Charming

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2016)

Everybody knows this movie as the last animated movie Walt Disney ever worked on, the following animated movies ripoff some of the animation from the movie, and for its long lasting memorable songs. In many ways that is what Disney's The Jungle Book is.
Basically the story revolves around Mowgli "a man cub" and his many adventures in the jungle which include being raised by wolves, escaping the possibility of going to the man village, joining an elephant bootcamp, kidnapped by monkeys, befriending a carefree bear, escaping a hypnotizing snake, and staying out of Shere Khan the tiger's way, who has vowed to kill man.
The older I got the more I realized that this movie doesn't have much focus in its story, it's just Mowgli going from character to character and song to song. Obviously the book is nothing like that, but I kinda wonder if that's the charm of the movie being only about characters and the timeless songs to identify them. Though there are times I wonder what would have happened if we spent more time with the monkeys, elephants, and the vultures what more adventures could be had with them. But then again, it's a 75 minute movie taking chances with a whole series of stories combined into one book. Adapting any story into a movie is difficult no matter what.
The characters are mostly two dimensional and yet they are so likable. I don't know if it has to do with their design, songs, personalities, how they satirize so much from the time (like the army, old catchphrases, celebrities, and so on), pitch perfect voice actors - who were famous at the time like Sterling Holloway, Louis Prima, Phil Harris, and George Sanders - or all of the above. One way or another we all remember them, know their songs, laugh at their jokes, and enjoy them for lasting generations. I still love Shere Khan having nothing to fear and that rich voice, I love King Louie's song, the friendship between Mowgli, Baloo, and Bageera, and Colonel Hathi's army obsessed nature.
One thing I love about the animation is how timeless and unique it is. It's not watercolors or like tapestry work, it's xerography (or hand drawn animation). While Disney has done hand drawn animation before, this kind of sketching seemed a bit rougher. The environment feels like a real jungle. Also the art makes the characters and environment seem unlimited in what they can do or where they can go.
Of course the music is excellent. What makes it even better is when it combines with the animation and environment in the right way. When it does that, you feel the atmosphere of the jungle, the danger, the suspense, and the fun. The fun just about always comes from the songs, which are done by the Sherman Brothers (except for Bare Necessities which was done by Terry Gilkyson), and as usual, they're a lot of fun to listen to for their creativity in lyrics. Each time you hear them you wonder how much fun the songwriters or singers had fun with it. The main song everybody remembers is Bare Necessities and how laid back and carefree it is. Even the new movie knew that they could not leave out that song for such a laid back character.
The final song is such a perfect way to wrap up the movie after all the fun is over. It's not an epic conclusion, it is just a nice, calm, and soothing way to say goodbye to Mowgli as he goes back where he belongs as do the other characters. I guess in some symbolic sense it was also a nice way to say goodbye to Walt Disney as he went back where he belonged.
While this may not have been an epic story or one with much focus, it's mostly just charming a lot of fun to watch. If you want a real story, I would recommend the book more, but if you're in an absolutely good mood, then this movie is perfect to brighten up your day.