The last few years have seen many Disney classics, not just remade, but reinvented, thanks to a little help from state of the art CGI, including the likes of Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty and most recently The Jungle Book.
Creating a live-action version of an animated Disney film is not entirely new – in 1996 101 Dalmatians was brought to life with an all-star cast and a lot of adorable real life dogs! But what these films are doing now, is taking fairytales, that were a huge part of our childhood and giving them a whole new lease of life with a modern twist.
The Jungle Book came swinging into cinemas on Friday 15th April – I am not usually one to rush to see a film, but I was in my seat, 3D glasses on, by Saturday afternoon for this one. This Disney film was one of my absolute favourites growing up and I was very excited to see how it would have been adapted.
Based on the original book, Mowgli, by Rudyard Kipling, the Walt Disney animated film first came to our screens in 1967 and now, in 2016, it is entering the digital world.
So, if you haven’t seen it already, here is why you should:
1. The songs
The film includes much loved songs that we all know, whether we have seen the original or not. The Bare Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You – are seamlessly included into the storyline without turning it into a musical.
2. It is nostalgic
Although I loved the film when I was younger I hadn’t realised quite how much of it I had forgotten. But, whilst it is close enough to the original to take you back to your childhood, at the same time it is different enough to keep you interested right up until the end.
3. The all-star cast
The film boasts an A-list line up of stars lending their voices to these much loved characters – with Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, Bill Murray as Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera and Christopher Walken as King Louie. Whilst newcomer Neel Sethi, who plays man-cub Mowgli, is the only character not to be created using CGI, he really brings to life his animated predecessor.
4. The incredible computer animations
The computer-generated animations are visually stunning and the 3D enables you to fully immerse yourself in the jungle. The majority of the film is made up of digital creations – but it is so life like that it is easy to forget this and almost believe you are watching a young boy come face-to-face with a talking tiger. Well, a talking tiger with a slight east London accent.
5. It is far darker than the original
This version is far darker than the first, perhaps primarily due to the life like animals and the 3D, which makes it quite jumpy in parts. However, whilst it is darker it is also a funny, heart-warming adventure perfect for (most of) the family.
I would definitely go and see it again, and with the likes of Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid already in the pipeline, who knows what will be next – The Lion King, perhaps? *fingers crossed*
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