Jungle Book (Live Action Remake)

A clever, fresh new look at the old Disney Classic.

The effects were stunning, it amazes me how we have managed to make the effects so flawless, if it wasn’t for the fact that the animals talk, you would never know it wasn’t real. The detail in each frame is immaculate down to the individual markings and fur textures. This, I imagine, is connected to the new tech, the same as what was used Zootopia/tropolis. There wasn’t one odd movement, or blotchy texture in the whole film.

Need Sethi as Mowgli did so well working with green screen and what is essentially thin air or a ball on a stick.

Though I know the big names in here are star power for the film, I do believe they chose wisely and I they did fit really well. Ben Kingsley as Bagheera the calm and cool guardian, Scarlett Johansen’s sultry tones as Kaa, Idris elba as the suave and dangerous Shere Khan and Bill Murrey as the laid back Baloo. Not to forget the newer (or rather more book related) characters of Mowghli’s adoptive mother Raksha voiced by the lovely Lupita Wyong’o.

The songs a nice homage to the old classic, using smaller clips of the favourites. I was unpriced at how well they were pulled off, not musical as the animation was but more casual. However I will say, it was a little weird hearing Christopher Walkin getting used to Christopher Walken as King Louis singing/speaking ‘I wanna be like you’. Also I must say, stay for the credits! DO not miss Scarlet’s song as Kaa it’s fantastic and it’s a real shame it wasn’t in the film’s main or at least on the first half of the credits.

Sad to lose the happy story I used to know to a newer and grittier remake, and part of me hoped that the parents who struggled to keep their small children from jumping and screaming at parts would still consider showing them the animation, to show them how optimistic that was. I say this as well, as I do recommend seeing it as a separate entity from the animation, as it clearly goes in a different direction in places and you wouldn’t want to be looking for characters, as the animation familiar ones are not all there (those silly vultures).

Despite some lightheartedness and nostalgia lost for me, I did love this remake. I loved that I could feel like Jungle Book had grown up and given me a chance to feel like I was IN the story, surrounded by real talking animals I felt I could touch.

My old friends looked so soft.

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