The Jungle Book (1967)

I had not watched Disney’s The Jungle Book since I was a child. Family friends passed their beloved Disney VHS tapes on to us and Kile had much fun looking through them and picking this movie out for our weekend family movie night.

The Jungle Book is the story of the “man cub” Mowgli. He is adopted and raised by a pack of wolves as a baby. When he gets older, it is decided that he should be taken to the man village. The movie is the story of his journey. He meets a variety of interesting animal characters that sing a host of unforgettable tunes. Especially memorable was Mowgli’s friendship with Baloo the Bear and his song, “The Bare Necessities.” We kept singing this song on and off all weekend!

Also interesting was a making of the movie extra that was included on the tape. I didn’t know this was Walt Disney’s last movie (he died during the production of it). It was also interesting learning how the characters were developed. One thing helped me to understand what I have always wondered, why is this movie and the 1990’s live action version completely different than the book. Walt Disney himself told the animators to not read the book and to just use the basic story of a boy raised by wolves returning to a human village. I loved the book when I was in high school; it was a very unique story. I can see how it would be difficult to bring to the screen.

Kile really enjoyed this movie, and Ben and I both enjoyed watching it again all of these years later. It is definitely a Disney classic.