The Jungle Book (1967)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Admirable film.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

'The Jungle Book (1967)' has an odd sort of structure, or lack of it, which leads to a lax pace and utter absence of urgency thats's evocative of an overall aimless experience. In the end, it's a somewhat lazy - and, indeed, somewhat lazily put-together (see the multiple pieces of readily apparent reused animation, sometimes just minutes apart) - slumber through extended but unexciting set-piece after set-piece that actually seems in dire need of a proper 'story' - that is, one with character arcs, proper conflict, rising tension and generally more traditional 'beats' - regardless of how closely if follows the events of its source material. The picture isn't devoid of merit, however, as it is a traditionally animated Disney movie and, no matter how stuffy or stiff it seems or how obvious its 'corner cutting' is, there's always a general sense of an unshakable charm, a feeling that the flick is a free-flowing story-book come-to-life like most of the studio's attempts usually are. A couple of song-and-dance scenes stand out not for their narrative merit - or even, particularity, their musical ones (though the songs themselves, sung solo, are certainly good and have stood the test of time) - but for their lively animation and cheerful choreography. These pop off the screen as sequences that deviate from the rest of the movie's slightly 'lower-rent' status and easily align themselves shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best of their peers, to the point that they feel like the only reason you'd ever actually watch the movie. Ultimately, there's little here. It's a decent if dull picture that plays it by-the-book and only has a couple of scenes that really stand out, as well as the odd quirk indicative of the style and time. 5/10

There aren't many animated Disney films I don't like; actually, I think every single one of them until the end of the seventies was amazing. But for me, this is the one that stands out. Wolfgang Reitherman has directed some of the studio's best - but here he has created his masterpiece. It has fantastic animation, fantastic characters - and what a killer soundtrack! This film will stay with me forever, and I'm so happy it was created.

This movie is one of the most remarkable of my childhood and I am sure it was part of the childhood of hundreds of other children. It tells the story of a human child who is found and raised by animals in the middle of the Indian jungle, living there until being forced to return to the human village due to the hatred that Shere Khan, a Bengal tiger, fed to humans due to the hunt. It is a light adaptation of a famous novel of the Victorian era. Visually, it is a magnificent movie, using the luxuriant Indian forest to brighten the screen. The animations were very well done and the colors are great, just like most of the sound effects. Its one of the animations of the Disney's golden age that more focuses on song, with several being created for it. Most of them have been in the ears of generations, like "Wanna be like you" or "Bare Neccessities". There are some critics who advocate the idea that the use of black jazz rhythms at a moment when many monkeys appear is a symptom of racism or prejudice. I don't know to what extent that was the intention but I feel it is something to be devalued. After all, the film has been done for decades and, especially in recent years, social censorship points out all that can, even slightly and unintentionally, have racist connotations, in a nonsense witch hunt that is as dangerous as the racism itself. Controversy aside, it's a timeless movie that will definitely continue to make the delights of kids and adults.

How can you not love this famous story. We are introduced to Mowgli, raised by wild animals, all of whom have memorable personalities. Most of them are benevolent creatures who direct the young man to a life where he is loved. Of course, the jungle is filled with threats, from Kaa to Shere Khan. There are wonderful songs an animation that knows no peer. This was produced in the Disney heyday and sparkles from beginning to end. There are other versions that put more fang into the story. They have their merits as well, but this is the one that most of us remember. It's a story of love and caring that all kids and adults should enjoy.