"Don't spend your time looking around for something you want that can't be found." - Baloo
Initial thoughts before viewing: I always had a bit of a soft spot for The Jungle Book since 99% of the characters are animals. I was really in to big cats as a kid (still am, ha), so all my black panther plushies and toys were named Bagheera.
If you have never seen the The Jungle Book or need a refresher, here is a link to the movie's Disney Wiki page where you can read the plot summary.
Highlights:
-A-baba-beep-boop-boop-ee-doop 🎵: This movie shines for one reason and one reason only: the music. "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wan'na Be Like You" are obvious bops and stand out above all, but even the instrumental score is beautiful and evocative. One of my personal favorite songs that may not be an obvious choice is "Trust in Me" sung by the snake Kaa. Scarlett Johansson (who voiced Kaa in the 2016 live-action remake of The Jungle Book) sings a superb and beautifully haunting version of "Trust in Me" that I think about way too often. I highly recommend you take a listen of this version if you've even wondered what a Disney version of a James Bond theme song might sound like.
-Life lessons from "The Bare Necessities"🥳: Baloo may not seem like the brightest bulb, but he does one thing very well, and that's living life. His song is so catchy that its easy to get caught up in the beat and melody without really digesting its message: STOP WORRYING ABOUT THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL. What a revolutionary idea. After all, that's why a bear can rest at ease. You go Glenn Coco, I mean, Baloo.
-Bagheera is the unsung hero 🏆: Bagheera (or "Baggy" as Baloo affectionately calls him) saves Mowgli at least 2 times in the film (first as an infant, then again after the wolf pack declares that Mowgli must leave). He is often outshone by the flashier, more loveable Baloo, but his dedication to Mowgli is unmatched and he is the only animal from the jungle that has been a part of Mowgli's story from the beginning. I love that although their character's clash wonderfully, by the end of the film Bagheera and Baloo are united by their concern and love for the Man-Cub. They depart the man-village (without Mowgli) together, dancing off into the sunset as friends.
Disliked:
-Where the ladies at? Are there no female animals in the jungle...? 🐒 This makes no sense. There are only 3 (minor) female characters in the whole movie, and their roles are minimal and stereotypical:
1. Mowgli's adopted wolf-mother. She is never addressed by name nor is given any speaking lines. She's shown on screen for about 10 seconds accepting baby Mowgli into the pack. Female wife/mother, seen and not heard. Check. ✔️
2. Winifred the elephant. Seen at the beginning of the movie complaining about her husband Colonel Hathi's leadership ("March, march, march. My feet are killing me"). Later when the elephants reappear, Winifred threatens to take over the herd if Hathi does not help Bagheera find Mowgli. Hathi's response to her is cringe inducing: "What?! A female leading my heard?! Utterly preposterous?!" Really, Disney? Nagging wife trope, check. ✔️
3. The young girl from the man-village. Seen by the riverside at the end of the movie fetching water. Look, I get that Mowgli is supposed to be entranced by her because he's never seen a female human. Fine, cool, I agree with that. But my issue is that the young girl is portrayed as some sort of temptress. When she drops the barrel of water, Baloo angrily exclaims "She did that on purpose!", implying that the young girl intended to look helpless so as to entice Mowgli into helping her. Did this part really need to be there? Couldn't they have just played up the fact that Mowgli was interested in simply being around other human beings for the first time and not that he suddenly hit puberty? Sigh. Seductive, helpless female, check. ✔️
-So you're telling me this is set in India...❓ I don't care if the source material is written by a British dude, or that the studio that made it in the 1960s was 99.9% white men. If you are producing a feature animated movie about a beloved story set in India centered around an Indian protagonist, you best have Indian voice actors in that cast. They didn't. In fact, I don't think that I realized that The Jungle Book was supposed to take place in India until I was an adult.
Random Thoughts I Had While Watching:
-Baloo's not a fan of men 🐻"Man-village? They'll ruin him! They'll make a man out of him." Agreed, Baloo. Agreed. This may be the best line in the whole movie.
Closing Thoughts:
-Mowgli should have stayed in the jungle. Yeah, I said it. I don't like this ending. After all that Mowgli goes through to find acceptance and safety in the jungle which he calls home, he throws it away in a snap because of a pretty girl...? Is the message of the movie that no matter how much we try to find acceptance with others, ultimately we should stick to our own kind? I don't think it's supposed to be that dark or deep, but this movie was released in 1967 when America was in the thick of the Civil Rights movement. Interestingly, the original Rudyard Kipling stories did have Mowgli going off into the man-village and getting adopted, only to eventually return to the jungle. When given the choice, stay in the jungle, Man-Cub.
-The post-Walt era and the importance of The Jungle Book
This is widely known as the first animated feature released after Walt Disney's death, so it holds a special place in a lot of people's hearts. The Jungle Book received an outpouring of positive reviews upon release, undoubtedly influenced by a nostalgic reaction to the passing of Disney. People didn't know what would become of Disney Animation after Walt's death, and the success of The Jungle Book was a critical turning point that ensured the continuance of the studio.
Do I like The Jungle Book? Sure. Do I love it? No. There are a lot of pros and cons for this one, so ultimately I'm settling firmly in the middle.
My Rating: 5/10
And that's the last of what is known as the Silver Age of Disney animated feature films! With Walt Disney's passing, we enter in to the next cinematic phase of Disney animation: the Bronze or Dark Age.
My Rating Scale/System:
10 - Masterpiece / Award Worthy 🤩
9 - Almost perfect / Exceptional 🥰
8 - Great / Well-crafted 😁
7 - Good / Noteworthy 😊
6 - Above average / Memorable 🙂
5 - Solidly average 😐
4 - Mixed feelings / Mediocre 😕
3 - Uninteresting / Struggle bus 🥱
2 - Barely watchable 😡
1 - Failure / Why is this a thing? 💩
