The Jungle Book (1994)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Stephen Sommers

Writers (WGA):

Rudyard Kipling (characters from novel "The Jungle Book")
Ron Yanover (story) ...

Release Date:

25 December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

Born of man, raised by animals, destined for adventure.

Plot:

A faithful adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale of Mowgoli the jungle boy who is raised by wolves...

Plot Keywords:

Jungle | Tiger | Treasure | Boy | Jewelry

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jason Scott Lee	...	Mowgli
Cary Elwes	...	Captain William Boone
Lena Headey	...	Katherine 'Kitty' Brydon
Sam Neill	...	Colonel Geofferey Brydon
John Cleese	...	Dr. Julien Plumford
Jason Flemyng	...	Lt. John Wilkins
Stefan Kalipha	...	Buldeo
Ron Donachie	...	Sgt. Harley
Anirudh Agarwal	...	Tabaqui (as Anirudh Agrawal)
Faran Tahir	...	Nathoo
Sean Naegeli	...	Mowgli, age 5
Joanna Wolff	...	Kitty Brydon, age 5
Liza Walker	...	Alice
Rachel Robertson	...	Rose
Natalie Morse	...	Margaret

Also Known As:

El libro de la selva (USA: Spanish title)
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for action/violence and some mild language.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10/8 | Germany:6 (w) | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Goofs:

Factual errors: Actually when lady points out monkeys, she identifies first one as macaque, then the next two as Rhesus monkeys (which are also called Rhesus macaques), and the last two as Langurs. The ones that she points out as Langurs, are actually Lemurs, but they look a little alike.

Quotes:

Katherine 'Kitty' Brydon: [Kitty is teaching Mowgli how to talk] These are animals.
Mowgli: Theeze aur animals.
Katherine 'Kitty' Brydon: Animals are our friends.
Mowgli: Animals aur aur friend. What friend?
Katherine 'Kitty' Brydon: I'm your friend, and, uh, Doctor Plumford's your friend.
Dr. Julien Plumford: Tongue depressor. Also friend.
Katherine 'Kitty' Brydon: Birds are beautiful.
Mowgli: Birds
[Doctor Plumford puts a tongue depressor in Mowgli's mouth, and Mowgli can only mumble]
Mowgli: aur beautiful.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Jungle Book (1967)

Boys young & old like adventure yarns and this is a good one!

What a rollicking adventure story this film is - straight from the pages of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books and as uncomplicated as any schoolboy adventure yarn. It's really about the laws of man and the laws of the jungle and the divergence of opinions which continue even today. Most of the humans in this film are depicted as tiresome bores, courageous only when their finger is on the trigger of a rifle. The animals of the jungle seem to be the most maligned, but somehow get the upper hand. After all, the jungle is their territory. The film gives some hope for the future when Mowgli (reared by wild animals) and Kitty, a sweet English girl fall in love. The athletic Mowgli with the agility of a leopard in his jungle home is forced to lead a party of soldiers to the monkey palace where untold treasure has been accumulated. It's a difficult trek, but greed drives them on to the secret place. Action hots up as the animals fight back to preserve their territory. Kitty's life is threatened many times, but handsome Mowgli with his animal instincts is able to save her. A touching scene in the film (and one of the quieter moments) is Mowgli's discovery of a room in which the heads of hunted animals are stuffed and mounted as trophies on the walls. Without being too cynical, I must say that Mowgli is surprisingly adaptable as Kitty makes attempts to "civilize" him and teach him to dance. He is certainly a quick learner. But the English aristocracy do not accept him. If one can believe all that Kipling portrays, one feels his heart lies in the jungle which he trekked through himself during his travels in Africa. Maybe his attitude to the jungle is over-romanticized, but the resulting film adds up to great family entertainment. With regard to the monkey palace, it is truly a wonder to behold. The technological experts have done a great job in managing the special effects. They defy analysis. Better to just sit back and enjoy each exciting moment.