The Jungle Book (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition)
by Wolfgang Reitherman
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bruce Reitherman, George Sanders, Louis Prima, Phil Harris, Sebastian CabotDirector: Wolfgang Reitherman
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Walt Disney
Writer: Bill Peet
Writer: Ken Anderson
Writer: Larry Clemmons
Writer: Ralph Wright
Writer: Rudyard Kipling
Writer: Vance Gerry
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: AC-3, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Restored, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 78 minutes
Published: 2007-10-01
DVD Release Date: 2007-10-02
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- The Jungle Book 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition
- The Jungle Book
Movie Reviews of The Jungle Book (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition)
Movie Review: This DVD is a Bare Necessity! But not a Bare Bones one!
Summary: 5 Stars
A majestic black panther named Bagheera comes across a human baby all alone in an Indian jungle. Concerned for the child's wellbeing, he delivers it to a family of wolves in the hopes that they will take him in as one of their own. They do, and the boy, Mowgli, grows up happily among the animals as a creature of the jungle. But when the ferocious, man-hating tiger Shere Khan returns to the area on a mission to kill the boy, Mowgli's animal friends must conspire to return him to the safety of the man-village from whence he came.
Bagheera and Mowgli set forth on the long journey to the village and encounter some of Disney's greatest characters along the way. The best one being, without a doubt, Baloo the bear, who immediately adopts Mowgli after the boy discovers the purpose of his excursion with Bagheera and refuses to continue. Mowgli is happy where he is, and Baloo is all set to teach his new man-cub how to be a bear and live off the bare necessities. However, with such dangers as Kaa the hypnotic python, King Louie the would-be pyromaniac orangutan and his monkey troupe, and of course the menacing, deadly Shere Khan lurking about in search of the boy, even the carefree Baloo will have to take into consideration what is best for the child.
Truly one of the finest Disney animated features of all-time, and possibly my favorite from Walt's day (though, that's a very tough call), "The Jungle Book" is a must have for anyone who loves Disney animation or just animation in general! This is still considered some of the finest character animation of all-time! And that's what "The Jungle Book" is all about, the characters! The plot is simple, no doubt about that. It's a road-trip through the jungle with survival being the key concern. There's more emotion and entertainment to it than you might think though, thanks to those outstanding character creations! This film has plenty of laughs and heart, and some of the best music you've ever heard (thanks to the Sherman Brothers, Terry Gilkyson, and George Bruns)! Wonderfully directed by Disney animation legend Wolfgang Reitherman, whose son Bruce was the voice of Mowgli, and guided by the master himself, Walt Disney, as the last animated feature he would personally oversee, "The Jungle Book" was deservedly an instant smash success! The virtually "living" animation and simple storytelling demonstrate Disney filmmaking at its best, and one of the songs (Bare Necessities) even earned an Academy Award Nomination! And for those who think casting big-name celebs in animated films detracts from the overall effect, it certainly didn't hurt this Disney Masterpiece! The cast roster includes such folks as Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima, George Sanders, and even Clint Howard, among others! It was even intended to use the Beatles as the voices of the vultures, but I guess they felt they were bigger than Jungle Book. Oh well, I always preferred The Monkees myself! Though, this film features a different kind of monkey.
Without a doubt, if you own a DVD player, you should own this DVD, and "The Jungle Book" has never looked better! This newly restored version, presented here in a widescreen format that gives us less on the top and bottom (but more on the sides) than the old, bare-bones release, looks and sounds great and is loaded with extras spread out over 2-discs. Before I get to the extras though, I know everyone is concerned about the aspect ratio thing. Well, there seems to be debate over whether Disney should have gone the matted route. Some say the film was intended to be cropped into a widescreen version for its theatrical release, some argue that it was not. Clearly, Disney should have included both options in this set, but my best advice is to not throw your Limited Issue "Jungle Book" DVD out if this is a problem for you. I probably will hang on to mine. Of course, most of you probably don't have the L.I. DVD, but whether you do or not, don't hesitate to pick up this newer edition. The picture, matted as it is, looks amazing, and the extras are so great. Sure, there could have been more. Disney has somewhat slacked off on the Platinum Editions most of the time in comparison to the initial Snow White release, but there is still a lot of must have stuff for the Jungle Book fan!
In addition to the film itself, Disc One holds a wonderful audio commentary with Bruce Reitherman (Mowgli's voice and son of the film's director), composer Richard Sherman, and current Disney master animator and self-professed number one Jungle Book fan Andreas Deja. Archival recordings of animators who worked on the film are also played during the commentary, and it all adds up to one very informative and enjoyable, even touching experience. The first disc also includes the "Music and More" section, which holds your standard, cheezy Disney Channel teen update video, this one being the Jonas Brothers performing "I Wanna Be Like You," and a set of three sing-along song selections from the film, as well as two other far more fascinating features. These are a group of audio selections of deleted songs from a very different version of the film that Walt felt was too dark for a Disney animated feature, and a deleted character/scene of a dim-witted rhino named Rocky put together in voiced storyboard format. The deleted scene is quite interesting to watch, especially with its more Beatle-esque version of "That's What Friends Are For," but overall it's not something that you'll regret having been cut. The deleted songs, on the other hand, are a bit more substantial and bring to mind the much earlier, live-action "Jungle Book" film starring Sabu. Besides all that great stuff, there is a promo for the Disney Wildlife Worldwide Conservation Fund, and the disc is also enhanced with Disney Fast Play for the kiddies.
Disc Two features the bulk of the extras, of course, the main one being the expected "Making-Of" featurette, "The Bare Necessities: The Making of The Jungle Book." This is an excellent 46 and half (or so) minute featurette full of great interviews and with a really tear-jerking section that goes into Walt's death during the making of the film. It really is a captivating watch, and it can be viewed in sections if one chooses. Other featurettes include a first-rate comparison between Disney's version of the film and the original works of Rudyard Kipling, "The Lure of the Jungle Book," in which we get to see modern animators reminisce about what "The Jungle Book" has meant to them and their careers, "Mowgli's Return to the Wild," a featurette about Bruce Reitherman's current life as a nature filmmaker and his reflections on his father, and finally "Frank and Ollie," which is not the feature-length documentary of the same title available on its own DVD, but rather a brief carry over from the Jungle Book laserdisc previously referred to as "Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston Discuss Character Animation." Besides the featurettes, there is one more group of extras that falls under the heading of "The Man Village" (as Disc Two is divided into two sections), and that is the Art Galleries. These are what you have come to expect from Disney Platinum releases and are all very appreciated by us Disney animation fanatics, of course. The other section of Disc Two falls under the heading of "Jungle Fun," and, to be honest, it's mostly just for the kids, though I do like the Disneypedias. The bulk of the section is 4 games that can be played as one long game, but I had trouble playing them on my player (which probably has more to do with the player than the disc) and I wasn't too interested anyway. I'd rather have trivia games if anything. There's also some sort of English teaching game that is separate from those others. Now, that was in interesting inclusion. I think it could work to teach any kids the names of animals though. As I said, there is a Disneypedia in this section, which is sort of like a Disney-fied Animal Planet program (running just under 15 minutes). Here, we get to see and learn about the real animals and locations from the film, and while it's aimed at kids too, it can also be enjoyed by adults.
While the DVD extras do lack any theatrical trailers for the feature itself and movie poster art in the gallery section, this still adds up to a fantastic, must-own DVD, as are all the Disney Platinum Edition releases. I suppose that's the real reason why Disney hasn't been putting as much into them as they could lately. Even with less content than the earlier Platinums, they still are amazing sets, especially compared to the original, bare bones releases. "The Jungle Book" was released in 1967, by the way, almost a full year after Walt's death. It is inarguably one of his greatest achievements. In 2003, Disney released an all new sequel to theaters, "The Jungle Book 2." Despite what most hardcore Disney fans would say, I feel there was great potential in a sequel to the '67 classic. We still hadn't seen what life was like for Mowgli in the Man-Village, and here was the opportunity. Unfortunately, as with most of the sequels to Disney classics, the film was made strictly with a child audience in mind, and it didn't meet its full potential. Also, some great characters weren't included and colors were just plain wrong. It was a theatrical release that looked more like a better-than-average direct-to-video release. While it's not without a certain level of entertainment value, most adult viewers will probably only find merit in this original Masterpiece. If you have to have more of Baloo, Louie, and Shere Khan though, you might first want to pick up the 1990 television series "TaleSpin" on DVD. That is, if you don't mind Baloo being transformed into a 1930's aviator in a world of anthropomorphic animals, ha. It really is a wonderful show. There was also a later program more loyal to the Jungle Book setting but featuring the main animal characters as children. It was called "Jungle Cubs," and it was a cute show for the younger set, but it's still not available for purchase. Various live-action Jungle Book films also exist (both by Disney and other studios), and there is a fine cartoon short by Chuck Jones entitled "Mowgli's Brothers." Of course, the 1967 Disney animated classic is as good as it gets!
Summary of The Jungle Book (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition)
The lush and lively jungle comes alive in this exciting 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition of THE JUNGLE BOOK brilliantly restored with enhanced picture and sound. Experience the song-filled celebration of friendship fun and adventure that was the last film to receive Walt Disney's personal touch. Embark on a thrilling adventure-filled journey with the boy Mowgli as he makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera the wise panther. Along the way he meets jazzy King Louie the hypnotic snake Kaa and the lovable happy-go-lucky bear Baloo who teaches Mowgli "The Bare Necessities" of life and the true meaning of friendship. Swing into a jungle of fun in this 2-disc Platinum Edition DVD with all-new bonus features. Meet the long-lost character Rocky the Rhino and experience never-before-heard deleted songs all-new games and much more!System Requirements:Running Time: 78 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 786936717488 Manufacturer No: 05261500Similar DVD Movies
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