Of all the movies I have watched throughout this journey, this was the first one that I got to co-view, which made it a slightly different experience for me. When I watch movies in a group setting, I tend to interact with others and comment on the movie in a way that I obviously can't do on my own. The biggest takeaways from the experience were that the movie had a surprising amount of musical numbers (for my part I only ever think of "Bare Necessities") and that it ended on a rather abrupt note. Aside from those two points, there wasn't a lot of chatter about the movie.
There are a couple of interesting stories about the production of The Jungle Book that I think are interesting and worth sharing. The first is that this was the first film to be released following Disney's death and therefore the very last that he was involved in the making of - I believe I wrongly acknowledged this in my last blog about The Sword in the Stone, though it was the last film to be released during his lifetime. Obviously, Disney was not aware that this would be his final film, but it is somewhat fitting as he took a more active role in its development.
The writer of 101 Dalmatians and The Sword in the Stone, Bill Peet, came to Disney and suggested The Jungle Book as the source material for the next animated Disney feature. Walt agreed with Peet's recommendation and gave him free reign with the script as he had done with Peet's in the past. The result, however, was a film darker and more dramatic in tone than Disney was comfortable with, even if it was based rather closely on its material. The conflict led to a falling out between Disney and Peet, with the latter leaving the studio.
Nevertheless, Disney had become invested in the characters and felt strongly about the concept, so a new team of writers was brought in to take the story in a new direction. The result, of course, is something close to what we now know to be Disney's The Jungle Book. Almost entirely gone is any remnant of Peet's original script, though Disney did stick with the personalities he had created, and in its place a more comedic and light-hearted look at Rudyard Kipling's classic tale.
I have to admit that I am intrigued to know more about Peet's original draft for the film as I myself am not a major fan of The Jungle Book. To me, the film lacks direction and feels more episodic in nature, which is claim I also made about The Sword in the Stone, a film that Peet also had his hands in. But as this film is said to have little of Peet's work left in it, I'm not sure a connection could be drawn between the two. If anything, it may have more to do with the source material. I do know this, though, as a kid The Jungle Book and The Sword in the Stone were not among my favorite films nor are they today and I think a part of that feeling comes from my inability to jump into the story. If I'm not watching either film from the beginning, I can't join the movie late, because I have no way of telling where I am within the story. The most classic of Disney films, for me, are accessible because I can pinpoint exactly where I am within the story and know the given circumstances of that moment. So, it's possible that Disney's quest to really root some of his stories in the characters was to the detriment of the overall narrative of certain films.
But before I get too steeped in the negative, there are a few highlights that I'd like to touch on, because I don't mean to say The Jungle Book is a bad movie, it's just not among the best that Disney has done (in my book). The animation in this film is stunning, particularly the backdrops. The way the backgrounds were illustrated (painted?) really give the sense that the characters are deep within the jungle and create a strong sense of space. The use of color is soft and brilliant as well, because unless you really hone in to the landscape, you almost don't notice that they're there in spite of their impressive detail, which is an amazing use of artistic restraint.
I'm also a pretty big fan of the scenes with the elephant patrol, maybe because elephants were my college mascot, maybe not. I will say that I do remember liking those scenes as a kid though. I think what works about those scenes is their ability to mix comedy and conflict. On the surface you have Mowgli trying unsuccessfully to sell himself as an elephant with the reality that no matter how hard he tries, he'll never truly fit in with them, because he's human, which is in essence the plot of the film. To me, those scenes feel authentic and true to the nature of the story, whereas the scenes with King Louie and the monkeys feel less organic and more intentional.
In a nutshell those are my thoughts related to The Jungle Book, so I hope you enjoyed the read.
I shall return shortly with a report on Disney's 20th Animated Classic: The Aristocats.
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