The Jungle Book (2016)
Composite Score: 83.13
Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, and Brighton Rose Favreau
Director: Jon Favreau
Writer: Justin Marks
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG for some sequences of scary action and peril
Box Office: $966.55 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Jungle Book is the 2016 adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s famous works and the animated Disney film of the same name. It was the fourth such Disney adaptation of the 2010s, this one directed by Jon Favreau and featuring many new visual effects to create fully CGI animals, voiced by a star-studded cast of performers. The film grossed nearly $1 billion and won the Academy Award and BAFTA for its visual effects. It remains one of the better live action adaptations that Disney has released, and apparently has a sequel in the works coming in 2026.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
The Jungle Book (2016) just isn’t that fantastic. Yes, it’s a solid watch-together film that is good enough and different enough from the original to keep the adults entertained while keeping the kids going with animated animals, songs, and some light action. Here’s the deal, though: I’m not convinced that being a solid family movie warrants being considered one of the Greatest Films of All Time. If this movie did not have the Disney recognition, the names of the cast attached, or Jon Favreau as its director but was exactly the same otherwise, it probably rests as a fairly average live action family film, having made like $150 million and maybe (big maybe) pulling an award nomination for its visuals – nowhere near as successful. Branding helps I guess, so here we are.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Most of the deviation from the story of the 1967 animated film The Jungle Book serves to make this film a better and more entertaining adaptation of Kipling’s work. Expounding upon Mowgli’s familial relations with the wolves and highlighting his skills with tools (“tricks”) give the film a more authentic feel and help the world of the story feel more lived-in. Giving Shere Khan personal motivation for why he wants to kill Mowgli that isn’t just “Tigers are mean” expands that character and gives Mowgli more chance for character development as well. Tweaking the scene with King Louie and making that character into a scary side villain rather than an offensive caricature goes a long way in improving upon the original work as well (even if Christopher Walken singing “I Wanna Be Like You” will haunt my dreams for a long time). Again, this isn’t a bad film, I’m just not positive that it’s great.
Well-informed deviations from the original animated film’s plot and characters combined with excellent visual effects have earned The Jungle Book (2016) a place among the Greatest Films of All Time. Though it might not be the most noteworthy addition to the ranks, the film’s originality and entertainment value make it worth checking out more than the rest of Disney’s catalogue of live-action remakes. It is currently available to stream on Disney+ if that’s something you’d like to do.