Review: 'The Jungle Book' is the Jungle VIP
Wyatt Muma ’18 / Emertainment Monthly Assistant Editor
The film, while stellar in many areas, will most likely be remembered for its mastery of motion capture characters. Building upon techniques built up by James Cameron, the jungle has never looked more lush and inviting. Everything from the fur to the plants looks incredibly detailed and photorealistic. The effect isn’t as nauseating as some audiences might fear, instead allowing the viewer to be fully immersed in Mowgli’s world. That’s not to discredit the performances, which are also top notch endeavors. It’s a credit to actors like Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, and Lupita Nyong’o that their beguiling personalities shine through only their voice. Bill Murray as Baloo is especially a standout, giving even original voice actor Phil Harris a run for his money.
While Disney is hot on making these live action revivals, it’s intriguing that the ones that seem to be most thematically successful are the adaptations that don’t work to overhaul the original. Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Robert Stromberg’s Maleficent are something pretty to look at, but failed to gain any traction when it comes to good storytelling. Between The Jungle Book and last year’s Cinderella, it seems as if Disney is really hitting its stride. In his original speech at the opening day of Disneyland, Walt Disney proclaimed that Disneyland will never be finished as long as there’s imagination and creativity in the world. Luckily for audiences, it seems that they have adopted this mantra at the studios as well. Walt Disney’s animated films have become more than just movies, but are now integral to American folklore. If there’s still enough imagination and creativity to tell them again in new and interesting ways, let them be told!
Overall Grade: A
Watch The Trailer: [embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mkm22yO-bs[/embedyt]