Μύ Walt Disney did away with Rudyard Kipling's original text for his classic 1967 version of The Jungle Book. Still, this light-hearted musical toon about a mop-topped boy raised in the jungle by wolves is loved the world over for its memorable ditties and spectacular animation. Sadly, it turned out to be Disney's swansong; he succumbed to lung cancer a few months before the release.
The Hollywood Jungle
A digitally restored version of the film is the crowning glory of this 40th Anniversary Edition DVD. And in our humble opinion, the sumptuous, handcrafted animation easily surpasses state-of-the-art CGI for that cosy, old-fashioned storybook feel.
An in-depth 'Making Of' documentary searches through the Disney archive and reveals the initial concept art and storyboards overseen by Mr Disney himself. We're also told how he did away with initial drafts of the script, which stuck too closely to Kipling's rather dark novel. Mr Disney then took it upon himself to reshape the story with "none of that heavy stuff". Bruce Reitherman (the voice of Mowgli) explains how his father, director Wolfgang Reitherman, stuck true to this vision after Disney was taken ill.
Disney's Kipling focusses on the alterations made to the original book, the most significant being Mowgli's odyssey from the jungle to the 'Man Village'. This formed the backbone of Disney's version whereas Kipling had Mowgli darting back and forth between the two environments. Of course visualising the characters was another key part of the process. In a reel of archive footage, animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston show us how they managed to bring recognisable human characteristics to the jungle animals.
Animal Magic
One of Frank and Ollie's beloved beasties didn't make it to the final cut, but that character finally gets a chance to shine on this DVD. A montage of storyboards (with full voiceover) depicts Mowgli's encounter with Rocky The Rhinoceros. Seven deleted songs are also thrown in with a collection of musical set-pieces from the film and The Jonas Brothers' version of 'I Wanna Be Like You'.
Kids will love the five set-top games on offer, which cleverly incorporate original animation from the film. For educational value there's a live-action trek through the Indian wilderness in Junglepedia and the Disney Conservation Fund give us a glimpse into their work. In one of life's little ironies, Bruce Reitherman has gone on to become a filmmaker documenting the natural world and invites us on a few of his recent expeditions in Mowgli's Return To The Wild.
Reitherman is one of many speakers in a commentary for the film. He reflects on his own experience in the sound booth as well as recalling the challenges his father faced as animator and director. Other members of the production team chip in on the problems of animating waterfalls and telling the story "through the eyes" (of the characters) and in song. Six backstage art galleries and a CD soundtrack complete this generous package. Younger viewers will surely enjoy it, but nostalgic grownups should happily get lost in the jungle as well. Even Ray Mears might be tempted to throw away his leaf-and-needle compass...
EXTRA FEATURES
The Jungle Book: 40th Anniversary Edition DVD is released on Monday 5th November 2007.
