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| The Jungle Book is part of Disney's plan to remake its animated films as live action films |
The Jungle Book (2016)
Unnecessary remake, but still fun
When the idea of a Jungle Book remake comes up, the question that immediately comes to mind is, "why?". Of course, that question should really be the central question before making any film, but it's particularly prominent when we're talking about the remake of a beloved classic. After all, Disney's original animated adaptation of the Kipling tale is one of the finest animated adventures the studio has ever produced. It would be more than 20 years after it was released until Disney even came close to making an animated film of that quality again with The Little Mermaid.
Like The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book is particularly notable for a soundtrack full of memorable songs. Anyone who's seen the movie even once can probably sing a bit of "Trust in Me", "Bear Necessities", or "I Wan'na Be Like You". So it came as a particular shock that there would be very few musical numbers in the 2016 remake. In hindsight, that was probably a wise decision as King Louie is probably one of the most memorable characters in the story, and who could really replace Louis Prima?
Well it turns out those big shoes were to be filled by Christopher Walken. And by big shoes, we mean BIG shoes, as Louie is reimagined from an orangutan to a gigantopithecus, an extinct genus of giant ape. It was a bold decision, and it works. While the rest of the film mostly plays it safe, hewing closer to the book, the '67 film, or the '94 remake, overall it's still fun, even if it's not as fun as that first animated version.
The Good:
Like The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book is particularly notable for a soundtrack full of memorable songs. Anyone who's seen the movie even once can probably sing a bit of "Trust in Me", "Bear Necessities", or "I Wan'na Be Like You". So it came as a particular shock that there would be very few musical numbers in the 2016 remake. In hindsight, that was probably a wise decision as King Louie is probably one of the most memorable characters in the story, and who could really replace Louis Prima?
Well it turns out those big shoes were to be filled by Christopher Walken. And by big shoes, we mean BIG shoes, as Louie is reimagined from an orangutan to a gigantopithecus, an extinct genus of giant ape. It was a bold decision, and it works. While the rest of the film mostly plays it safe, hewing closer to the book, the '67 film, or the '94 remake, overall it's still fun, even if it's not as fun as that first animated version.
The Good:
- Christopher Walken as the voice of King Louie who lives in an abandoned Rajah's palace
- You're still better off watching Disney's 1967 animated version
- the magic lamp from Aladdin
- references to Apocalypse Now and The Lion King
- Gary Shandling's final role as the voice of Ikki the porcupine
- more cowbell
***1/2 out of *****
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