Reviews for The Jungle Book

I have heard this movie criticized as being just songs and "vaudeville"-type bits thrown together with only the flimsiest of plot. I say, "So what? These are great songs and extremely entertaining bits."

Besides, the movie is very involving. You'll laugh, feel like crying at several points, and experience a rousing climactic fight. The friendship between Baloo and Mowgli is touching, as is Baloo's realization that he has to do right by the boy. The voice acting is uniformly excellent, including Sterling Hollaway playing against type as Kaa, a villain.

What more could you want?

It's been a while since I've seen this movie, but not long ago I pulled it out and rediscovered the fun within it.

The Jungle Book is one of Disney's masterpieces, bringing an old tale to life in form or animation. The characters are all well-done, loveable, and fun to watch. Baloo comes across as a light-hearted, easy-going bear with a heart of gold and a tune constantly stuck in his head. Bagheera, the serious black panther, plays more of a protector to young Mowgli, watching out for him most of the time. Kaa, one of my favorites, is voiced by Sterling Halloway, a different type role for him as a "villian", but simply fantastic nonetheless. Shere Khan is voiced by the late George Sanders who completely makes the character with his deep velvet voice. And who could forget the Vultures? Outcasted by the jungle, these four British-speaking birds will greatly remind anyone of the Beatles; even in their song, "We're Your Friends".

The music is my other favorite element of this film. Entirely jazzy and fun, something different from the musical heroines singing about their true loves in previous (and later) Disney films. I'll often listen to the soundtrack in my car, including one particular riff of jazzy piano and trumpet mix from "The Bare Necessities".

This is definitly a great Disney movie, one to be rediscovered again and again.

I consider "The Jungle Book" one of the best 'classic' Disney films of all time, along with Fantasia. The film is old, but the characters, music and humor will stand the test of time. This film is just plain fun.

The film is filled with humorous moments, such as Mowgli's encounters with Kaa the python, the gang of buzzards, Louie, the king of the apes, general Hathi and his army of elephants and Baloo the bear. All of the characters are enjoyable (except for Mowgli, who, while he is the main character, can get very annoying sometimes), from the sarcastic and serious Bagheera the black panther to Shere Khan, the threatening yet suave manhunter tiger. The songs are catchy and fun and the animation fully supports them. The depressing ending of the original book has been changed to a more uplifting one that also serves the Disney version better.

The film's humor and characters still give me laughs every time I watch the movie and the cheerful mood of the film takes you over. A classic in the best sense of the word.