A movie that appeals to life

Rating: 7/10 (27 August 2007)

The 19th animated Disney classic is, like the other Disney classics produced in the 60's, not one of their greatest. Yet, it is entertaining and great fun.
"The Jungle Book" is an appeal to life and a hymn to life. They never say the words "Hakuna Matata" here, but there's no doubt that the "Hakuna Matata" philosophy from "The Lion King" is the same philosophy that we see here: a life full of joy, fun, no worries and which the problems are to be forgotten. In fact, it isn't any lie to tell that "The Lion King" was inspired by the idea of this movie.
"The Jungle Book" is a traditional animated Disney classic. Although some of its designs look simple, the artwork is very good and full of "life", following the classic Disney's standards. The songs are full of life and rhythm, making one wanna dance at their sound (that's the case of "Bear Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You"). Speaking of this, I'm surprised that initially the song "Bear Necessities" wasn't going to be in the movie - I'm glad they changed their mind, because this song is so joyful and very important: after all, it symbolizes the main idea of the movie.
The characters aren't the very best on Disney, but they're still good enough. Baloo (the bear) adds a lot to this movie. He is a very cool bear, not to mention humorous and jolly. Baloo is probably the best character of this movie. And all this charm is combined with the inimitable voice of the legendary Phil Harris.
Bagheera is a more serious character than a funny one. Bagheera is wise and, to tell the truth, it's pleasant to see a black panther being portrayed as a wise character for once instead of another owl. Bagheera is voiced by one of Disney's legends, Sebastian Cabot (at his best here).
Mowgli is an alright man cub, but strangely his voice changes very much: during a while he has the voice of a teenager and suddenly he speaks with a more "babyish" voice - perhaps a sign that he was voiced by more than one actor? The same thing happens with Arthur from "The Sword in the Stone".
Kaa (the snake) and Shere Khan (the tiger) are the villains, but their role is small. Kaa is voiced by the unforgettable Sterling Holloway, while Shere Khan is voiced by George Sanders. Shere Khan is mean but cool, because of his delicate and charming voice (very much like Scar from "The Lion King").
Colonel Hathi is an interesting elephant. Everybody knows the myth that «an elephant never forgets». Well, Colonel Hathi is an elephant that forgets! But that is exactly what makes him so funny. King Louie is a cool orangutan, brilliantly voiced by Louis Prima. Rama is a loving and caring wolf, voiced by Ben Wright.
An unusual story, great animation, the designs, sceneries/backgrounds, the jungle/forests of India, the soundtrack, generally good characters (apart the vultures, which I consider boring characters), the friendship between Mowgli/Baloo and classic humor make this movie.
This movie is known for being the last one with Walt Disney himself involved. Sadly, he died during its production and never got to see the final result and its success. But he will never be forgotten and, even after his death, the «9 Old Men» knew how to keep faithful to Walt's spirit in the following movies because of their long-time experience with "uncle Walt".