Into the Indian Rainforests...

Hello again, and welcome to our second dive into the depths of ancient animated films. This week we took a virtual trip to the jungles of India in a timeless Disney classic,

The Jungle Book
Theatrical release: October 18, 1967

This well-loved movie is based on some of the tales from Rudyard Kipling’s book of the same name, published in 1894. The movie focuses on the adventures of the feral child Mowgli, though the original book contained other sections devoted to different characters. Like any Disney film based on an already existing myth, fairy tale, or book, many character roles and timeline events were shuffled around to make a more appealing story. I was quite intrigued to discover in my research that the python Kaa, a minor antagonist/comic relief character in the film, was in fact Mowgli’s ally in the original stories. Apparently Baloo the bear was the wolves’ trainer, too. That one struck me as a little odd.

Anyway, back to the movie. One again I was very impressed with the animated water, and the background art looks quite nice. I noticed that the animation in this movie has a rough, almost sketchlike quality which I thought lent the characters a more earthy look. What stood out almost immediately to me, though, was Bagheera’s animation. I mean, wow. Looks just like a real big cat! The fluidity, stealth, and power… but I’m getting carried away. I love big cats too much for my own good.

Mahewa just poked me, saying, “Go on, go on! More big cats!” Heh heh.

So, it looks like it’s time to assess the respective credibilities of the different characters. Here I would rank Baloo on top. He strikes me as a fun-loving, rough-and-tumble father type, enjoying life but caring about his “child.” Even though he seems at first glance a mainly comedic character, he has a much more caring and well-meaning side that is tapped into in several scenes. He clearly will do anything to get Mowgli away from the monkeys. After Mowgli’s retrieval, the conversation between Baloo and Bagheera about Mowgli’s future is very deep, and Baloo’s emotional distress is heart-wrenching. I was touched when Baloo tried desperately to talk to Mowgli about it later. Then after Mowgli ran away and Bagheera and Baloo split up to look for him, what did Baloo say to himself? “Oh, if anything happens to that little guy, I’ll NEVER forgive myself. I’ve gotta find him!” He puts himself in danger to save Mowgli during the climax, and he can’t bear to see his son leave in the end. All in all, I think Baloo is a really touching character. (Phil Harris’ voice really helped.)

Bagheera is most likely the next most complex and lifelike character after Baloo. He’s very practical-minded and down to earth, as well as very watchful of Mowgli and his safety. He definitely knows what’s best for the little man-cub. Yet he has his comical moments, too. Take the scene near the beginning when he’s trying to get Mowgli up a tree, or when he pathetically resists Kaa’s hypnosis. Or after the climax, when he gives Baloo a grand eulogy but is quickly infuriated when he realizes that Baloo is still alive. It’s rewarding to see how Baloo and Bagheera progress from being acquaintances to friends throughout the course of the movie.

I was surprised to note that most of the minor characters are very genuine. The wolves could do with more screentime, but from what I saw, they (the mother Raksha, the father Rama, and the councilor Akela) are all unique characters with unique yet easily understandable opinions about Mowgli. Now, Kaa is an annoyable, frightenable, self-helping predator. I could understand his motives very well: “I need food to live, and I’m taking care of myself and myself only.” He’s also a very good subject to be placed on the receiving end of physical gags. Sterling Holloway’s voice acting made the character that much more memorable. Colonel Hathi really surprised me, actually. This time around watching the movie, I picked up so many more military jokes. I thought his character was really funny! I also found I rather liked his sassy wife (named Winifred, I might add) and innocent son Junior. King Louie, another minor villain, acts very strangely for a villain, but then again he’s supposed to be a bit off his rocker, right? And the vultures! I forgot how much I liked the vultures. So friendly, such good singers. I just wish they’d been introduced a bit earlier in the story.

Now, Mowgli is a little less appealing. I really sympathized with his wishes to stay in the jungle with Baloo. His animation is pretty nice, too. But the voice acting came across as a bit sloppy. The nuances and phrasings sound too much as if multiple takes were taken of short, successive lines. He also sounds a smidgen too old. His best bit is when he gets mad at Baloo about breaking his promise.

Shere Khan, though he has a cool voice and some distinguishing mannerisms, leaves something to be desired. Though mentioned quite early on in the movie, he doesn’t actually appear until three-quarters of the way through or so. He could have done with much more screentime, if only to give the viewers more time to get used to his pompous manner and quirky sayings. As a villain with a motive, he seems far too happy about hunting down Mowgli. Wasn’t he supposed to hate man with a vengeance, fearing guns and fire? I’d think he’d be furious to learn of a man cub in his jungle! His interruption of the vultures’ song is just plain weird. In the final battle, his animation seems somewhat tacky. Not to mention when he says to Baloo, “I’ll kill you for this!” (for what, exactly?) and makes a series of very silly-looking off-camera swipes at Baloo. Baloo is only shown being hit once. Sure, it’s supposed to be a low-violence kids’ movie, but a static camera right there just does NOT work. I will say, however, that the opening shot of Shere Khan stalking a deer is really cool and amazingly realistic. (“YES!” says Mahewa.)

And what’s with the girl? You’ve already had the climax, don’t introduce a whole new major plot point! If you’re going to think of a way to get Mowgli to go live with humans, maybe make him realize after Baloo’s near death that the jungle isn’t the place for him. Or maybe he stays in the jungle for many more happy years. Or something! The girl’s song is dated and somewhat dull, and her singing voice sounds far too old for her. And she’s not at all surprised, let alone shocked, to see a wild boy in a loincloth watching her from the trees? She just looks at him flirtingly, as if she knew he was there the whole time. I think she’s just a screenwriter’s tool to have Mowgli conveniently end up in the man village at the end.

Now that we’ve gone through the characters, I’d like to talk a bit more about the movie’s wildlife. Most of the Indian animals are accurate, as expected. The only questionable characters are Baloo and the wolves. Baloo is most likely a Sloth Bear, since he has the approximate colors as well as the very long, sloth-like claws and the pale muzzle. However, it’s clear that he was modeled on a more “Western” bear, and the trademark gold patches on the chest are absent. Funnily enough, Rudyard Kipling’s original Baloo was a Eurasian Brown Bear. Now, the wolves have always bothered me. I think they’re supposed to be Indian Wolves, a species recently determined to be separate from the Grey Wolf. Real Indian Wolves are thin and reddish, like jackals. But the movie’s wolves are clearly modeled after the more recognizable Grey Wolf. Perhaps they’re actually the Himalayan subspecies of Grey?

So, what rating do we give this movie? Any movie has its flaws but this one’s respectable, touching, and pretty darn funny.

Mahewa’s rating: 3.7/5