The Jungle Book (Reitherman, 1967) (40th Anniversary Platinum Edition)

Star Review

The last film Walt worked on during his lifetime, The Jungle Book has all the ingredients of a Disney classic: timeless source material (Kipling no less!), strong voice cast (Phil Harris and Sterling Holloway) and animation that recalled the studio’s golden age. But The Jungle Book has secured its rightful place in the Disney pantheon for one good reason: the music. With the Sherman Brothers’ sssssumptuous Trust in Me; their toe-tapping I Wanna Be Like You; and Terry Gilkyson’s Oscar-nominated scat, The Bare Necessities, this was the first animated film soundtrack to go gold.
Made in 1967 and only previously released on DVD in a limited edition run in 1999, The Jungle Book still feels fresh – the characters fizz with energy and pizzaz, from the grizzled hipster Baloo and a moptop quartet of Merseybeat vultures, to the King of the Swingers himself, King Louie.
Only Disney could weave Kipling’s colonial-era narrative into a coming-of-age slacker comedy, and the colour and excitement of the jungle is the perfect background to this fantastic family film, which is the bare essential of any collection.

Milo Wakelin on 17th October 2007

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Film Description

The last film Walt Disney worked on before his death, The Jungle Book is the perfect distillation of all that is great about Disney films. With memorable characters, toe-tapping songs, this is an entertaining adaptation of Kipling's classic tale of the lost boy who is raised in the jungles of India that will appeal to the whole family.

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DVD Extras

• 2 discs
• Lost Character: Rocky the Rhino
• Sherman Brothers Legacy
• Baloo's Swinging Jungle Cruise
• Unused Songs
• Audio Commentary
• Making of
• Disney's Kipling: Walt's Magic Touch on a Literary Classic
• The Lure of The Jungle Book
• Mowgli's Return to the Wild
• Games and Activities.

Film Details

Technical Details