20260528-20160408-0-51728198
Critic's Rating: 4.0
Story: Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale of a young boy brought up in the jungle by various animals is brought to life once again on the big screen in a fittingly wonderful way. Mowgli leads a peaceful and happy life with a wolf pack led by Akela (Esposito) and Raksha (Nyong’o) until the tiger Shere Khan (Elba) enters the scene, bearing an old grudge and an insatiable desire for revenge.

Review: If you go to the cinema to watch a movie that will draw you into a fantasy world of wonder, Favreau’s retelling of this story – which so many of us remember from childhood – manages to weave that magic. We all know how the story plays out. With the panther Bagheera’s (Kingsley) help, Mowgli (Sethi) tries to stay away from Shere Khan. He also encounters the devious python Kaa (Johansson), a super-sized orangutan with a soul-singer’s baritone named King Louie (Walken) desperate to obtain the ‘red flower’( which is fire) and of course, Baloo the grizzly bear (Murray). These are the key characters, but you’ll also be delighted to discover a few new entrants along the way as well. It all builds on the charm of the 1967 film, which by itself is a must watch for any child.

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While Sethi is of course, the only real person in here, all the animals have a fantastic degree of photorealism. And Sethi’s interaction with the animals throughout the duration of the movie, given that they are CGI, is completely convincing. He combines innocence and warmth with the survival skills and resourcefulness of someone far older.

While Favreau is faithful to the old elements, (old songs like Bare Necessities included, of course) he also brings in a few new subtle touches as well in order to keep things interesting. While the King Louie scene is one of the many high points, Kaa’s screen time could have been lengthened a bit, though. Nonetheless, the performance of the voice cast is spot-on. But more than anything, the intricate landscaping, masterful camerawork and environment (actually filmed in Downtown Los Angeles) create a delightfully immersive experience. Heartwarming and enjoyable.
Summary / Analysis

Spoiler alert! Please do not read the following plot summary if you have not seen the film.
Plot Summary

Mowgli is a human boy raised by the Indian wolves Raksha and Akela ever since he was a baby and brought to them by Bagheera the black panther. When the fearsome scarred Bengal tiger Shere Khan threatens his life since man isn't allowed in the jungle, Mowgli leaves his jungle home. Guided by Bagheera and Baloo the bear, he sets out on a journey of self-discovery while evading the man-hunting Shere Khan. Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who do not exactly have his best interests at heart including Kaa the python and the smooth-talking Bornean orangutan-resembling Gigantopithecus King Louie, who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly "red flower".
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Trivia & Goofs

TRIVIA

1. Kaa, the Snake, has been portrayed as a female for the first time ever because Jon Favreau felt there were too many male characters in ‘The Jungle Book’ (1967).

2. The film sees Bill Murray voicing Baloo. Incidentally, his elder brother Brian Doyle-Murray to voiced the same character in 'The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story' (1998).

3. All the locations in the film have been generated via VFX.

4. For the on-set performances, elaborate life-sized puppets were built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop to act alongside Mowgli and serve as eye-lines.

5. The film's Indian release date, April 8, 2016, is a week ahead of its release date in US.

Twitter Reaction

U/A certificate to Disney's 'The Jungle Book' has raised several eyebrows in India but the movie saw a great start at the Box office. The film, which stars Indian-American actor Neel Sethi has been well received by the Indian audience and here's what Twitarati has to say about it...

Box Office
Hollywood film, 'The Jungle Book,' has broken all records at the box-office with its smashing performance in India. The film now stands at Rs 176.50 crore nett in five weeks. It has now become the biggest grosser of the year with 'Airlift' and 'Fan' standing at second and third position. It also became recorded the fifth highest fifth week in history after '3 Idiots', 'Gadar - Ek Prem Katha', 'Lage Raho 'Munnabhai' and 'Aashiqui 2'.

The film collected Rs 74 crore in its first week and Rs 27 crore nett in its second week. It has also become the second highest inflation adjusted Hollywood grosser in India, after 'Titanic,' keeping in mind the inflation rate. It has emerged as the highest grossing Hollywood film in India, leaving 'Fast and Furious 7' behind. The latter earned Rs 121 crore at the domestic box office.

The film had set the cash registers jingling within three days of its run at the Indian box-office, recording the highest first weekend by a Hollywood film at Rs 40 crore nett.

Not only this, 'The Jungle Book' also recorded the highest collection by a Hollywood release in India by clocking a whopping Rs 16.50 crore nett on its first Sunday.

The film, which stars child actor, Neel Sethi, had opened to an overwhelming response, fetching Rs 10 crore.

Day 1 Rs 10 crore
Day 2 Rs 13.75 crore
Day 3 Rs 16.50 crore
Day 4 Rs 7.50 crore
Day 5 Rs 7 crore
Day 8 Rs 8 crore
Day 9 Rs 8.50 crore
Day 10 Rs 10.50 crore
Day 11 Rs 5 crore
Day 12 Rs 6.25 crore
Day 13 Rs 6 crore approx.
Day 15 Rs 3.50 crore
Day 15 Rs 6.50 crore
Day 16 Rs 8.50 crore
Day 17 Rs 2.75 crore

(Source: Boxofficeindia.com)

FAQs
  1. What is the release date of 'The Jungle Book'?
    Release date of Neel Sethi and Bill Murray starrer 'The Jungle Book' is 2016-04-08.
  2. Who are the actors in 'The Jungle Book'?
    'The Jungle Book' star cast includes Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba.
  3. Who is the director of 'The Jungle Book'?
    'The Jungle Book' is directed by Jon Favreau.
  4. What is Genre of 'The Jungle Book'?
    'The Jungle Book' belongs to 'Drama, Adventure,Family' genre.
  5. In Which Languages is 'The Jungle Book' releasing?
    'The Jungle Book' is releasing in Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu.