The Jungle Book

Overview

The final Disney animated feature overseen by Walt Disney himself is an adaptation of stories by Rudyard Kipling. The focal point is Mowgli, a child abandoned in the jungle to be raised by wolves. When he meets a panther who wants to help him get back to civilization, Mowgli doesn't want to go, preferring the company of his bear friend Baloo--until he meets a young girl at the forest's edge and falls in love.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/22/2022
UPC:	0786936893915
Original Release:	1967
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Language:	English
Time:	1:18:00
Sales rank:	10,768

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bruce Reitherman	Mowgli
Louis Prima	Roi Louis,le roi Louie
Sterling Holloway	Kaa
J. Pat O'Malley	Colonel Hati,le colonel Hathi
Darleen Carr	Girl
Phil Harris	Baloo
Sebastian Cabot	Bagheera
George Sanders	Shere Khan
Claude Bertrand	Voices
René Arrieu	Voices
Jean Martinelli	Voices
Edgar Ott	Voices
Klaus Havenstein	Voices
Leo DeLyon	Flunkey
Hal Smith	Slob Elephant/Monkey
Digby Wolfe	Ziggy
Verna Felton	Elephant
Clint Howard	Elephant/
Chad Stuart	Vulture
Tim Hudson	Vulture
John Abbott	Wolf
Ben Wright	Wolf
George Bruns	Composer
Richard Sherman	Composer
Terry Gilkyson	Composer

Technical Credits

Larry Clemmons

Ken Anderson

Vance Gerry

Ralph Wright

Rudyard Kipling

Wolfgang Reitherman	Director
Larry Clemmons	Screenwriter
Ken Anderson	Screenwriter
Vance Gerry	Screenwriter
Ralph Wright	Screenwriter
Walt Disney	Executive Producer,Producer
Rudyard Kipling	Screenwriter
Dan MacManus	Special Effects
Robert O. Cook	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Although it is quite skillfully drawn, The Jungle Book is noteworthy for being the first time that the Disney studio let the choice of actors play an influential role in the development of an animated feature. It's true that previously some actors, such as Ed Wynn in Alice in Wonderland, had made significant contributions, but not to the extent that Phil Harris, Louis Prima, George Sanders, and Sebastian Cabot do in Jungle Book. Their distinctive personalities add enormously to the effectiveness of the film, helping to mask the fact that, although the film has incident, it actually has very little plot. The catchy score also helps, from the imminently hummable "Bare Necessities" to the wildly capering "I Wanna Be Like You" to the barbershop-disguised-as-Beatles "That's What Friends Are For." As always, the character animation is top notch, from Kaa's slinky, slithering coils and Shere Khan's significantly shifty eyes to King Louie's long-armed neo-boogie moves and Baloo's carefree swinging gait, and the backgrounds make good use of the jungle color palette. The triangular relationship between Baloo, Bagheera, and Mowgli is also well presented and entirely convincing. The film benefits from an exuberant joie de vivre; it's one of the most high-spirited feature cartoons, and free from excessive sentimentality. The use of "star" voices would continue in future Disney entries, such as Robin Hood and The Aristocats, both with Phil Harris.