← Back to Reviews
in
The Jungle Book (1967) https://letterboxd.com/smudgeefc1985...e-jungle-book/
The Big Disney Challenge 19/56
And here we are, the last animated Disney film that Walt himself had a hand in, and it wasnt a bad one to go out with was it? Like so many others, it's not the most exciting or creative story in the world, but it is brought to life by great music and characters. What stands out most is the balance here. There are so many great characters, and nobody outstays their welcome, all playing a wider part in an ensemble story. It's one of the funnier films so far, much of which provided by Baloo (one that still always makes me laugh is where he shouts out looking for Bagheera across the jungle, Bagheera then turns up, only for Baloo to not notice again and shout in his face..."oh you heard me?") and overall is easily one of the funniest and most enjoyable Disney films yet.
Best Song: Bare Necessities
Has to be doesnt it?
Best Scene:
Baloo steals every scene he's in, and takes all the best lines. I love the whole scene when he first meets Mowgli. The comedy is so string in this. Mowgli's 'big bear growl' still makes me laugh every time too, it's so pitiful!
As An Adult:
We are all Baloo at the end when the girl from the Man Village seduces Mowgli at the end. "She did that on purpose!"
Racism-watch:
Oh boy...a lot to dissect here. While there is at least a little credit given in that Mowgli and girl from the village are not actually white, that's...progressive. There is a lot going on under the surface here, mainly with the monkeys. It seems too that the original choice to play King Louis was Louis Armstrong, though seemingly with the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Disney were wary to cast a black man in the role of a monkey...so instead cast lots of white men talking black. All very reminiscent of the crows in Dumbo nearly 30 years earlier.
Did I Cry?
You dont have a heart if you didnt cry when Mowgli thinks Baloo is dead.
The Big Disney Challenge 19/56
And here we are, the last animated Disney film that Walt himself had a hand in, and it wasnt a bad one to go out with was it? Like so many others, it's not the most exciting or creative story in the world, but it is brought to life by great music and characters. What stands out most is the balance here. There are so many great characters, and nobody outstays their welcome, all playing a wider part in an ensemble story. It's one of the funnier films so far, much of which provided by Baloo (one that still always makes me laugh is where he shouts out looking for Bagheera across the jungle, Bagheera then turns up, only for Baloo to not notice again and shout in his face..."oh you heard me?") and overall is easily one of the funniest and most enjoyable Disney films yet.
Best Song: Bare Necessities
Has to be doesnt it?
Best Scene:
Baloo steals every scene he's in, and takes all the best lines. I love the whole scene when he first meets Mowgli. The comedy is so string in this. Mowgli's 'big bear growl' still makes me laugh every time too, it's so pitiful!
As An Adult:
We are all Baloo at the end when the girl from the Man Village seduces Mowgli at the end. "She did that on purpose!"
Racism-watch:
Oh boy...a lot to dissect here. While there is at least a little credit given in that Mowgli and girl from the village are not actually white, that's...progressive. There is a lot going on under the surface here, mainly with the monkeys. It seems too that the original choice to play King Louis was Louis Armstrong, though seemingly with the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Disney were wary to cast a black man in the role of a monkey...so instead cast lots of white men talking black. All very reminiscent of the crows in Dumbo nearly 30 years earlier.
Did I Cry?
You dont have a heart if you didnt cry when Mowgli thinks Baloo is dead.