The Jungle Book (October 18, 1967)

This was the final film to be produced by Walt Disney before his untimely death in 1966. Given that fact I am a bit sad to admit that I was never a fan of this film. The plot follows Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves. He must be convinced by his friends Baloo the bear and Bagheera, a black panther, to leave the jungle or he will be hunted down and killed by Shere Khan, a tiger, who holds a grudge against all humans. This plot wanders aimlessly to its conclusion without any clear purpose which is aggravating. The movie has some great songs including, “The Bare Necessities”, “Trust in Me”, and “I Wan’na Be like You.” This later song is surrounded in controversy as it is sung by a character, King Louie, who is said to be an imitation of African Americans and their supposed lack of intelligence. King Louie talks with simpler language than the other jungle characters. During the aforementioned song he sings about wanted to be a human which could be seen as wanted to be like white people. He also sings in a Dixieland style. All this is to say he is a problematic character and generally unlikable. Moving on to other characters, the main protagonist Mowgli is very much an obstinate brat, willingly disregarding the apparent dangers of the jungle only to cry for help to get him out of the messes he puts himself in. My favorite character is Bagheera because I can relate to his exasperation with Mowgli. He only has his best interests at heart, but Mowgli treats him as a hinderance. He truly is the most responsible and admirable character. Baloo, while amusing, is selfish, choosing to put his own desire to live and play with Mowgli over what is best for the boy. The infamous Shere khan is a menacing villain, perfectly encapsulating the dangers of the jungle. I would, however, have preferred added backstory for him- perhaps a flashback from a past run in with humans which caused him to develop his hatred for mankind. The last character worth mentioning is Kaa, a snake who repeatedly tries to hypnotize and then eat Mowgli. He is more comical than sinister, and I just find him annoying and unnecessary. He did not have to return repeatedly, and he overstays his welcome. Overall, I believe, while The Jungle Book is remembered fondly by those who grew up watching it, it is not movie befitting those memories. It does include memorable songs, but its characters are problematic, annoying, or irresponsible and its plot is often directionless.

Final Rating: 5/10