Yaaay, another Disney movie in a year. After Zootopia this is another one from Disney which is a remake & live adaption of Disney's cartoon classic from 1967. There was also another version in 1994 played by Jason Scott Lee where the main character, Mowgli was shown from childhood until adult. But that was not from Walt Disney Pictures.
For the younger generation who has never heard about this title, the movie is adapted from novel written by Rudyard Kipling, an English author in the 19th century who was born in India and stayed there for few years before moving back to England. Which I believe is the reason why most his novels were having Indian background. Well, that's about all I can tell about him. You can learn more about him and his novels from the internet.
The movie itself starts with a small Indian boy named Mowgli who was running together with a black panther named Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley - Gandhi, Schindler's List, Iron Man 3 etc). Mowgli fell from a dead tree and was reminded by Bagheera to always know the signs of dead trees to avoid falling down in future. They both returned to the wolves pack led by Akela (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito) where all the wolves were always reminded about the strength of a pack and always follow the "wolf way". It's also shown that Mowgli was raised by female wolf, Raksha (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave, Non-Stop etc) from very young age after Bagheera found Mowgli abandoned in the jungle years back.
One day during a very dry season, the river water became dry and the base became so low that the Peace Rock showed itself. It is the time when all animals in the jungle can drink water from the river together without any animal hunting one another. Mowgli having his first experience of "water truce" came to the river and was looked with curious eyes by other animals. When the very fierce tiger named Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba - Thor, Pacific Rim etc) came, all animals were afraid of him. He found out about Mowgli who was protected by Akela and the wolf pack. Shere Khan held a grudge to men since his face was scarred by a man using "red flower" (the term animals refer to for "fire"). Shere Khan threatened Akela to release Mowgli to him so he could personally kill him. He also reminded the wolf pack that the dry season could not last forever and the truce would be lifted in the near future.
When the rainy season finally came, the wolf pack was divisive with groups that wanted to protect Mowgli (especially Raksha who considered herself as Mowgli's mother) and the rest that feared Shere Khan. Knowing this, Mowgli decided that he should leave the pack. Bagheera and Akela agreed that going back to the men village would be better for Mowgli as they can protect him from Shere Khan. Bagheera would accompany Mowgli during this trip.
After leaving the pack and during their journey, Shere Khan managed to catch up with Bagheera and Mowgli. They got separated during this chase and Mowgli was told to go to a place where Bagheera would meet him. In this location, Mowgli met with Kaa, a huge phyton snake (voiced by Scarlett Johansson - Lost In Translation, Lucy, and many Marvel's comic book adaptation). It was also revealed by Kaa what actually happened to Mowgli and why he was left in the jungle by himself.
Mowgli who was little bit hypnotized by Kaa fell to sleep and was awaken in a cave where a huge bear named Baloo (voiced by none other than Bill Murray) said he had saved Mowgli and in return, he had to help Baloo gather honey for Baloo's stock during winter. Using his tricks, Mowgli managed to help Baloo gather honey. They also became very good friends until Bagheera came and reminded Mowgli to return to the men village but Mowgli and Baloo disagree.
On the other hand, Shere Khan came to wolf pack's place and was furious that the pack let Mowgli leave. He threatened the wolf pack and demanded all animals to spread the news that until Mowgli comes back, the wolf's spot will be his.
Baloo who finally found out that it was Shere Khan who was trying to catch Mowgli, finally accepted Bagheera's request to convince Mowgli to return to men village. However, before they can continue the journey, Mowgli was kidnapped by a group of monkeys and was delivered to a hidden top of the mountain palace where their leader, a huge orangutan named King Louie (voiced by Christopher Walken) wanted to ask Mowgli's help to reveal the secret of "red flower".
So can Mowgli escape from King Louie's grip? What will happen to the wolf's pack under threat by Shere Khan? Will Mowgli be able to return to men village? Or would he be forced to encounter Shere Khan?
You can get all the answers after watching this movie. This is one of Disney's movie at its best. I really enjoyed watching this movie with my wife. As usual Disney's movie, there were many touching moments that made her tearful. I was truly amazed with the special effects that made all the animals seemed so alive. The voices filled by the stars were also nice and able to make the animal characters believable, particularly for me is Baloo and Shere Khan. My wife and I also like the newcomer Neel Sethi who played Mowgli. We thought that he really looked like the one in the original cartoon. Oooh there were also songs sung by Baloo and also by King Louie.
So if you are a fan of Disney's movies, you definitely have to watch this one. I think the movie is suitable for younger kids as well as older audiences. You can watch it together with your loved ones, full family or with your friends. I believe this one is another classic.
Mike's movie moments rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
