trailer, i became more and more won over on the film and I was starting to really look forward to it! But now that I have seen the movie, I couldn't be happier to say, in full confirmation, that The Jungle Book is an absolutely incredible film that is faithful to both the 1967 animated classic and the Rudyard Kipling stories.
I'm sure you are all familiar with the story. The Jungle Book follows Mowgli, a "man-cub" who was raised by wolves in the jungle. But when the vicious tiger, Shere Khan, threatens to kill Mowgli, he must leave the jungle and go back to his own people in the man-village.
The film is most definitely a love letter to fans of the animated classic and Disney films in general. It's like the film was made for us! From the very first second of the film where the Disney logo (which was gorgeously remade specifically for this film) panned right into the jungle where a recreation of the overture from the animated film's score started playing, I knew I was in for something special. Something which was made for someone like me who loves not only the animated version of The Jungle Book, but Disney in general. There were moments in this film that had me almost screaming in joy. It truly is the perfect homage and anyone who has a deep connection with the animated film and Disney will absolutely love this film.
Of course, what stands out the most in this film is its visuals. The film is shot entirely in a studio in Los Angeles, not a single shot is filmed in any particular location, and everything but Mowgli and a few set pieces were entirely animated. Actually, Mowgli himself apparently even has a CGI stunt double which is impossible to notice. This also means that any shot that did not have Mowgli in the frame was completely animated with not a single live action background, set piece or character. It mostly is an animated film, but everything looks real! The visual effects and technical prowess here is absolutely incredible and blurs the line between live action and animation. Not once did I think to myself "That looks fake" or "That is clearly CGI" and I was never able to notice any blue screen or any effects that did not look like they were shot in live action. I highly recommend that you should see this movie on the biggest screen you can. I saw it in IMAX and I was blown away.
Director Jon Favreau did an excellent job with this film, giving us a beautifully shot and faithful adaptation of both the animated Jungle Book film and Rudyard Kipling stories. He took from both sources and perfectly balances both the fun and goofiness of the animated film and the more serious nature of the stories. When I heard about a remake of The Jungle Book, as skeptical as I was, I still wanted it to be more faithful to the books while also giving us what made the animated film so much fun, which is exactly what I got.
The acting and voice acting is amazing as well. Neel Sethi makes his debut as Mowgli and he was incredible in this role. He really captures the spirit and energy of his animated counterpart. Not to mention, he was basically acting off of nothing, interacting with animals that weren't even there! Of course, there were puppets and props that were supposed to be the animals there during filming, but interacting with these, and doing an amazing job with it as well, is an incredible feat for an actor to accomplish. This is something that full grown adult actors have trouble with! This was the Neel Sethi's first film and just by this performance, I know he is going to be big. And what better studio to start up his successful career as an actor than Disney?
The voice actors also do an incredible job here. Bill Murray voices Baloo, Christopher Walken voices King Louie (who is a Gigantopithecus in this version, rather than an Orangutan), Scarlett Johansson voices Kaa, Idris Elba voices Shere Khan, among many other talented actors voicing different characters as well. These voice actors are perfect for their roles and it shows in their performance.
The film is not a musical like the animated film was, but it does have some wonderful musical elements. Baloo sings The Bare Necessities and King Louie sings I Wan'na Be Like You, both of which put a big stupid smile on my face when watching it. Hearing Christopher Walken sing I Wan'na Be Like You as a giant ape is worth the price of admission alone. John Debney also works wonders with the film's beautiful score, incorporating all of the fantastic songs and parts of the the animated film's score into this one.
Overall, I was floored throughout the entire film with its excellent storytelling, its landmark visuals and non-stop action. I honestly cannot find anything wrong with it no matter how hard I try! Everything in this film, every second of it, added to its greatness, right down to even the smallest details. I wanted a great remake of the classic animated film that would even make Walt himself proud, which is exactly what I got. I truly think Walt would be proud of this film.
There are many fans of the animated film who are skeptical of this remake. But take it from me, Walt Disney's The Jungle Book is one of my favorite Disney films and I dread each and every live-action remake Disney has been pumping out lately. If this film didn't completely deliver or meet the animated film's extremely high standards, believe me, I would be the first to tell you. But it did live up to those standards and I can't possibly recommend this film enough. Jon Favreau has made a dream film for any hardcore Disney fan or anyone who loved the classic animated film.
Film Grade: A+
No comments:
Post a Comment