The Jungle Book

Based on Rudyard Kipling's magical stories and inspired by Disney's 1967 animated classic, this eye-popping, live-action, epic adventure revolves around the man-cub Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi). An orphaned toddler, Mowgli was found in India's jungle by the black panther Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley) and raised by a family of wolves, led by Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) and Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o). Observing a truce during the drought, both the predators and prey live in harmony, gathering around the water hole—until the snarling, vengeful Bengal tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) comes searching for Mowgli. It seems that Shere Khan was burned and scarred by the “red flower” (aka fire) that was wielded in self-defense by Mowgli's late father. To protect Mowgli, Bagheera decides to return him to his own people. But the journey is filled with danger and diversions, as Mowgli is caught in the chest-crushing coils of the slithering, seductive python Kaa (hissed by Scarlett Johansson), and rescued by honey-hustling bear Baloo (Bill Murray), only to be bullied by King Louis (Christopher Walken), a gigantic orangutan-like ape. Utilizing motion capture, Disney's Imagineering design arm, director Jon Favreau, and cinematographer Bill Pope seamlessly integrate a human actor with photorealistic CGI animals in an exotic environment, while also incorporating two familiar songs: “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan'na Be Like You.” Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “King Louie's Temple: Layer By Layer” featurette about the song sequence for “I Wan'na Be Like You” (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is audio commentary by director Jon Favreau, the production featurettes “The Jungle Book Reimagined” (35 min.) and “I Am Mowgli” with star Neel Sethi (8 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package—on the Blu-ray release—for this winning live-action re-imagining of a Disney animated classic.] (S. Granger)