Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book

Infobox_Film
name = Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book


imdb_id = 0110213
director = Stephen Sommers
writer = Stephen Sommers
Ronald Yanover
Mark Geldman (screenplay)
Based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling
starring = Jason Scott Lee
Cary Elwes
Lena Headey
Sam Neill
producer = Edward S. Feldman, Raju Patel
Rajendra Kumar (executive producer)
Yash Johar (associate producer)
music = Basil Poledouris
cinematography = Juan Ruiz Anchia
Peter Robertson
editing = Bob Ducsay
distributor = Walt Disney Pictures
released = December 23, 1994
running time = 111 minutes
language = English
budget = $27,000,000 (estimated)

"Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book" is a 1994 Disney film based on the Mowgli stories in "The Jungle Book" and "The Second Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling. The film stars Jason Scott Lee as Mowgli and Cary Elwes as his main adversary. It was directed by Stephen Sommers. The original music score was composed by Basil Poledouris.

Plot summary

In the Victorian period, Mowgli is the five-year-old son of a wilderness guide who accompanies his father on a hunting trip in the jungles of their native India and has Grey Brother as a pet wolf cub. Mowgli becomes close friends with a British girl named Katherine Anne "Kitty" Brydon, whose father, Colonel Geoffrey Brydon, commissioned the hunt. When Shere Khan attacks the camp and kills Mowgli's father, the boy is lost in the confusion and is left to fend for himself. Bagheera finds them and leads Mowgli to the wolf pack. Mowgli is befriended by the animals of the jungle including Baloo the bear cub, and they develop an unspoken bond as the growing boy learns to survive. While in the wild, he discovers vast treasure in the ruins of an overgrown and lost city, deep in the jungle.

Years later, after growing to adulthood, Mowgli once again encounters Kitty, who still lives in India with her father and her arrogant and deceitful suitor, Captain William Boone. Kitty and Mowgli recognize each other, and while his powers of speech are rusty, Kitty reintroduces Mowgli to civilization with the help of Dr. Julius Plumford. However, after spending most of his life in the jungle, Mowgli does not feel at home among other people. He falls in love with Kitty, but he concedes to his rival for her affections.

Meanwhile, Captain Boone and his men hatch a plot to force Mowgli to lead them to the treasure. They fail to capture Mowgli, instead working their way through the jungle on their own. Mowgli follows to protect Kitty. Boone's men are killed one by one until only Boone, Kitty, and Mowgli are left.

They finally reach the treasure where Boone starts to pocket all the gold he can find. Guarding the treasure, Kaa scares Boone into falling into the water below them. While Boone is drowning, Kaa strikes and eats him. Shere Khan confronts Mowgli and Kitty as they exit, and Mowgli and the tiger stare at each other a long time before Shere Khan is stared down and leaves in submission. - the fulfillment of a prophecy Mowgli had in a dream in the beginning of the story. Mowgli is reunited with Kitty and the two kiss underneath a waterfall at the end of the film.

Cast

Main cast

* Jason Scott Lee - Mowgli
* Cary Elwes - Captain William Boone
* Lena Headey - Katherine "Kitty" Brydon
* Sam Neill - Colonel Geoffrey Brydon
* John Cleese - Dr. Julius Plumford
* Jason Flemyng - Lt. John Wilkins
* Ron Donachie - Sgt. Harley

Trained animals

* Baloo - Casey
* Bagheera - Shadow
* Grey Brother - Shannon
* King Louie - Lowell
* Shere Khan - Bombay
** also various trained monkeys, elephants, camel, horses, zebu, and wolves

Trivia

* During the ballroom scene, Dr Plumford says 'The bare necessities of life!' referencing the iconic song The Bare Necessities from the animated Jungle Book.
* Shere Khan doesn't have a limp in this version.
* In the movie, Kaa is portrayed both by a computer generated and real anaconda. In the book, Kaa was an Indian python.

Game

The movie was adaptated into a 1996 game, which includes clips from the film, while providing an original story and new characters.

The game follows the player in his/her quest to save the jungle. Soldiers have stolen King Louie's crown the player must recover it to prevent the jungle from losing its magic. You are aided by an Englishman named Ilgwom and his chimpanzee, Lahtee.

External links

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