the songs, the characters, the story. this movie has it all. there is such heart and love and adventure in this story and it has a great message about animals and humans and their relationship together. I will always love this movie and I will always love the kid in this movie and he is so smart, kind, funny, energetic, and adventurous. This movie is a Disney classic.

Though made in 1967, "The Jungle Book" still holds up as good as ever today (and probably forever) because of its incredibly catchy tunes and crazy-good voice acting.For a basic plot summary, this movie sees "man-cub" Mowgli (voice of Bruce Reitherman) adopted by panther Bagheera (Sebastian Cabot) in the jungle. When the threat of Bengal tiger Shere Khan (George Sanders) and his hatred of all things human comes to the jungle, however, Bagheera resolves to place Mowgli in the "man-village" once and for all. Along the way, however, they encounter a crazy cast of characters that includes the singing bear Baloo (Phil Harris), an orangutan king (Louis Prima), and a slithering snake named Kaa (Sterling Holloway).Though the storyline is filled with enough emotion to never truly get old, the hallmarks of this movie are easily its jazz-based soundtrack and one-of-a-kind voice acting. Every song is catchy in a toe-tapping kind of way, the slow ones add even more emotional depth to the story, and the voices behind the characters are so distinct that they seem to just bring them to life!I watched "The Jungle Book" over and over and over again as a child, and can still say that I enjoy it today. It is completely family-friendly and can be watched by even the youngest of children. If you haven't shown this one to your children or younger family members/friends yet, it is a must to get them acquainted with this unique jungle world!

Everybody knows this movie as the last animated movie Walt Disney ever worked on, the following animated movies ripoff some of the animation from the movie, and for its long lasting memorable songs. In many ways that is what Disney's The Jungle Book is.Basically the story revolves around Mowgli "a man cub" and his many adventures in the jungle which include being raised by wolves, escaping the possibility of going to the man village, joining an elephant bootcamp, kidnapped by monkeys, befriending a carefree bear, escaping a hypnotizing snake, and staying out of Shere Khan the tiger's way, who has vowed to kill man. The older I got the more I realized that this movie doesn't have much focus in its story, it's just Mowgli going from character to character and song to song. Obviously the book is nothing like that, but I kinda wonder if that's the charm of the movie being only about characters and the timeless songs to identify them. Though there are times I wonder what would have happened if we spent more time with the monkeys, elephants, and the vultures what more adventures could be had with them. But then again, it's a 75 minute movie taking chances with a whole series of stories combined into one book. Adapting any story into a movie is difficult no matter what.The characters are mostly two dimensional and yet they are so likable. I don't know if it has to do with their design, songs, personalities, how they satirize so much from the time (like the army, old catchphrases, celebrities, and so on), pitch perfect voice actors - who were famous at the time like Sterling Holloway, Louis Prima, Phil Harris, and George Sanders - or all of the above. One way or another we all remember them, know their songs, laugh at their jokes, and enjoy them for lasting generations. I still love Shere Khan having nothing to fear and that rich voice, I love King Louie's song, the friendship between Mowgli, Baloo, and Bageera, and Colonel Hathi's army obsessed nature. One thing I love about the animation is how timeless and unique it is. It's not watercolors or like tapestry work, it's xerography (or hand drawn animation). While Disney has done hand drawn animation before, this kind of sketching seemed a bit rougher. The environment feels like a real jungle. Also the art makes the characters and environment seem unlimited in what they can do or where they can go. Of course the music is excellent. What makes it even better is when it combines with the animation and environment in the right way. When it does that, you feel the atmosphere of the jungle, the danger, the suspense, and the fun. The fun just about always comes from the songs, which are done by the Sherman Brothers (except for Bare Necessities which was done by Terry Gilkyson), and as usual, they're a lot of fun to listen to for their creativity in lyrics. Each time you hear them you wonder how much fun the songwriters or singers had fun with it. The main song everybody remembers is Bare Necessities and how laid back and carefree it is. Even the new movie knew that they could not leave out that song for such a laid back character. The final song is such a perfect way to wrap up the movie after all the fun is over. It's not an epic conclusion, it is just a nice, calm, and soothing way to say goodbye to Mowgli as he goes back where he belongs as do the other characters. I guess in some symbolic sense it was also a nice way to say goodbye to Walt Disney as he went back where he belonged. While this may not have been an epic story or one with much focus, it's mostly just charming a lot of fun to watch. If you want a real story, I would recommend the book more, but if you're in an absolutely good mood, then this movie is perfect to brighten up your day.

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