The Jungle Book

7/16/2020

Good watch, might watch again, and can recommend if you've seen any other version or are looking for a writing analysis. During a lot of the movie, I was kind of in nostalgia mode, remember things I saw / felt when I was a kid, just sort of enjoying the way back machine experience. It wasn't until almost the very last scene that it clicked how good the writing is in this. I know this is known for the excellent animation styling, the catchy tunes, and charming coming of age semantics, but this uses several strong formulas that have been used since Aesop's fables. And that's what made me realize the writing quality, I felt as if I was watching an on fable with moral lessons of consequence. Up until that point I was mentally preparing how this 1967 animation is actually a perfect m

9/5/2024

This has probably the most perfect balance of story and soundtrack of any film I've ever seen - animated or otherwise. Adapting Rudyard Kipling's tale of "Mowgli" the child abandoned in the Indian jungle, but rescued and raised by a family of wolves. "Bagheera", the sagacious panther realises as the boy starts to grow to manhood, that he ought to return to his own kind but "Baloo", the avuncular bear thinks otherwise and so takes our young man-cub on some fun adventures in the jungle - including some near-misses with the wonderfully menacing, sardonic tiger "Shere Khan" and "Kaa" the hypnotic python. The voice cast - especially Phil Harris as the bear and George Sanders as the tiger are great; Louis Prima as "Louie" the King of the Apes provides us with one of the best songs ever to featur