By Mark HadleyMonday 11 Apr 2016The Big PictureMoviesReading Time: 2 minutes
The Jungle Book is about Mowgli (Neel Sethi) the boy raised by wolves finds himself in a precarious position in the jungle when the tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) decides that he’s no longer welcome and will be his next meal. Baloo the bear (Bill Murray) and Bagheera the panther (Ben Kingsley) rally to Mowgli’s aid as he tries to find his place – is he a man-cub or a member of the pack?
RATED: The Jungle Book is rated PG for mild threat and violence, and some scenes that may scare young children.
AUDIENCE: This is a great one for primary aged kids though just be careful as the younger ones might be disturbed by a few ‘jump’ moments involving the tiger.
WHAT’S GOOD: The computer-generated imagery is amazing! There’s not a single leaf of real jungle in the whole thing but you’d never know. It’s also a fast-moving plot that’s fun and definitely immersive.
WHAT’S NOT: The departure from Rudyard Kipling’s original collection of stories is pretty marked. The python Kaa is a threat rather than a friend in this version and more importantly Mowgli decides that his place is actually among the animals, not the humans, so it’s a strange homecoming for a boy with no real future in the jungle.
SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING: It’s not surprising that Disney would conclude that man’s place is, in effect, another animal in the jungle alongside all the other animals. However environmentally friendly and peaceful this looks, it’s a world away from God’s order of creation where humanity is responsible for stewarding Creation on His behalf. Of course, if we’re not above the animals, then there’s no-one above us either.
RELEASE DATE: Thursday, April 7