The Jungle Book

Now this is the law of the cinema, as old and true as the sky.

A good story that worked before someday gets another try.

The Jungle Book is one story that worked for Disney before,

first animated 1967 and then in live-action in 1994.

This newest Disney version has a live-action Mowgli and a CGI zoo

directed by Jon Favreau, best known for Iron Man 1 and 2.

The Man-Cub Mowgli is part of Akela and Raksha's wolf pack

A home in the Jungle is what Mowgli does not lack.

But Shere Khan the Tiger shows up to say
"give up Mowgli or you shall all pay."

Bagheera the Panther escorts Mowgli to the village of Man

so that terrible tiger can't threaten his lifespan.

Mowgli doesn't want to be forced back to Man,

and wants to get to the Wolves any way he can.

On his travel, he meets that old bear Baloo

and King Louie, who sings "I wanna be like you."

Mowgli needs to defeat Khan to save the day

so the fauna can safely make their way.

(Switching to prose now.)

The film has a sparse human cast, primarily Neel Sethi as Mowgli, interacting with CGI animals. These animals interact with humans and actual backgrounds believably. When Baloo (Bill Murray) floats down a river, he really looks wet from an actual river. The wolf pups who call Mowgli brother look like real wolf pups. King Louie (Christopher Walken) makes for a convincingly intimidating great ape. On principal, you can tell its CGI, but its CGI done right.

The film is more serious than the 1967 movie. Shere Khan (Idris Elba) is much more hostile than his suave animated counterpart (George Sanders). His presence is legitimately intimidating. So is Kaa (Scarlet Johansson), who's much bigger than her (male) animated counterpart and comes dangerously close to eating Mowgli. But Baloo saves the day with his comic relief and fighting prowess. 

Jon Debney's score incorporates bits from the animated film. Richard Sherman, the surviving Sherman Brother, even returns to rewrite King Louie's big number to accommodate him being a Gigantopithecus. The re-orchestrations are a great listen; the new material is just as memorable. Whether new or old material, the music sets the movie apart from the animated movie.

Anyone who's seen the animated Jungle Book will know the new film's beats, but there's enough new stuff to keep them involved. The well-cast actors, both live-action and animated, make these familiar characters compelling. The story and plot goes at a fine pace throughout 105 minutes. It's certainly a good (yet intense) introduction to the story for new viewers. 

And about stories being told again and again? Someone decided to make another Jungle Book at Warner Bros. This version, directed by Andy Serkis, who will also be Baloo, will hit screens either next year or the year after that...