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| The 3-D Display at my local AMC Theatre |
I fall in the "Leave the original alone"/ Look at any remake with a critical eye crowd, especially when it comes to Disney Animation. Most movies do not need a remake or reboot just to please the crowd. The risk of butchering it is too great. So I went in with an extremely critical eye. I was not sure what to expect beyond the two trailers I had seen, the first released one and the one where Scarlett Johansson as Kaa first appears. From the trailers I was impressed and terrified out of my wits with the Kaa trailer. I have a paralyzing fear of snakes and I wanted to make sure I could handle the Kaa scenes. I can sit and watch the 1967 animated version of Kaa til the cows come home but the live-action Kaa I can't. So if you have a phobia or a fear of snakes you will want to look away from the screen if not leave when Kaa starts to slither in on the screen due to the way the sound came through the speakers. If you have a love of snakes then you will love the live action Kaa. There is also one rattlesnake/cobra that does pop up at the beginning of the water truce scene.
It is not as lighthearted as the 1967 animation version was. However, it is just as heartwarming and there was just enough comical scenes to balance out the darker scenes. It was about as dark as I have Terry Gilkyson and Bill Peet's original animated version to be. Bill Peet was one of the original storymen and took the same dark tone of the book for the first story draft. Terry Gilkyson was original lyricist and composer for The Jungle Book before The Sherman Brothers came in after Walt Disney decided he wanted a more lighthearted version. The only song of Terry Gilkyson's that made it into both films was "The Bare Necessities". I was happy to hear that song made it into the live-action remake. Bill Murray and Neel Seethi did an adorable take on the song. The other song to make it into the live-action film was "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)". I was happy to hear that one made it in and even more delighted when I found out that Richard Sherman, the original author to the song, reworked a couple of stanzas due to the particular type of orangutan King Louie is in the live action film. I gotta say Christopher Walken (King Louie) does the song justice. He's no Louis Prima yet he puts his own spin on such an iconic and memorable song. Unlike the 1967 version, this movie shows the realness of a world with true animal hierarchy.
The cast did an amazing job! The characters were perfectly voiced and did a great job stepping into some huge shoes the 1967 cast made. Neel Seethi was a perfect Mowgli, just the right amount of sass, obediance, and naiveness. Ben Kingsley portrays Bagheera with the same no-nonsense father tone Sebastian Cabot did 49 years ago, though Ben sounded just a little bit stricter. Lupita Nyong'O brought such warmth, grace and protective motherness to Rashka, a character that was not seen much in 1967. Giancarlo Esposito voiced Akela in a way that at times I had to do a double take. He sounded really close to John Abbott's Akela. I must admit I did reserve a lot of judgement when I first heard Bill Murray was cast as Baloo. I have quite the fondness for Phil Harris's Baloo. Bill Murray did a wonderful job and kept Baloo as the lazy, resourceful bear I know and love. Yet he also added a bit more stealth in his voice to get what he wanted. Phil Harris brought more fun and laughter to get his way. Christopher Walken voiced King Louie in a way I think Louis Prima would have been proud. Christopher gave a commanding preformance that made King Louie just as big as he is! Scarlett Johannson did wonderful as Kaa. Even before she was seen onscreen, she still managed to instill fear and a sense that Kaa knew everything that went on in the jungle, a much darker sinister snake than Sterling Holloway's. She had a way with her voice that let you know she was/is the number one snake of the jungle even if you don't look at the screen. Shere Khan is more fear-inducing in the live-action in both looks and voice. Idris Elba brought the same hatred of man that George Sanders did in 1967. Where George Sanders brought a gentlemanly elegance to Shere Khan's hatred and manners, Idris brings a more raw authoritarian air almost dictator-like to Shere Khan and pulls his hatred from a very dark place in Shere Khan's soul. It was quite wonderful to have to do double takes on many of the voices and lines while at the same time hearing a fresh new spin on many of my favorite quotes/lines.
There were quite a few spots where I jumped because of the action that was taking place. Yet I could not take my eyes away from the screen. The animators did a wonderful job making the animals appear to speak naturally. Each animal's eyes talked just as much as their mouths. The mouth movements looked so natural. I loved the depth of the jungle that the IMAX 3D screen gave. I got a great feel for how large and how deep the jungle is. The backgrounds are beyond amazing and stunning. At times I was envious of Mowgli for getting to live in such a beautiful (yet dangerous) world! There are plenty of Easter Eggs to be found for diehard animation fans like myself. One of my favorite Easter Eggs was them using the original book from the 1967 animated film in such a way that it paid homage to the animated film. It has aged well and the ending was a nice twist that leaves open the possibility of a sequel or two. I could go on and on but then I would be giving spoilers and no one likes a movie spoiler!
Until Next Time Keep Cooking With Character!
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