The Jungle Book (1994)

Director:

Stephen Sommers

Writers (WGA):

Rudyard Kipling (characters from novel "The Jungle Book")
Ron Yanover (story) ...

Release Date:

25 December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

Born of man, raised by animals, destined for adventure.

Plot:

A faithful adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale of Mowgoli the jungle boy who is raised by wolves...

Plot Keywords:

Jungle | Tiger | Treasure | Remake | Jewelry

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jason Scott Lee	...	Mowgli
Cary Elwes	...	Captain William Boone
Lena Headey	...	Katherine 'Kitty' Brydon
Sam Neill	...	Colonel Geofferey Brydon
John Cleese	...	Dr. Julien Plumford
Jason Flemyng	...	Lt. John Wilkins
Stefan Kalipha	...	Buldeo
Ron Donachie	...	Sgt. Harley
Anirudh Agarwal	...	Tabaqui (as Anirudh Agrawal)
Faran Tahir	...	Nathoo
Sean Naegeli	...	Mowgli, age 5
Joanna Wolff	...	Kitty Brydon, age 5
Liza Walker	...	Alice
Rachel Robertson	...	Rose
Natalie Morse	...	Margaret

Also Known As:

El libro de la selva (USA: Spanish title)
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for action/violence and some mild language.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10/8 | Germany:6 (w) | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Goofs:

Factual errors: Actually when lady points out monkeys, she identifies first one as macaque, then the next two as Rhesus monkeys (which are also called Rhesus macaques), and the last two as Langurs. The ones that she points out as Langurs, are actually Lemurs, but they look a little alike.

Quotes:

Captain William Boone: He's vicious and uncivilized
Katherine 'Kitty' Brydon: Then we'll make him civilized.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Jungle Book (1967)

Fine performances and direction in the spirit of Kipling.

The switch here, and Jason Scott Lee does it with skill and heart of genius, is that Mowgli talks to the animals in their languages. We do not hear the animal speaking English. But from the moment Bagheera offers his tail to the tiny Mowgli and Mowgli grasps that tail, we are in intimate communication with the animals. Mowgli, his pet wolfcub and the rescued bearcub Balu follow the panther through the jungle and I went with them. Every actor modulates his or her performance to make the story happen, to balance the telling. Kitty, Mowgli's childhood friend, does not let one drop of saccharine spoil her natural young woman. Cary Elwes as a villain is frighteningly archetypal (just as he is a beautiful hero in other films). . . But the animal actors are what compel me to fork over dollars for my own copy of the video. Since they are surrounded by masterful cinema storytelling and heartfelt human performances, their work carries the main theme of this film. We know now how fragile the jungle and its inhabitants are as man approaches with guns and bulldozers. The delicate balance of man and animal, the diplomacy of Mowgli at times, the essence of courage and loyalty -- all this is portrayed. If you know the original Jungle Book and the moral spirit of its author, you recognize that the character of the jungle inhabitants is respected. In this film, while we are given an adventure extrapolated from the original literary situation, the Law of the Jungle is kept. For sophisticated Kipling see the Michael Caine/Sean Connery film "The Man Who Would Be King".