
Rent The Jungle Book (2016)
- Actors:
- Neel Sethi, Ritesh Rajan, Kendrick Reyes
- Directors:
- Jon Favreau
- Voiced By:
- Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba et al.
- Runtime:
- DVD: 102 min., Blu-ray: 106 min., Blu-ray 3D: 106 min.
- Availability:
- DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D
- Synopsis:
In an epic adventure directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man), Mowgli, a man-cub raised in the jungle by a family of wolves, embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery when he's forced to abandon the only home he's ever known.
- Actors:
- Neel Sethi, Ritesh Rajan, Kendrick Reyes
- Directors:
- Jon Favreau
- Producers:
- Jon Favreau, Brigham Taylor
- Voiced By:
- Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, Brighton Rose, Emjay Anthony, Max Favreau, Chloe Hechter, Asher Blinkoff, Knox Gagnon
- Writers:
- Justin Marks, Rudyard Kipling
- Others:
- Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Dan Lemmon, Adam Valdez
- Year:
- 2016
- Studio:
- Walt Disney Home Entertainment
- Genres:
- Epics, Adventures, Ages 11-12, Ages 8-10, Disney, Family Adventures, Family Animation, Family Classics, Family Dramas, Family Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Teen Dramas
- Awards:
Recent reviews by members
Great Entertainment For All Ages - The Jungle Book review by PT
Bill Murray as the lovable lump Baloo. Idris Elba, a super baddie, in the form of Shere Khan. Christopher Walken as the megalomaniac King Louis. Ben Kingsley, the kindly disciplinarian and mentor to Mowgli, Bagheera. Scarlett Johansson, the evil Kaa, disguising her true intent with her dulcet tones. This is my synopsis of the wonderful personalities the main actors brought to their superb CGI characters.
Not forgetting Neel Sethi, who was great as the man cub Mowgli.
Really enjoyed it.
Well done ! - The Jungle Book review by JD
A charming remake, better than the original animated version. The cgi is superb, you really do believe the animals are real.
Many references to the Disney version , including a few songs, and the young Mowgli does well, if a bit too American for some.
Exciting too, and a superb family film.
For all the family - The Jungle Book review by gazmb
The CGI is brilliant in this proper film version of the Animated Jungle Book. The acting is very good from the main actor , not his fault but you would of thought they would have chosen somebody with an Indian style accent . That's my only fault really.
All other members reviews
Mowgli from Maine - The Jungle Book review by NC
Amazing graphics now. Texture has improved now and hard to fault. The US films always have to have strong American accents, of course. Mowgli straight out of Brooklyn. Sabu, the original, had an Asian air that was slightly more in keeping.
great movie - The Jungle Book review by JJ
Jungle book love it.. it may be an old story but one of the best films ever made of the fab jungle book story, loved it.
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The Jungle Book Review
The Jungle Book has finally received the film adaptation it deserves. There always seemed to be a little something off about every interpretation from Disney’s animated picture to Disney’s live-action attempt of the 1990’s. Sometimes the animals just didn’t look right and other times the story just wasn’t hitting the right notes. But Jon Favreau seems to have ironed out all the kinks of bringing The Jungle Book to the big screen.
In Favreau’s take, we’re presented with a fusion of both the books and original animated movie. There’s a sense of treaties and hierarchy among the animal society that echoes the dark tones of the book, but still takes the time enjoy a musical number about the bear necessities. It’s still about Mowgli and his animal allies/enemies, but with an equal sense of adventure and fun. The opening scene perfectly encapsulates this spirit as the human boy Mowgli is seen running through the forest as a mini-Tarzan before he is playfully tackled by the panther Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley). It’s a sequence that’s exciting, emotional, intelligent and fun - the way The Jungle Book should be.
The story isn’t muddied up with any useless subplots or the need for an epic battle sequence. It’s a tale played straight as the animals of the forest vie for Mowgli. Some want him dead as with the evil tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba) and some want his power of fire as with King Louie (voiced by Christopher Walken). Others, however, just want to hang out and gorge on honey as is the case with the lovably casual Baloo (voiced by Bill Murray). All of which are presented with a great deal of character and motives that not a single one of them feels passive or overblown. That’s saying a lot for a voice cast that includes Bill Murray and Christopher Walken, both of them with their own musical numbers. The prospect of Walken singing has probably conjured up smirks and giggles just from reading such a statement, but, trust me, he can sing rather well.
As you may expect from such a cast, the majority of the characters are computer-generated animals. This could have been a major downfall of the picture, but the perfect use of Disney’s animation blending make this a crowning achievement of the picture. There’s a brilliant balance in conceiving a wealth of talking animals that are realistic enough to move about Mowgli, but still exaggerated enough to speak without a distracting Clutch Cargo effect. It’s a fantasy world that is easy enough to buy into which is saying a lot for a movie with a giant-sized orangutang that eats stacks of bananas like berries. The detail in special effects has increased to such a high level of realism that I doubt many first-time viewers will initially notice that the entire forest was computer generated as well.
The Jungle Book is that rare case of a live-action adventure picture that is just as much a visual spectacle for the kids as it is a meaningful tale of great virtue. But, ultimately, it’s just a darn fun experience for the whole family which seems to have become a rarity with such pictures of this nature. As of this writing, Andy Serkis has his own version of the The Jungle Book planned for next year that he promises will be more darker. I’m not too sure how I feel about that as Jon Favreau’s version present accomplishes a daring balance of the silliness and the darkness. Perhaps The Jungle Book and other book adaptations don’t need a gritty tone to be relevant or entertaining. As Disney proved last year with their stellar version of Cinderella, you just can’t beat a classic and this is another winner of a picture that celebrates and acknowledges rather than tears down and rebuilds. In short, it’s The Jungle Book movie the world deserves.
DVD details
- BBFC:
- Parental Guidance - general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children
- Release Date:
- 22/08/2016
- Run Time:
- 102 minutes
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Format:
- Pal
- Colour:
- Colour
- Languages:
- English, English Audio Description, Hindi
- Subtitles:
- Danish, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray details
- BBFC:
- Parental Guidance - general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children
- Release Date:
- 22/08/2016
- Run Time:
- 106 minutes
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Format:
- Pal
- Colour:
- Colour
- Languages:
- English, English Audio Description, French, Portuguese, Spanish
- Subtitles:
- Danish, Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
- Special features:
- 'The Jungle Book' Reimagined
- I Am Mowgli
- King Louie's Temple: Layer by Layer
- Play Movie with Audio Commentary by Director Jon Favreau
Blu-ray 3D details
- BBFC:
- Parental Guidance - general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children
- Release Date:
- 22/08/2016
- Run Time:
- 106 minutes
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Format:
- Pal
- Colour:
- Colour
- Languages:
- English, English Audio Description, French, Portuguese, Spanish
- Subtitles:
- Danish, Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
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