The Jungle Book (1967)

Not to be confused with the 2016 live action remake of the same name.

The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions. Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name, it is the 19th Disney animated feature film. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it was the last film to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during its production. The plot follows Mowgli, a feral child raised in the Indian jungle by wolves, as his friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear try to convince him to leave the jungle before the evil tiger Shere Khan arrives.

Plot
In this classic Walt Disney animation based on Rudyard Kipling's book, Mowgli, an abandoned child raised by wolves, has his peaceful existence threatened by the return of the man-eating tiger Shere Khan (George Sanders). Facing certain death, Mowgli must overcome his reluctance to leave his wolf family and return to the "man village." But he is not alone on his quest: Aided by Bagheera the panther, and later by the carefree bear Balloo (Phil Harris), he braves the jungle's many perils.

Why It Makes You Wan'na Be Like Mowgli

 * 1) Brilliant animation that’s pretty impressive for the 1960s.
 * 2) Likable and memorable characters, especially Baloo, King Louie and Mowgli.
 * 3) Amazing musical numbers, such as Bare Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You.
 * 4) Shere Khan is an unforgettable antagonist and George Sanders does an outstanding job voicing him.
 * 5) Many memorable moments, such as the scene where Kaa hypnotizes Mowgli.
 * 6) Very nice grasp to the source material with some of its own creative adjustments, mainly to appeal more to Disney fans.
 * 7) Baloo and Mowgli share a very heartwarming relationship with each other.
 * 8) The ending is incredible as Mowgli finally accepts to be apart of the Man-Village but still has a close relationship with the animals in the jungle.
 * 9) Fantastic score of George Bruns.
 * 10) The storyline is pretty well written.
 * 11) The comedy is very on point.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The dreaded reused animation that was common for Disney in the 60s and 70s in some scenes.
 * 2) While inspired by Kipling's book, the film is somewhat unfaithful to it.

Reception
The Jungle Book received an outpouring of positive reviews upon release, undoubtedly influenced by a nostalgic reaction to the passing of Disney. Time noted that the film strayed far from the Kipling stories, but "the result is thoroughly delightful...it is the happiest possible way to remember Walt Disney." The New York Times called it "a perfectly dandy cartoon feature," and Life magazine referred to it as "the best thing of its kind since Dumbo, another short, bright, unscary, and blessedly uncultivated cartoon." Some negative reviews came from Judith Crist, who said the film was "devoid of mood or atmosphere." Variety's review was generally positive, but they stated that "the story development is restrained" and that younger audiences "may squirm at times."

Retrospective reviews were also positive, with the film's animation, characters and music receiving much praise throughout the years. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 88% based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 7.19/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With expressive animation, fun characters, and catchy songs, The Jungle Book endures as a crowd-pleasing Disney classic.". In 1990, when the film had its last theatrical re-release, Entertainment Weekly considered that The Jungle Book "isn't a classic Walt Disney film on the order of, say, Cinderella or Pinocchio, but it's one of Disney's liveliest and funniest", while the Los Angeles Times thought the film's crew was "near the height of their talents" and the resulting film "remains a high-spirited romp that will delight children--and parents weary of action films with body counts that exceed their box-office grosses." In 2010, Empire described the film as one that "gets pretty much everything right", regarding that the vibrant animation and catchy songs overcame the plot deficiencies.

Trivia

 * After Walt Disney's death, the studio would go in hell, but it later got slightly improved with The Rescuers and The Great Mouse Detective. However, the studio wouldn't achieve the same successful acclaim this film enjoyed until The Little Mermaid.