The Jungle Book (1967)

Written by Larry Clemmons, et al.
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman

The Jungle Book is another one of the Disney films that I have seen, but it’s been at least 20 years since I’ve seen it. A lot of my memory was jogged recently with the release of the live-action version a couple years ago, but I remember the film being okay, but not something I’d watch regularly. After rewatching it, I don’t feel my opinion has much changed.

Look at the quality of the drawing between Baloo and the background/foreground

Again, it’s not because this is poorly made film. While it still has the same animation qualities that I don’t like from this era of the Disney canon, the story, while pretty episodic, is more engaging than some of the other films from this time.

Creepy kitty

I do think there’s a missed opportunity by not showing Shere Khan earlier, although I suppose one could argue that building him up long before we see him creates a more powerful reveal; I normally would agree with this more, except George Sanders, as Khan, gives such an effectively chilling performance, that I simply want to see more of it.

I hate these characters

Speaking of performances, I generally like them all in this film (except the Vultures. I mean, I get it, they’re the Beatles (but not really), I just have always found them tedious). I’ve always been a fan of Bagheera and Baloo, but I did have a small revelation during this viewing. At the climax of the film, Bagheera believes Baloo is dead, and he speaks a really touching eulogy for him. However, we, the audience, very quickly learn that it’s not the case, and the film keeps cutting back to a quick one-liner from Baloo. I think this is a missed opportunity to really hit some emotions that aren’t really hit upon in the film. Letting Bagheera finish his thoughts, THEN revealing Baloo to be alive and well, would make for a much more emotional climax, rather than the near-miss in the film currently.

Is The Jungle Book my favorite? No, and quite honestly, it probably wouldn’t make my top 10, but it is enjoyable, and I liked more of it than I didn’t.

FINAL GRADE: B