The Jungle Book (1967 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Jungle Book |
|
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Wolfgang Reitherman |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Story by |
|
| Narrated by | Sebastian Cabot |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | George Bruns |
| Editing by |
|
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
| Release date(s) | October 18, 1967 |
| Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million |
| Money made | $378 million |
The Jungle Book is a super popular animated musical adventure movie from 1967. It was made by Walt Disney Productions. The movie is based on a famous book by Rudyard Kipling called The Jungle Book. It was the 19th animated film made by Disney.
Wolfgang Reitherman directed it. It was also the very last movie that Walt Disney himself worked on before he passed away. The story is about a boy named Mowgli. He was raised in the Indian jungle by wolves. His friends, Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear, try to get him to leave the jungle. They want him to be safe from the scary tiger, Shere Khan.
Early ideas for the movie were much darker. They were more like Kipling's original book. But Walt Disney wanted a fun, family-friendly film. So, the writers and songwriters were changed. Famous actors like Phil Harris and George Sanders lent their voices. Disney's own son, Bruce Reitherman, voiced Mowgli.
The Jungle Book came out on October 18, 1967. People loved it, especially the music! The movie has five songs by the Sherman Brothers. It also has the famous song "The Bare Necessities" by Terry Gilkyson. The film was a huge success. It became one of Disney's highest-earning animated movies. It was also very popular around the world.
Disney has made other movies based on The Jungle Book. There was a live-action movie in 1994. An animated sequel, The Jungle Book 2, came out in 2003. A new live-action movie was released in 2016.
Contents
The Story of Mowgli's Adventure
The story begins when Bagheera, a black panther, finds a baby boy named Mowgli. The baby is all alone in a basket in the deep jungles of India. Bagheera takes Mowgli to a mother wolf named Raksha. She has just had her own cubs.
Raksha and her mate, Rama, raise Mowgli with their wolf cubs. For ten years, Mowgli grows up learning all about jungle life. He plays with his wolf siblings and is very happy. Bagheera is glad Mowgli is happy. But he also worries that Mowgli needs to go back to live with other humans.
One night, the wolf parents meet. They have heard that Shere Khan, a man-eating Bengal tiger, is back in their part of the jungle. The wolf leader, Akela, decides Mowgli must leave. It is too dangerous for him to stay. Bagheera offers to take Mowgli to a "Man-Village."
They leave that night, but Mowgli does not want to go. He wants to stay in the jungle. They rest in a tree. A hungry Indian python named Kaa tries to eat Mowgli. But Bagheera stops him. The next morning, Mowgli tries to join the elephant patrol. This group is led by Colonel Hathi.
Bagheera finds Mowgli again. After a small fight, Bagheera decides to let Mowgli be on his own. Mowgli soon meets Baloo, a fun-loving sloth bear. Baloo promises to raise Mowgli himself. He says he will never take Mowgli to the Man-Village.
Soon after, a group of monkeys kidnap Mowgli. They take him to their leader, King Louie the orangutan. King Louie wants to be human. He offers to help Mowgli stay in the jungle if Mowgli teaches him how to make fire. But Mowgli does not know how to make fire. He was not raised by humans.
Bagheera and Baloo arrive to save Mowgli. During the rescue, King Louie's palace gets destroyed. That night, Bagheera talks to Baloo. He convinces Baloo that Mowgli will never be safe in the jungle with Shere Khan around. The next morning, Baloo sadly tells Mowgli that the Man-Village is best. Mowgli gets upset and runs away.
Baloo goes to look for Mowgli. Bagheera gets help from Colonel Hathi and his elephant patrol. But Shere Khan was listening to Bagheera and Hathi. Now, he is determined to find and kill Mowgli himself.
Meanwhile, Mowgli meets Kaa again. Kaa tries to hypnotize Mowgli to eat him. But Mowgli wakes up and escapes. Shere Khan accidentally helps Mowgli get away. As a storm starts, a sad Mowgli meets some friendly vultures. They accept Mowgli as a friend.
Shere Khan appears soon after. He scares off the vultures and faces Mowgli. Baloo rushes in to save Mowgli. He tries to keep Shere Khan away, but Baloo gets badly hurt. Lightning strikes a nearby tree, setting it on fire. The vultures fly in to distract Shere Khan. Mowgli grabs a burning branch. He ties it to the tiger's tail. Shere Khan is very scared of fire. He panics and runs away.
Bagheera and Baloo take Mowgli to the edge of the Man-Village. Mowgli is still not sure if he wants to go. But then, he sees a pretty young girl from the village. She is coming to the river to get water. She "accidentally" drops her water pot. Mowgli picks it up for her. He then follows her into the Man-Village. Mowgli shrugs at Baloo and Bagheera. This shows them he has decided to go. Baloo and Bagheera are happy. They know Mowgli is safe with his own kind.
Meet the Characters
- Bruce Reitherman is Mowgli. He is an orphaned boy. The animals call him "man-cub."
- Phil Harris is Baloo. He is a sloth bear who loves to relax. He believes in enjoying life.
- Sebastian Cabot is Bagheera. He is a serious black panther. He wants to take Mowgli back to the village. He does not like Baloo's relaxed way of life.
- Louis Prima is King Louie. He is an orangutan who wants to be human. He wants Mowgli to teach him how to make fire.
- George Sanders is Shere Khan. He is a smart but mean Bengal tiger. He hates humans because he fears their guns and fire. He wants to kill Mowgli.
- Sterling Holloway is Kaa. He is an Indian python. He tries to eat Mowgli many times, but he always fails in a funny way.
- J. Pat O'Malley is Colonel Hathi. He is an Indian elephant. He also voices Buzzie the Vulture.
- Verna Felton is Winifred. She is Colonel Hathi's wife.
- Clint Howard is Junior. He is Colonel Hathi's son.
- Chad Stuart is Flaps the Vulture.
- Lord Tim Hudson is Dizzy the Vulture.
- John Abbott is Akela. He is the leader of the wolf pack.
- Ben Wright is Rama. He is the Father Wolf.
- Darleen Carr is the Human Girl. She is the girl Mowgli meets at the Man-Village.
The Music of the Jungle
The music for the film was created by George Bruns. Two songs were actually reused from older Disney movies. One was from Sleeping Beauty. The other was from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The movie has eight new songs. Seven of them were written by the famous Sherman Brothers. One song was by Terry Gilkyson. Gilkyson wrote some songs that were very close to Kipling's book. But Walt Disney thought they were too dark for a family movie.
The only song by Gilkyson that stayed in the movie was the upbeat "The Bare Necessities." Everyone else working on the film loved it. Then, the Sherman Brothers were brought in to write new songs. Disney wanted the music to be light and fun. He asked them to "find scary places and write fun songs." The songs needed to fit the story and help it move forward.
The Jungle Book's Lasting Impact
The Jungle Book has had a big impact on other movies and shows. In 1968, an album called More Jungle Book came out. It was an unofficial sequel to the movie. It continued the story.
In 2003, Disney released an animated sequel called The Jungle Book 2. In this movie, Mowgli runs away from the Man-Village. He wants to see his animal friends. But he does not know that Shere Khan is still trying to kill him.
Some parts of The Jungle Book were used again in other Disney films. For example, the character of Baloo inspired Little John in the movie Robin Hood. Little John was also a bear and voiced by Phil Harris. The dance scene between Baloo and King Louie was even used as a guide for Little John and Lady Cluck's dance.
Many animators love The Jungle Book. They say it has some of the best character animation ever. The animators who worked on movies like Aladdin and The Lion King were inspired by this film. Four people who became important in Disney animation said this movie made them want to work in the business.
Many characters from the movie also appeared in the TV series TaleSpin (1990–91). From 1996 to 1998, the TV show Jungle Cubs showed the characters as children. Disney also made a live-action movie in 1994. This movie was more realistic and had some grown-up themes. It was different from the animated movie, but it was still very successful.
In 2016, Disney released a new live-action version of The Jungle Book. This movie even used most of the songs from the animated film.
There are also two video games based on the movie. The Jungle Book was a platform game released in 1993. It was available on many game systems. Another game, The Jungle Book Groove Party, was a dance game released in 2000.
Characters like Kaa and Shere Khan have also appeared in other Disney video games. A world based on the film was planned for the Kingdom Hearts video game series. But it was not included in the final games.
Many characters from the film have appeared in other Disney shows and movies. These include House of Mouse and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In 2010, a famous artist named Banksy created artwork using The Jungle Book characters. This art was made to help raise awareness about deforestation.
Images for kids
-
Theatrical release poster
-
Mowgli and Bagheera.jpg
Mowgli and Bagheera, his panther friend.
-
The Bare Necessities.jpg
Baloo and Mowgli singing "The Bare Necessities."
-
Baloo and Mowgli.jpg
Baloo and Mowgli, best friends in the jungle.
See also
In Spanish: El libro de la selva (película de 1967) para niños
