The Lesser of a Generation of Underperformance

Rating: 4/10 (1 January 2010)

When it comes to the Jungle Book, the things that make Disney my idol are few and far between. Firstly, it doesn't merely cross the dreaded line of believable human-animal interaction, it pounds that sucker into the ground. You cannot expect me to take a film seriously that spends its entirety in talking-animal land. It smacks of a film that is squarely aimed at kiddies, and not even moderately intelligent kiddies, but kiddies who scream at the McDonalds to get their happy meal for the next animated tie-in toy (now we're getting into the root of my beef with Pixar). And honestly, that isn't what Disney is about.
Once again, the style of animation is not the quality I would prefer. Yes, this film was born out of the turmoil surrounding the death of the master, but his involvement with animated films had been greatly lessened since the arrival of Disneyland in the 50's. And the thick, blocky lines are simply clumsy to watch, smacking again of cheapness and low quality because "kids wouldn't notice anyways." Even as a little child, I could tell that plenty of animation was recycled throughout the film, as huge chunks would play out exactly the same frame for frame.
Oddly enough, the savior of the film is the animal characters. They are all wonderfully voiced by their respective actors. If Mowgli had been dropped in his entirety, I probably would actually tip towards liking it. The character was irritatingly stubborn and idiotic, and then I wouldn't be bothered by the "he speaks the language of the animals" paradox. Honestly, they might as well have, as Disney was infamous for strictly ordering his team to ignore the original text. Sher Kahn was a smooth and menacing villain- he should have been given so much more screen time. Phil Harris' wonderfully jazzy, booming voice made Baloo, and who can forget "The Bare Necessities?"
Which brings me to the music, which while distinctly juvenile and has nothing to do with the time period or setting of the film, is just too darn catchy to ignore. The "Wanna Be Like You" song is delightful in its Louis Armstrong-ness, but the best number for me was the Beatles- inspired "Thats What Friends are For". Just think how mind-blowing it would have been if the Beatles had actually spared some time to record for it.
So all in all: Great music: poor animation. Interesting characters: poor utilization of them. Sure it's tons better than a Saturday morning cartoon, but come on, is that the level you should be comparing a Disney film?