Over Easter, my family and I went on a very lovely Holiday to LA and so naturally, we made a trip to Disneyland. On our last day, we caught wind of the fact that instead of there being a showing of, quite frankly one of the best 3D shows out there, ‘It’s Tough To Be A Bug’ there was a preview of ‘The Jungle Book’. So, as calm and collected as possible (who am I kidding, we practically ran for front row seats) we went to see the preview.
Now, if I am completely honest, I was a little disappointed. I mean, yes, it was good and I did have to factor in that I had only seen a snippet of the whole film, but I found the whole singing/dancing/talking real life animals aspect very bazaar. It just seemed a bit too far fetched to have real life, occasionally growling animals then have a full on conversation with a ‘man cub’.
This said, when I finally went to see the film in its entirety, I was mesmerised. I felt like four year old me all over again, watching Mowgli swing through trees and get himself in all sorts of trouble. I was so involved with the plot that I may as well have been in the jungle, even in 2D.
Yes, there were still talking animals, but having watched the film the whole way through, twice, it was hard to imagine how else Disney could have done it. If they were to stick to animation, it would have just been a re-make of the 1967 film. Through using realistic animals, Shere Khan was even more menacing and powerful and Baloo more cuddly than he ever looked in the animated version. In other words, Disney have been able to bring a childhood favourite very much to life.
The Power Of Disney 