The Jungle Book
is an all-new, live-action epic adventure about Mowgli, a man-cub raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan, who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat.
Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera and the free-spirited bear Baloo. Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa, a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie, who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up his secret to the elusive and deadline red flower: fire.
Based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories, The Jungle Book is inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, with an approach all its own. “We embrace the mythic qualities of Kipling in the more intense tonal aspects of the film,” says Director Jon Favreau, “but we left room for what we remember from the ‘67 film, and sought to maintain those charming Disney-esque aspects.”
Filmmakers employed up-to-the-minute technology to tell the story in a contemporary and immersive way, blending live-action performances with stunning CG environments and extraordinary photoreal animal characters that artists stylized to elevate the storytelling. “Walt told the story through traditional cell animation, and now we have the technology to actually bring these characters to life, make them photoreal and put a real kid into the environment in a seamless, believable way. The opportunity to be able to show that with today’s technology was irresistible,” says Producer Brigham Taylor.
The all-star cast includes Bill Murray as the voice of Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Idris Elba as the voice of mother wolf Raksha, Scarlett Johansson gives life to Kaa, Giancarlo Esposito provides the voice of alpha-male wolf Akela, and Christopher Walken lends his voice to King Louie.
