The Jungle Book

As the 19^th Disney animated film, The Jungle Book was the first film in several years to have Walt Disney himself involved a lot in it; before, he was busy with other parts of the company, but he was encouraged to have more involvement with the studio after the reception of The Sword in the Stone.  Walt Disney actually did not like the original script for The Jungle Book movie, as he felt like it was way too dark, and so he strongly recommended an editing.  Sadly, Walt Disney died in 1966, the year before the movie came out; thus, Disney’s death and The Jungle Book both mark the conclusion of Disney’s Silver Age.  His death was mourned by many fans around the world and, when the movie was finally released, it was bittersweet to many.  The movie was a box office success, becoming the second highest grossing Disney film at the time; and it received positive reviews from critics.  While this movie is among the most popular Disney films, it has some content that makes me uncomfortable; and I have to believe my friends would agree, most especially my African-American friends.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this Disney Film!

The Jungle Book (loosely based on Kipling’s work) is about a young orphan boy, Mowgli, who was raised by wolves in the jungles of India.  One day, when a mean tiger, Shere Khan, has returned to the part of the jungle where Mowgli and his wolf family live, the leader of the wolf pack, Akela, decides that 10-year old Mowgli should return to the man village for safety.  Mowgli leaves his pack with the panther, Bagheera, but he meets some new friends along the way to the village.  This movie has some good messages (like how if you love someone you do what’s best for them); and while Bagheera is way too uptight about Mowgli, Baloo encourages Mowgli to not be so uptight and to embrace the more fun-loving side of himself.  In real life, it’s true that sometimes we are way too serious and we do need to laugh more and embrace our goofy side and be more laidback.  As Baloo teaches Mowgli this lesson via singing, you will probably get “The Bare Necessities” stuck in your head, because what’s Disney without a fun and catchy song!  However, despite the amazing song, animation, and mostly fun characters, there are some intense scenes in the film that might scare young kids (like a scene where it looks like a beloved character has died); and some of main villains can be a little bit spooky (Kaa the snake is why I still have yet to see the remake).  And while the first 30 or so minutes of the film are funny and heartwarming, it does start taking a turn for the worst when the character King Louie shows up as a musical “jazz” monkey who seems to represent certain negative stereotypes of people who are African-American; King Louie and his pals are discriminated against by Mowgli’s pals and they (King Louie and his crew) sing about wanting to be just like the other animals—and Louie’s crew is portrayed as lazy/improper.  To make matters worse, they are all voiced by white men.  I was quite disturbed when I figured this out, as this movie was one that I watched quite often when I was younger, and these scenes went over my head as a kid.  So, I would strongly caution all parents due to the intense scenes and the strong racial stereotypes.  I hate it when racial stereotypes are put into movies, most especially those aimed at a younger audience, as kids might get the wrong ideas about people who are different from them.  Very recently, a TV broadcaster in the U.K put a warning on both the original movie and the reboot from 2016 due to racial stereotypes seen in both of them.  Also, when you click on/play the movie on Disney+, a warning does pop up.  Though I have very mixed feelings about the movie now, I still love Baloo’s song—and I think he’s right about those “bear” necessities! 

“Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities

Forget about your worries and your strife

I mean the bare necessities

Old Mother Nature’s recipes

That bring the bare necessities of life.”

(Baloo’s song from Disney’s The Jungle Book)