| The Jungle Book | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tony Bancroft |
| Produced by | Steve O'Brien |
| Written by | Tony Bancroft Paul Dini |
| Based on | Disney's The Jungle Book by Walt Disney Wolfgang Reitherman and The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling |
| Starring | Yonas Kibreab Dwayne Johnson Hugh Jackman Jason Isaacs Andy Serkis Keegan-Michael Key J. K. Simmons |
| Music by | John Debney |
| Edited by | H. Lee Peterson |
| Production companies |
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Wonder Studios |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date | February 28, 2020 |
| Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million |
| Box office | $430 million |
The Jungle Book is a 2020 American computer-animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Wonder Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a remake of Disney's traditionally-animated 1967 film of the same name, the twentieth computer-animated remake of a Disney classic, and the eleventh one to be released theatrically. Directed by Tony Bancroft, the film features the voices of Yonas Kibreab, Dwayne Johnson, Hugh Jackman, Jason Isaacs, Andy Serkis, Keegan-Michael Key, and J. K, Simmons.
The Jungle Book was released theatrically in the United States on February 28, 2020. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who called it an "nostalgic and faithful remake" and praised the songs, animation, voice acting, sense of nostalgia, and faithfulness to the original film. The film was a box office success, earning $430 million worldwide on a $80 million budget and becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2020, despite its theatrical run being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in the widespread closure of movie theaters. Like several other films released in the early months of 2020, the film found greater success after being made available to own digitally several weeks after its theatrical run.
Plot[]
Mowgli, a young orphan boy, is found in a basket, in the deep jungles of India by Bagheera, a black panther who promptly takes him to Raksha, a mother wolf who has just had cubs. She and her mate, Rama, raise him along with their own cubs and after ten years, Mowgli becomes well acquainted with jungle life and plays with his wolf siblings. Bagheera is pleased with how happy Mowgli is now, but also worries that Mowgli must eventually return to his own kind.
One night, the wolf pack parents meet at Council Rock, having learned that Shere Khan, a merciless man-eating Bengal tiger, has returned to the pack's part of the jungle. Pack leader Akela decides that Mowgli must leave the jungle for his own safety. Bagheera volunteers to escort him to a "Man-Village". They leave that very night, but Mowgli is determined to stay in the jungle. He and Bagheera rest in a tree for the night, where Kaa, a hungry Indian phyton, tries to devour Mowgli, but Bagheera intervenes. The next morning, Mowgli tries to join the elephant patrol, led by Colonel Hathi and his wife Winifred. Bagheera finds Mowgli, but after a fight, decides to leave Mowgli on his own. Mowgli soon meets up with a laid-back, fun-loving sloth bear named Baloo, who promises to raise Mowgli himself and never take him to the Man-Village.
However, monkeys kidnap Mowgli and take him King Louie the orangutan. King Louie offers to help Mowgli stay in the jungle if he will tell Louie how to make fire, like other humans. However, since he was not raised by humans, Mowgli does not know how to make fire. Bagheera and Baloo arrive to rescue Mowgli, and in the ensuing chaos, King Louie's palace is demolished to rubble. Bagheera speaks to Baloo that night and convinces him that the jungle will never be safe for him with Shere Khan around. In the morning, Baloo reluctantly explains the Man-Village is best for Mowgli, but Mowgli chastises and accuses Baloo of breaking his promise and runs off. While Baloo sets to find Mowgli, Bagheera rallies the help of Hathi and his patrol. Shere Khan, who was eavesdropping on this, continues his search for Mowgli.
Meanwhile, Mowgli encounters Kaa, who again attempts to eat him, but he escapes; unbeknownst to him, Kaa is interfered by the suspicious Shere Khan. As a storm gathers, Mowgli encounters a group of vultures who accept him as a fellow outcast. Shere Khan appears afterwards, scaring off the vultures and confronting Mowgli. Baloo rushes to the rescue and tries to keep Shere Khan from getting the boy. When lightning strikes a nearby tree and sets it ablaze, Mowgli ties the burning branch to Shere Khan's tail. Terrified of fire, Shere Khan flees.
Baloo and Bagheera take Mowgli to the edge of the Man Village, but Mowgli is still hesitant to go there. When he arrives, however, his mind is changed when he is smitten by a beautiful young girl who is coming down by the riverside to fetch water, and follows her into the Man-Village, indicating that he made up his mind and chose to return to the Man-Village. The film ends with Bagheera and Baloo deciding to head home, content that Mowgli is safe and happy with his own kind.
Cast[]
- Yonas Kibreab as Mowgli, an orphaned boy, commonly referred to as "man-cub" by other characters.
- Dwayne Johnson as Baloo, a sloth bear who leads a carefree life and believes in letting the good things in life come by themselves.
- Hugh Jackman as Bagheera, a serious black panther who is determined to take Mowgli back to the village and disapproves of Baloo's carefree approach of life.
- Jason Isaacs as Shere Khan, an intelligent and sophisticated yet merciless Bengal tiger who hates all humans for fear of their guns and fire and wants to kill Mowgli.
- Andy Serkis as Kaa, an Indian python who also seeks Mowgli as prey, but comically fails each time he attempts to eat him.
- Keegan-Michael Key as King Louie, an orangutan who wants to be a human, and wants Mowgli to teach him how to make fire.
- J. K. Simmons as Colonel Hathi, an Indian elephant and the leader of the elephant patrol.
- Brian Cox as Akela, an Indian wolf and the leader of the pack.
- Jeff Bennett as Rama, an Indian wolf who is Raksha's mate and Mowgli's adoptive father.
- Jacki Weaver as Winifred, Colonel Hathi's wife.
- Alan Kim as Junior, Colonel Hathi's son.
- Dee Bradley Baker as M.C. Monkey
- Jim Hanks, Scott Eastwood, Michael C. Hall, and Adam Scott as the vultures
- Carlos Alazraqui, Eric Bauza, and Roger Craig Smith as Monkeys
Reception[]
Box office[]
In the United States and Canada, The Jungle Book was projected to gross anywhere between $104--107 million in its opening weekend. The film grossed $180 million in North America and $250 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $430 million, against a $80 million budget.
Critical response[]
The Jungle Book received positive reviews from film critics. On the site Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 80% approval rating based on 280 reviews. The consensus reads, "The Jungle Book is a nostalgic and faithful remake of Disney's 1967 animated film". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, singed the film to a score of 68 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.