THE JUNGLE BOOK 2
US, 2003, 72 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: John Goodman, Haley Joel Osment, Mae Whitman, Connor Funk, Bob Joles, Tony Jay, John Rhys- Davies, Jim Cummings, Phil Collins.
Directed by Steve Trenbirth.
The Jungle Book 2 is a brief sequel to the original Disney animated film of 1967, following a trend of this period at the Disney studios to provide brief sequels to their main successful films like Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Lion King.
The main feature of this sequel is that Mowgli is now living in the village, having left the jungle behind but still pining for it, under the care of benign father and mother, the father voiced by John Rhys- Davies. Mowgli is voiced by Haley Joel Osmond just after his success in The Six Sense and at the time of Pay It Forward. One of the main attractions is to have John Goodman as the hefty bear, Baloo, Phil Harris in the original – and capitalising on the popular song of the original film, The Bare Necessities.
Tony Jay does a good imitation of George Sanders’ voice as the sinister tiger, Shere Khan. Mae Whitman is the voice of Shanti, an attractive young girl in the village who Mowgli says he is not interested in, but… In the jungle there are the familiar animals, the black panther, the sibilant snake who becomes the butt of a lot of physical comedy, the monkeys and featured particularly, the elephants.
The opening is rather sugary with Mowgli in the town, his adoptive parents and their mischievous little baby boy who gets into the action when everybody starts searching for Mowlgi in the jungle.
Mowgli tries to get everyone to go into the jungle but is confined to the house. But, he comes across Baloo and off they go, singing and dancing, meeting all the animals, enjoying their friendship and the spirit of the jungle. But, Shere Khan has a long memory and tries to track down Mowgli, even going into the village, terrorising Shanti, but eventually overreaching himself and falling into a pit.
There are mild adventures which should entertain the young audience, especially those who want more after seeing the original Jungle Book. But, it is brief, derivative, something of a repetition, not a substitute for the original – but a light entertainment.
The Jungle Book was filmed in 1942 with the actor Sabu. There was a lavish re-make in making 2016, live-action for Mowgli and the animals, but the voices of a top cast, including Bill Murray as Baloo.
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2002
Everybody enjoyed The Jungle Book. In theatres, on video, it is a very popular film.
It is something of a shock to realise that it was first released in 1968. Children who were ten at the time and enjoyed it are now on the verge of being grandparents. It has taken thirty five years to make a sequel. There have been two live-action versions of The Jungle Book, but Disney's cartoon has remained the favourite.
The Makers of Jungle Book 2 have been careful to stay close to the original. The drawings are the same. All the familiar characters are there: Mowgli, of course, and Baloo; Bagheera returns as does Kaa, who is still trying tro hypnotise a potential lunch; the Elephant Colonel is still leading the parade. And there is no more sleek and cunning a villain than Shere Kahn. In case anybody has forgotten, Baloo and Mowgli burst into song several times with The Bare Necessities.
Sadly some of the voices from the 1960s are no longer with us. While Phil Harris made a boisterous Baloo, now John Goodman is equally boisterous. The producers have gone for quality for the voice of Mowgli. It is Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense and AI: Artificial Intelligence. While George Sander's voice made for a smootlhly sinister Shere Khan, Tony Jay now does an excellent impression. Most audiences will not notice the new cast and will be content with how well done the sequel is.
At 75 minutes, it is full of action, humour and colour to entertain young children. The story is simple. Mowgli has settled down with a family in a village but he remains restless. His foster mother says that you can take the boy out of the jungle but you can't take the jungle out of the boy. When he returns to see his friends, he has a wonderful time. Shanti, the daughter of the family goes searching for him (at night, of course, with plenty of owls and bats to frighten her) and there are so scary bits, but not too scary. At the end, Mowgli has to make a decision: is his life to be in the jungle or in the village.
Parents and young children who know The Jungle Book will very much enjoy Jungle Book 2.
