The Jungle Book(s)

Le Saboteur

Active member
Moedred said:
Maybe that's not canonical, but remember these tales were plagiarized from the start: "it is extremely possible that I have helped myself promiscuously but at present cannot remember from whose stories I have stolen."

How far down this rabbit hole do you want to go? Not only does the letter as quoted not admit to anything of the kind -- tone is important -- but you might as well shut this entire site down. Spielberg and Lucas plagiarized everything about Indiana Jones except maybe the assemblage of parts.

That said, I've been mulling over a response now that I've seen this on 2.5 continents and in three different languages. For now though, my response: It's not a home run, but it certainly is a ground rule double. The ending is still terrible in any language.

Quick look at the creation of the movie's visuals.

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Worth reading as well:

Delving into the Photoreal World of Disney's 'Jungle Book' Remake

Longish interview with Favreau: Jon Favreau's Photoreal Jungle Adventure

Not Your Grandpa'sTalking Animals: How Animators Kept 'The Jungle Book' Real
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
It's a great introduction for someone the right age. Now it gets interesting. There can't be another rehash except on Broadway, ice, or both. Favreau and Serkis must forge new ground with their 13 year old stars whose literary adventures conclude at 17 (I think). I'd wager there's some serious espionage going on.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
DARTH ZOIDBERG said:
I loved the Jungle Book
Nice that you & your dad enjoyed it. Thanks for your review, Zoidberg. :)
Moedred said:
I remember playing Kim's Game in Scouts, a great tradition.
Same here! (y) In my opinion, "Kim" is one of Kipling's best works and recommended reading for any adventure fans. The Great Game...

On the other hand, the video you embedded has dimwit written all over it. (n)
 

Mickiana

Well-known member
Stoo said:
Nice that you & your dad enjoyed it. Thanks for your review, Zoidberg. :)
Same here! (y) In my opinion, "Kim" is one of Kipling's best works and recommended reading for any adventure fans. The Great Game...

On the other hand, the video you embedded has dimwit written all over it. (n)

What is the go with that 'Honest Trailers' make on the movie? Why did they change lyrics to perverted versions?
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
If you haven't had a chance to see The Jungle Book yet, Walt Disney Home Entertainment has announced that the flick will be available to purchase on digital distribution platforms on 23 August 2016 and a week later for physical formats! (That's 30 August 2016.) A 3D edition will be coming later in the year that might be worth double dipping for.

Disney has been notoriously cheap/skimpy/whatever when it comes to bonus features of late, and this release doesn't appear to change that. The doc could be good, but it remains to be seen whether or not it'll be an edit of the featurettes that were released online prior to release. A commentary track is nice, but it's also going to depend on how engaged Favreau is. I've listened to a couple where the lone commentator was silent more often that not, and when they did speak it was to offer a quick anecdote.

BONUS FEATURES

The Jungle Book Reimagined (34:55) ? Favreau sits down with producer Brigham Taylor and visual effects supervisor Robert Legato to discuss ?The Jungle Book? and reflect on the years they devoted to the reimagining of this timeless tale. Discover how Rudyard Kipling?s original stories and the classic animated film influenced their unique approach, witness the technical wizardry that enabled the team to create a believable and thrilling movie-going experience, and learn how they borrowed a page from Walt Disney?s innovation playbook to make it all happen. Lastly, meet the all-star voice cast who help bring the film?s colorful characters to life, as well as the musicians who accent the adventure with a majestic music score.

I am Mowgli (7:57) ? Follow the extraordinary journey of 12-year-old Neel Sethi, who was selected from thousands of hopefuls worldwide to play Mowgli ?alongside? some of today?s biggest movie stars. Get a glimpse of Neel?s life before Hollywood came calling, check out his audition that sealed the deal, and see how a close-working relationship with Favreau brought out his best. Plus, Neel shares how filming ?The Jungle Book? was one wild ride, from working alongside imaginary animals to performing some super-fun stunts.

King Louie?s Temple: Layer by Layer (3:24) ? So, exactly how do you create a musical number featuring one man-cub, a massive, legendary ape and an army of wild and wily monkeys in the Seeonee jungle? Viewers are granted rare and unique access to the development of the ?I Wan?na Be Like You? sequence in which King Louie attempts to coerce Mowgli into giving up Man?s deadly ?red flower? (fire). A fast-moving musical progression reel showcases storyboards, animatics, Christopher Walken?s recording session and visual effects layers, which ultimately merge to form one of the film?s most memorable scenes.

Audio Commentary by Jon Favreau ? Favreau delivers his scene-by-scene perspective on the live-action adventure ?The Jungle Book? with all the candor and humor you?d expect from this multi-talented actor-writer-director-producer.

Happy International Tiger Day!

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Le Saboteur

Active member
I'm sure some of you will be intrigued by the idea that Stephen Sommers' 1994 version of The Jungle Book is currently streaming on Hulu. Starring Pearl City's finest, Jason Scott Lee, and a really, really young Lena Heady this version eschews animation in all forms in favor of real life animals. Perhaps because of this, the film takes on more of a traditional action-adventure flick than other versions have.

The British Raj era clothes and uniforms by John Mollo are a particular highlight if you're interested in such things.


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I've only put in a few minutes of viewing, but the image quality is clean overall. I've noticed a few spots and some dirt, so it definitely hasn't been remastered.

Still, it's highly worth watching!

91648_large.jpg
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Le Saboteur said:
Can a member of the upkeep re-title this to something more agnostic since the Andy Serkis directed, and unfortunately titled, The Jungle Book: Origins, debuts a year after Disney's adaptation of its previous work?

Whatever happened to (what was supposed to be) Serkis' directorial debut? As we close in on the two-year anniversary of Favreau's take on The Jungle Book, this other version has nary a word spoken about it. During the Christmas break, however, Variety reported that the flick has been retitled Mowgli and is set to release in late October of 2018.

Mowgli-Movie-Director-Andy-Serkis-Synopsis.jpg



Official synopsis:

Warner Bros. said:
Blending live action and performance capture, the story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli (Rohan Chand) raised by a wolf pack in the jungles of India. As he learns the often-harsh rules of the jungle, under the tutelage of a bear named Baloo (Andy Serkis) and a panther named Bagheera (Christian Bale), Mowgli becomes accepted by the animals of the jungle as one of their own. All but one: the fearsome tiger Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). But there may be greater dangers lurking in the jungle, as Mowgli comes face to face with his human origins. The other story's central animal characters are: Kaa, the snake (Cate Blanchett); the leader of the wolf pack, Akela (Peter Mullan); the scavenging hyena, Tabaqui (Tom Hollander); Nisha, the female wolf (Naomie Harris), who adopts the baby Mowgli as one of her cubs; Nisha's mate, Vihaan (Eddie Marsan); and Mowgli's Brother Wolf (Jack Reynor)."
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Le Saboteur said:
Whatever happened to (what was supposed to be) Serkis' directorial debut?

Well, we finally have our first trailer. And I'm fairly impressed. I like almost everything about it.

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Christian Bale is a step down from Sir Ben Kingsley, but Cumberbatch is a step up from Idris Elba.

Quick Behind The Scenes look.

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Trailer breakdown with Serkis.


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