The Jungle Book

THE GIST: Baby Mowgli is found abandoned by the panther Bagheera and taken to a family of wolves, who adopt him as their own and raise him. Now a grown boy, Mowgli lives happily among the animals, but the tiger Shere Khan, who hates all men, has set its sights upon him. For his safety, Bagheera thinks Mowgli should rejoin humankind in a nearby village, but getting there will be a trip fraught with perils.

This version of The Jungle Book is a close retelling of the original Disney animated film, with some adjustments that vastly improve upon its predecessor, and I'm not just talking about the eye popping visual effects here.

A human child raised by wolves who can communicate with animals is absurd on its face, but the screenplay here works by weaving the musical numbers in the action more organically and giving more breathing room to the tale and the action.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Definitely recommend this version for the whole family, and don't even bother with the cartoon, which would most likely only please very little kids. Also, Christopher Walken's King Louie is absolutely marvelous and singlehandedly makes the movie a must-see. They should make a movie just about this character, it's so enthralling!

Grade: 7.5