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MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
245 .......................... 271
__________________________
August 11th
—— 1967 ——
The
Jungle Book
—— animation ——
DISNEY CLASSIC no.19
REWATCH
This animated film is definitely one of the more well respected pictures
to pop out of Disney’s huge colorful catalogue of wonderful family friendly entertainment
I honestly don’t remember if I ever saw this as a child, but there are certainly bits and pieces that come quite clear to me when I think about it; like the bear necessities buddy ballad and the enormous orangutan palace. I decided to watch it a year back, but was rather underwhelmed by it. It was a bit boring and not nearly as fun or exciting as other Disney flicks, especially not in competition with some of those truly heartfelt features from the studio. Since I’m currently going through Disney’s classic catalogue from beginning to end, I now had a chance to revisit the jungle of joy to find out if I was missing something about this film, which would make me love it…
The story of this film always felt a little fractured to me, where this orphan boy would just walk around the jungle and jump in and out of various situations and circumstances that ultimately puts his life in jeopardy one too many times. There are plenty of diverse characters but most of them just feels a little bit pointless. It is like this movie is missing a fundament for the fun and games, though I understand the concept of coming to terms with oneself by exploring the wide wild world and understanding why one doesn’t fit here. But maybe the manic meetings between Mowgli and mammals could have been just a tiny bit more weighted and thought out, had the story had better focus and more noticeable features. Many scenes and sequences in the film feel like they were laid out but never followed through with, which has the audience pulled around to various situations without learning much from them, before we are on to the next one. This movie lives and breathes because of its characters, who are not all equally interesting, but they are the ones who keeps this jungle alive.
Baloo is the best character by far, since he is likable and has a personality that is far more expanded than any other in the story. Bagheera seems like the central character for a while, but mostly he just runs around complaining and acting frustrated. Basically the opposite of Baloo, which is of course an obvious but important contrast. Sheere Khan is totally wasted in the story, which is a shame since he is a great villain. Obviously, the overall villain here is the jungle itself and all animals living there, but that tiger was just such a nice character and it is a shame to see him so apart from the story. It does have some kind of impact though, when he finally comes forward in the end and reveals his roaring self, so I understand the decisions made. The ending is a bit underwhelming and the movie is as well, but it is still a fairly fun time with a few highpoints to enjoy. Overall 'The Jungle Book' has the bare neccessities to survive in the wild mix of other animated classics.
-
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
245 .......................... 271
__________________________
August 11th
—— 1967 ——
The
Jungle Book
—— animation ——
DISNEY CLASSIC no.19
REWATCH
This animated film is definitely one of the more well respected pictures
to pop out of Disney’s huge colorful catalogue of wonderful family friendly entertainment
I honestly don’t remember if I ever saw this as a child, but there are certainly bits and pieces that come quite clear to me when I think about it; like the bear necessities buddy ballad and the enormous orangutan palace. I decided to watch it a year back, but was rather underwhelmed by it. It was a bit boring and not nearly as fun or exciting as other Disney flicks, especially not in competition with some of those truly heartfelt features from the studio. Since I’m currently going through Disney’s classic catalogue from beginning to end, I now had a chance to revisit the jungle of joy to find out if I was missing something about this film, which would make me love it…
The story of this film always felt a little fractured to me, where this orphan boy would just walk around the jungle and jump in and out of various situations and circumstances that ultimately puts his life in jeopardy one too many times. There are plenty of diverse characters but most of them just feels a little bit pointless. It is like this movie is missing a fundament for the fun and games, though I understand the concept of coming to terms with oneself by exploring the wide wild world and understanding why one doesn’t fit here. But maybe the manic meetings between Mowgli and mammals could have been just a tiny bit more weighted and thought out, had the story had better focus and more noticeable features. Many scenes and sequences in the film feel like they were laid out but never followed through with, which has the audience pulled around to various situations without learning much from them, before we are on to the next one. This movie lives and breathes because of its characters, who are not all equally interesting, but they are the ones who keeps this jungle alive.
Baloo is the best character by far, since he is likable and has a personality that is far more expanded than any other in the story. Bagheera seems like the central character for a while, but mostly he just runs around complaining and acting frustrated. Basically the opposite of Baloo, which is of course an obvious but important contrast. Sheere Khan is totally wasted in the story, which is a shame since he is a great villain. Obviously, the overall villain here is the jungle itself and all animals living there, but that tiger was just such a nice character and it is a shame to see him so apart from the story. It does have some kind of impact though, when he finally comes forward in the end and reveals his roaring self, so I understand the decisions made. The ending is a bit underwhelming and the movie is as well, but it is still a fairly fun time with a few highpoints to enjoy. Overall 'The Jungle Book' has the bare neccessities to survive in the wild mix of other animated classics.
-
__________________________