SNAPSHOT
The Jungle Book is directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens, Elf, Zathura, Made) and written by Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li), based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic book of the same name. The film follows a young boy named Mowgli, a man-cub raised in the jungle by a family of wolves, who embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery when he’s forced to abandon the only home he’s ever known. Ben Kingsley, Lupita Nyong’o, Christopher Walken, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray voice the animal characters. (synopsis via First Showing)
Here we go again! A much-loved book becomes a much-loved Disney animated movie becomes, almost inevitably in this creatively-cannibalistic age, a live action adaptation and we, who have witnessed it all happen before, often with little to no success, groan in anticipation of the horrors to come.
But then something strange and marvellous happens.
The new live action adaptation, in this case The Jungle Book, turns out, based on the newly-released full-length trailer and Super Bowl TV spot at least, to be pretty damn wonderful, that stakes its own territory while evoking all the sweet, supportive sentiment of the original animated version.
That’s probably not a surprise if you take into account that Jon Favreau, who has shown a knack for movies with a whole lotta heart-and-soul, is in the director’s seat, and Bill Murray brings his trademark whimsy and wit to the crucial role of Baloo, who’s every as warmly caring and quirkily funny as you remember him.
Add in the likes of Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Scarlet Johansson as Kaa, and introducing Neel Sethi as Mowgli, and the likes of Lupita Nyong’o and Christopher Walken and you have a stellar cast giving life to a classic life re-imagined for the modern age.
The Jungle Book releases 7 April 2016 in Australia and 15 April USA.