Twizard Rating: 90

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 2016)

The Jungle Book is one of those movies that we seem to remember in
glimpses. We know the musical numbers and all the characters, but
unless we've seen it as an adult, we can't quite remember exactly what
happens.
But we know it's iconic. We know it's a Disney classic. However, this
film may have benefited from being a tad bit longer. There are too many
characters we'd love to see more of and so many chances to build up the
depths of our leads.
Although I do like this movie a great deal for nostalgia's sake, I
wouldn't constitute it as one of Disney's best. The songs are top
notch, and the characters are memorable, but it's missing a lot of
heart compared to the studio's gems of the same era.
When Mowgli leaves his wolf family at the beginning of the film, there
is no heartfelt goodbye. These are the creatures who raised him, and he
barely bats an eye as Bagheera leads him on his way to the "man
village" to escape the tiger, Shere Khan, who's trying to kill him. And
without giving anything away, there are also a couple of key scenes
towards the end that should have given us a little more sentiment.
Which leads me to the voice of Mowgli. The kid playing him has no feel
or emotion. It sounds as though he's simply reading the lines (or
having them read to him) straight off the paper. It's our main
character, and his voice lacks any true conviction.
Granted, this was released in 1967, a year that marks, for many, the
beginning of Disney's "dark period". It's still a beloved movie, and
rightfully so. It's filled with some iconic scenes. The one with King
Louie, for example. It's so good, you wish you had been treated with
just a few more glimpses of the antihero.
It's the darker, more twisted, tone that drives this film the most
between the catchy musical sequences. It encompasses the jungle-feel
very precisely, and transcends through from Rudyard Kipling's original
source material, despite Walt trying to prevent it. Everywhere Mowgli
turns, there's someone out to kill him.
I know it sounds like I'm berating this film a lot, but I actually love
The Jungle Book. It's one that I watched often as a kid and one that
still makes me smile as I watch it as an adult. Luckily, this film
won't face many new critics as mostly everyone has seen it by the time
they are old enough to care. That's one of the beautiful things about
these old epitomes of animation.
Twizard Rating: 90