The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Gems: The Jungle Book (1967)

How do you choose what to watch on all those streaming services you have access to? There are so many options that it is just overwhelming. These services constantly release new content and overshadow all the great films from the past that are already there and ready to watch. Now there is The Wasteland Gems! Here is a great film on streaming right now that you should check out this weekend:

The Jungle Book (1967)

What is the most underseen and underappreciated segment of Disney’s long history of animated excellence? There have been a few spells here and there. The 00s were a bit of a rough patch after the excellent run of the late 80s to the late 90s. The Golden Era was in the 30s until the 50s, which gave way to a few decades of either misfires or more nostalgic picks. The 60s were a bit of a step down for Disney but there are still plenty of films from that era that have a lot of love amongst Disney fans. One such film is The Jungle Book.

What gets this Rudyard Kipling adaptation the most love? The music. The songs are certainly the most iconic elements of The Jungle Book. “The Bear Necessities” is one of the most beloved songs in all the Disney catalog with its chill approach and catchy tune (sung by the film’s most enjoyable character in Baloo). Then you have “I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)”. King Louie brings a jazz style swinging good time with his temple of apes and monkeys having a ball. This song sticks out the most for its fresh and different sound compared to the rest of the film. You have a few other interesting tracks like the thumping elephant march “Colonel Hathi’s March”. Then there is a Beatles-influenced one from the vultures (each designed after one of the Fabulous Four) with “That’s What Friends are For”. There is even the hypnotic and slithering track from Kaa the snake, “Trust in Me”.

With such a loose and unfocused narrative like this one, how does The Jungle Book keep the audience engaged for its modest 78-minute run time? There is a whole ensemble of fun characters to enjoy. Mowgli is a standard child protagonist who has a lot to learn in this coming-of-age tale in the jungle. It just happens to be a crew of animals who teach him a thing or two about life. As stated earlier, Baloo is the most fun as he is a big lazy bear with a unique charm. Phil Harris gives an engaging and fun performance that has stood the test of time. Sebastian Cabot is a strong presence as the wise panther of the jungle, Bagheera. He might be the “stick in the mud” one in Mowgli’s journey but he teaches the man cub so much along the way. George Sanders is such a great character actor of the time and his powerful and ferocious performance as the villainous Shere Khan is one of the best voice performances of Disney’s early years. Louis Prima is a great addition to the film as he sells King Louie’s big musical number so well. You will also be hard pressed to find a more snake-like voice performance than Sterling Holloway’s as Kaa.

Is The Jungle Book a worthwhile stroll down memory lane for Disney? This might not be the best story that Disney has to offer but the journey is such a fun one. The music really sells the film so well with plenty of strong iconic numbers. The voice cast is excellent top to bottom with so much personality. The animation might not be Disney’s most dynamic from its early years, but it has its moments too. The Jungle Book is a fun time with a minimal runtime investment.

The Jungle Book is streaming on Disney.