The Jungle Book
Stream
Rent & Buy
The boy Mowgli makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera, the wise panther. Along the way he meets jazzy King Louie, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the lovable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches Mowgli "The Bare Necessities" of life and the true meaning of friendship.
What critics thought
Warmly received on release and in retrospect, The Jungle Book wins over most critics with its animation, characters, and songs, even as some note the plot is thin and the film sits a tier below Disney's acknowledged masterworks. Initial reviews were colored by Walt Disney's recent death, and the nostalgia may have softened some judgments — later critics are more likely to call it lively and fun than genuinely classic.
“simple, uncluttered, straight-forward fun, as put together by the director, Wolfgang Reitherman, four screen writers and the usual small army of technicians. Using some lovely exotic pastel backgrounds and a nice clutch of tunes, the picture unfolds like an intelligent comic-strip fairy tale”
Howard Thompson·The New York Times
“the best thing of its kind since Dumbo, another short, bright, unscary and blessedly uncultivated cartoon”
Richard Schickel·Life
“isn't a classic Walt Disney film on the order of, say, Cinderella or Pinocchio, but it's one of Disney's liveliest and funniest”
Ken Tucker·Entertainment Weekly
“the story development is restrained”
Variety
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Cast & Crew
Wolfgang ReithermanDirector
Bruce ReithermanMowgli the Man Cub (voice)
Phil HarrisBaloo the Bear (voice)
Sebastian CabotBagheera the Panther (voice)
George SandersShere Khan the Tiger (voice)
Sterling HollowayKaa the Snake (voice)
Louis PrimaKing Louie of the Apes (voice)
J. Pat O'MalleyCol. Hathi the Elephant / Buzzie (voice)
Clint HowardJunior (voice)
Chad StuartDizzy (voice)
John AbbottAkela (voice)
Ben WrightRama (voice)
George BrunsComposer
Rudyard KiplingWriter
Ken AndersonWriter
Vance GerryWriterThe Jungle Book
The boy Mowgli makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera, the wise panther. Along the way he meets jazzy King Louie, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the lovable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches Mowgli "The Bare Necessities" of life and the true meaning of friendship.
What critics thought
Warmly received on release and in retrospect, The Jungle Book wins over most critics with its animation, characters, and songs, even as some note the plot is thin and the film sits a tier below Disney's acknowledged masterworks. Initial reviews were colored by Walt Disney's recent death, and the nostalgia may have softened some judgments — later critics are more likely to call it lively and fun than genuinely classic.
“simple, uncluttered, straight-forward fun, as put together by the director, Wolfgang Reitherman, four screen writers and the usual small army of technicians. Using some lovely exotic pastel backgrounds and a nice clutch of tunes, the picture unfolds like an intelligent comic-strip fairy tale”
Howard Thompson·The New York Times
“the best thing of its kind since Dumbo, another short, bright, unscary and blessedly uncultivated cartoon”
Richard Schickel·Life
“isn't a classic Walt Disney film on the order of, say, Cinderella or Pinocchio, but it's one of Disney's liveliest and funniest”
Ken Tucker·Entertainment Weekly
“the story development is restrained”
Variety
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Cast & Crew
Wolfgang ReithermanDirectorBruce ReithermanMowgli the Man Cub (voice)Phil HarrisBaloo the Bear (voice)Sebastian CabotBagheera the Panther (voice)George SandersShere Khan the Tiger (voice)Sterling HollowayKaa the Snake (voice)Louis PrimaKing Louie of the Apes (voice)J. Pat O'MalleyCol. Hathi the Elephant / Buzzie (voice)Clint HowardJunior (voice)Chad StuartDizzy (voice)John AbbottAkela (voice)Ben WrightRama (voice)George BrunsComposerRudyard KiplingWriterKen AndersonWriterVance GerryWriterStream
Rent & Buy