By David Wilfong, NDG Contributor
Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book has been firing up the imagination of young children for more than a century since it first appeared as words on paper.
The Walt Disney company upped the ante in 1967, taking the classic story and translating into an animated musical that was a hit at the box office and became a standard for home video collections.
With the advent of digital special effects, it was one of the very few stories that definitely warranted a remake, and Disney did it up right with this version.
The 2016 version combines an all-star voice cast to accompany newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli, an orphan left in the jungle to be raised by wolves.
Accompanied by Bagheera the panther (Ben Kingsley) and Baloo the bear (Bill Murray), Mowgli makes his journey of self-discovery and survival while being hunted down by Shere Khan the tiger (Idris Elba).
The hyper-realistic CGI world created in this film might be a bit dangerous and violent for the very young viewers. Luckily, the 1967 version is still available for them to watch at home, while the older kids and adults head to the theater for what is definitely one of the best treats of 2016.
Hollywood has a bad habit of remaking movies when there really is no point. In any given year, there are way too many remakes on the market. Jungle Book is one exception. Well-done, Disney.
