Being between disc deliveries and aware that this movie would stop streaming soon, I gave it priority. I hadn't been sure I would ever see it, since I'm not keen on Disney (re-)remaking its own classics. But it does get online ratings to rival if not best the 1967 full animation, and it didn't look like a total retread in ads.
Not that it's much if any closer to the Rudyard Kipling story collection either. The focus remains on pre-adolescent "man cub" Mowgli (Neel Sethi) living among wolves until semi-guardian panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) compels him to leave for a village before misanthropic tiger Shere Khan (Disney favorite Idris Elba), thought to be a match for the entire pack, can hunt him down. After some trouble separates Mowgli from Bagheera, he meets sloth bear Baloo (Bill Murray), who wants him to stay in the jungle as a comrade, lest he become just like other humans. Further complicating the question of what to do is Shere Khan's threat to the wolf pack if Mowgli should escape for good.
Now, it's been nearly 30 years since the one time I watched the '67 version from start to finish, so I have to rely on secondary sources to supplement my memory, but I'm pretty sure that Shere Khan wasn't quite like this. Before, he seemed merely to enjoy the chance to eat a man cub for reasons of appetite, making sure no one else would eat Mowgli first. This time, he's much grumpier and doesn't particularly care whether he gets a bite as long as Mowgli dies somehow. He tries to convince all other animals that humans are too dangerous to allow to grow up, and he has the facial scars to demonstrate. (Small wonder I thought of The Lion King about as much as the actual animated source.) I might sympathize with him if he weren't willing to kill any number of creatures to get at Mowgli -- and if he hadn't gotten the scar in the process of invading a hut to kill humans. (Just how safe would Mowgli be in that nearby village?)
Yes, this latest telling is a bit grittier, with a few explicit casualties. Mowgli even bleeds sometimes. And despite Murray, the late Garry Shandling, and other comic actors, the antics have been reduced, at least on the physical side. But I wouldn't worry much about how little kids will take it.
When I think about it, pretty much all characters have changed at least subtly. Mowgli, while possibly younger than his animated counterpart, has become a good deal more impressive. After some parkour to make Tarzan blush, he demonstrates a knack for tool creation and use. This is especially innovative for someone who can't remember his infancy in civilization and whose current family discourages "tricks" over lupine tradition. Indeed, I detect an increased focus on Mowgli's complicated relationship to the wolves, dearly beloved by his adoptive mother (Lupita Nyong'o) and adorable siblings but still feeling a tad out of place, with many adults having their doubts about him.
Might I add that Sethi is well cast. Never mind that he has an actual Indian heritage (Disney must have felt progressive enough with an Indian lead voiced by a White kid in '67); he expresses emotion better than I expect from a child actor, especially considering that every character around him is either a puppet or CG. My one complaint is that he could have spoken more articulately for a few lines early on.
The way I recall TJB'67, I rather liked sensible Bagheera and found irresponsible Baloo a trifle annoying. (Shows what kind of kid I was.) In TJB'16, Bagheera comes across as overly stodgy in his care. He has to learn what ought to be acceptable for a human in the wild. Baloo, meanwhile, has gotten insincere, urging Mowgli to go to more trouble than necessary to help Baloo "survive" in a lax lifestyle. Ironically, this makes me like him a little better, giving him more character and perhaps more room for growth as well.
Getting back to antagonists, you may recall Kaa the python featuring prominently in ads, this time with the sultry feminine pipes of Scarlett Johansson. In truth, she gets only one scene, and her "Trust in Me" song plays only during the end credits. Not at all played for laughs, she is now larger and creepier, albeit with less of the molester-like quality that less innocent-minded generations have sensed in '67 male Kaa. She even exhibits a magic power beyond signature hypnosis.
Kaa's not the only villain with a size upgrade. King Louie has switched from an orangutan to a strangely non-extinct Gigantopithecus, and they changed the lyrics of "I Wanna Be Like You" to reflect this. (The dialogue also never mentions his principal interest, fire, by name; it is now "the red flower.") Since any attempt to replicate Louis Prima today would fall flat, he's now voiced by Christopher Walken, who projects more of a mob boss with a protection racket than a king. The song still sounds OK, but it's a little awkward with no dancing and, in fact, no spoken words from the rest of the primates.
That points to perhaps the biggest hole in this adaptation: the treatment of music. The only other song to play before the credits is "Bare Necessities," and then, too, not much goes on besides singing. Does it even count as a musical anymore? It can't help but make one nostalgic for the original presentations. At least the background music is still effective.
Much better, for the most part, are the graphics. It's a beautiful rainforest when not played for ugliness. The action sequences are a delight. The animals tend toward authenticity in appearance; had I watched in 3D, I might have reached to pet some on impulse. At the same time, many details are a little too neat for credence, not least those concerning Mowgli. Hey, it's still Disney first and foremost.
I won't describe the ending, except to say that it departs extra strongly from the previous animation. It may even teach an incompatible lesson. We'll see whether the planned sequel mixes things up further.
In any case, color me impressed. Overall, I like TJB'16 a little better than what I recall of TJB'67. It sheds some of the aspects that haven't aged well and brings in a touch of maturity. It strikes the delicate balance between too alike and too radically different. Unless you love its predecessor to pieces, you won't find the changes treacherous.
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