The Jungle Book (1994 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin.
Directed by	Stephen Sommers
Produced by	Edward S. Feldman Raju Patel
Screenplay by	Stephen Sommers Ronald Yanover Mark Geldman
Story by	Ronald Yanover Mark Geldman
Starring	Jason Scott Lee Cary Elwes Lena Headey Sam Neill John Cleese
Music by	Basil Poledouris
Cinematography	Juan Ruiz Anchía
Editing by	Bob Ducsay
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures (North America and other select territories) MDP Worldwide (all other territories)
Release date(s)	December 25, 1994 (1994-12-25)
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Money made	$43.2 million

Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, also known as The Jungle Book, is an adventure film from 1994. It was co-written and directed by Stephen Sommers. This movie is the second film from The Walt Disney Company based on the Mowgli stories by Rudyard Kipling. These stories come from his books The Jungle Book (1894) and The Second Jungle Book (1895).

It was also the first live-action movie based on Walt Disney's animated film of the same name from 1967. The film stars Jason Scott Lee, Cary Elwes, Lena Headey, Sam Neill, John Cleese, and Jason Flemyng. Interestingly, the animals in this movie do not talk, which is different from many other Jungle Book adaptations.

The film was released on December 25, 1994, by Walt Disney Pictures. It received mostly good reviews. It earned $43.2 million in theaters, while its budget was $30 million. In 2016, Disney released another live-action movie called The Jungle Book. That film was more like the 1967 animated movie and Kipling's original books.

Story of the Film

The story begins in 1887 in India, during the time of the British Raj. Mowgli is a 5-year-old boy whose mother had passed away. His father, Nathoo, works as a tour guide. One day, Nathoo guides Colonel Geoffrey Brydon and his daughter, Katherine, who is nicknamed Kitty.

During the tour, some men hunt animals for fun. This makes Shere Khan, a tiger who protects the jungle, very angry. He starts to chase the group. That night, Kitty gives Mowgli her late mother's bracelet as a gift. Shere Khan attacks the camp. Mowgli's father, Nathoo, tries to protect another guide named Buldeo but is sadly killed by the tiger. In the confusion, Mowgli gets lost in the jungle with his pet wolf cub, Grey Brother. Everyone thinks Mowgli has died. A kind black panther named Bagheera takes Mowgli to a wolf pack, and Mowgli also becomes friends with a bear cub named Baloo.

Mowgli as an Adult

Fifteen years later, Mowgli is now a grown man. He finds Monkey City, an old city full of treasure. This city belongs to King Louie the orangutan, and its treasure is guarded by Kaa the python. Mowgli has to fight Kaa and manages to wound the snake with a golden dagger. King Louie respects Mowgli for this, and Mowgli keeps the dagger.

Meanwhile, Kitty and Colonel Brydon are still in India. Kitty is dating Captain William Boone, one of Brydon's soldiers. Mowgli and Kitty meet again, but they don't recognize each other at first. Mowgli is very interested in Kitty. He goes to her village and enters her home, which alerts the guards. Kitty then sees her mother's bracelet on Mowgli and realizes he is her childhood friend.

Boone and his men capture Mowgli and find the dagger from Monkey City. Kitty and Dr. Julius Plumford, a friend of Colonel Brydon, decide to help Mowgli learn about human society. During this time, Mowgli and Kitty fall in love, which makes Boone very unhappy. Boone tries to get Mowgli to tell him where Monkey City and its treasure are. But Mowgli realizes Boone doesn't respect the jungle, so he doesn't tell him.

Boone later asks Kitty to marry him, but she is not sure. Around this time, Boone and his men make Mowgli feel bad in public. Mowgli decides to go back to the jungle because he doesn't feel at home in the village. After Boone's mean actions, Kitty realizes she cannot marry him. She decides to go back to England to get away from him.

The Hunt for Treasure

Boone and his friend Lieutenant Wilkins team up with Buldeo, who is now an outlaw. They also get another soldier, Sergeant Harley, and some bandits. They plan to capture Mowgli to find the treasure. Wilkins and Boone shoot Baloo when he tries to protect Mowgli, which makes Mowgli very sad.

Buldeo and the bandits then attack Kitty and Colonel Brydon. Brydon is shot and hurt. Mowgli, along with Bagheera, Grey Brother, and the wolves, fight back and kill most of the bandits. But Buldeo manages to capture Kitty and Brydon. He gives them to Boone, who plans to use them to force Mowgli to lead them to the treasure. If Mowgli helps them, Kitty and her father will live. That night, the group learns that Shere Khan is hunting them because they shot Baloo. Because of this, Mowgli decides to escape.

The next morning, Harley catches Mowgli trying to escape with Bagheera's help. Harley chases Mowgli but falls into quicksand and drowns. Mowgli then gets an elephant to take the injured Brydon back to the village, promising to rescue Kitty. As the group continues, Tabaqui tries to kill Mowgli but falls off a cliff and dies. Later, Wilkins gets separated and is attacked by Shere Khan, who kills him.

Finally, the remaining group enters Monkey City. Buldeo accidentally gets trapped while trying to shoot Mowgli. Only Mowgli, Kitty, and Boone reach the treasure room. Mowgli and Boone have a big fight, and Mowgli hurts Boone with another dagger. Mowgli escapes with Kitty. Boone, being greedy, starts taking treasure. King Louie then calls Kaa, who attacks and kills Boone.

As Mowgli and Kitty escape Monkey City, Shere Khan confronts them. The tiger roars, but Mowgli roars back. Shere Khan is impressed by Mowgli's bravery. He sees Mowgli as a true part of the jungle and lets Mowgli and Kitty leave peacefully. Mowgli and Kitty meet the Colonel and Baloo, who have both recovered thanks to Dr. Plumford. Mowgli becomes the new lord of the jungle, fulfilling his childhood dream of facing Shere Khan without fear. He and Kitty begin a relationship.

Main Characters

• Jason Scott Lee as Mowgli: A young man who grew up in the jungle after being orphaned at age 5. He was raised by animals in India.
  • Sean Naegeli plays Mowgli when he is 5 years old.
• Cary Elwes as Captain William Boone: Kitty's boyfriend who wants to find the treasure in the old ruins.
• Lena Headey as Katherine "Kitty" Brydon: Colonel Brydon's daughter. She was Mowgli's childhood friend and later becomes his romantic interest.
  • Joanna Wolff plays Kitty when she is 5 years old.
• Sam Neill as Colonel Geoffrey Brydon: Kitty's father and the leader of the British army in India.
• John Cleese as Dr. Julius Plumford: Colonel Brydon's friend and the doctor for Brydon's army. He helps Kitty teach Mowgli about human ways.
• Jason Flemyng as Lieutenant John Wilkins: A soldier in Brydon's army and Boone's close friend.
• Ron Donachie as Sergeant Harley: A tough soldier who joins Boone's group.
• Stefan Kalipha as Buldeo: An outlaw who knows about the ancient ruins. This character is different from how he appears in Kipling's original stories.
• Anirudh Agarwal as Tabaqui: A jungle guide who joins Boone's group to find the treasure. In Kipling's stories, Tabaqui was a golden jackal and Shere Khan's helper.
• Faran Tahir as Nathoo: Mowgli's father. He was a guide for Brydon's army until Shere Khan killed him. This was Faran Tahir's first movie role.

Animal Characters

• Casey as Baloo: A male black bear who Mowgli rescued as a cub. He is Mowgli's best animal friend.
• Shadow as Bagheera: A wise male black panther who took Mowgli to be raised by wolves and looks after him.
• Shannon as Grey Brother: A male Indian wolf who has been Mowgli's closest companion since childhood.
• Lowell as King Louie: A male orangutan who leads a group of monkeys in the ancient ruins.
• Bombay as Shere Khan: A male Bengal tiger who protects the jungle's rules. In this film, he is a neutral force of nature, not a villain like in most other versions.

The snake character, Kaa, was shown using both computer graphics and a puppet. A trained anaconda was also used. Other trained animals in the film included monkeys, Indian elephants, camels, horses, zebus, and wolves. The sounds used for the monkeys were actually from chimpanzees and siamangs. A crew member named Shannon Shea even wore a special bear suit to play Baloo in some scenes.

Video Game Adaptation

A video game based on the film was released in 1996. It included clips from the movie but told a new story with new characters. In the game, players go on a quest to save the jungle. Soldiers have stolen King Louie's crown, and players must get it back to stop the jungle from losing its magic. A Scotsman named Ilgwom (which is "Mowgli" spelled backward) and his chimpanzee Lahtee help the player. A spirit made from Mowgli's memories also guides the player.

See also

In Spanish: El libro de la selva: la aventura continúa para niños