Entertaining despite its flaws

Rating: 7/10 (30 May 2015)

The Jungle Book is one of Disney's most well-known films before the Renaissance. It's based on Kipling's classic collection of short stories, and even though this adaptation isn't exactly true to the book it is quite entertaining.
If you're not familiar with The Jungle Book, it's like this: An orphan child is raised by two wolves, who call him Mowgli ("The Frog"). As he matures, he is guided in the ways of the jungle by Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther. But he must avoid the despicable Shere Khan (and, in this version, Kaa) if he wants to survive.
The characters in Disney's Jungle Book are a mixed bag. For me, Bagheera (played brilliantly by Family Affair's Sebastian Cabot) and Shere Khan (George Sanders) are the standouts; they're very close to what Kipling wrote. Mowgli is rightfully curious but his use of 60s slang like "yeah man" is hardly endearing. Baloo is probably the most famous character from Disney's adaptation, and although his laid-back persona is a far cry from the book, he's still likable. While I don't mind changing Baloo's character, Kaa, my favorite character from the book, might as well not even exist in this movie. Disney changed him from a sage into an old kook. Though he is scarier in the book, he's a far deeper character that actually befriends Mowgli. Here, he simply tries to strangle and eat the kid, a difference of night and day.
The musical numbers are creative and enjoyable, with memorable hits like "Bare Necessities" and the elephant march. The tune for "I Wanna Be Like You" is catchy, but the dance number? I seriously wish I'd never seen that.
Overall, The Jungle Book is a decent movie. But without that "I Wanna Be Like You" dance segment and the terrible rewriting of Kaa, it'd be much better.