My first thought after watching the live-action The Jungle Book was “how’d they do that?” I mean, I’ve watched CGI movies—with their elaborate spaceships and skylines and even dinosaurs—without so much as batting an eyelash. But there’s something different about the panthers and wolves and elephants that populate Jon Favreau’s film. They seem corporeal, tactile—furry, snotty, breathy—and they seem to exist in real space. When Mowgli (played with resourcefulness and pluck by newcomer Neel Sethi) touches panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), we watch his fingers run through the glossy black fur, which gives resistance. When Mowgli’s bear buddy Baloo (Bill Murray) lazes away time in a lake, his fur gets thick and dense with moisture.
Favreau’s version draws partly from Disney’s animated musical and partly from Rudyard Kipling’s original classic. As a baby, Mowgli was left to die in the jungle until he was rescued by the kindly (if fierce) Bagheera, who delivered the boy to be raised by Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o), a she-wolf. Bagheera’s reasoning: Wolves are pack creatures and Mowgli will be less defenseless if he has the power of the pack behind him. Raised as a “man-cub” among the wolves, Mowgli is discouraged from using his human “tricks” (namely, the ability to build and use tools), lest he stand out from the pack. But when the fearsome saber-toothed tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) threatens to kill pack members if they don’t turn over the boy, Mowgli runs away with Bagheera, who intends to return him to the “Man village.” They get separated and that’s when Mowgli meets the slovenly, but good-hearted Baloo, who recruits the boy to fetch him honey. The casting of Bill Murray is beyond perfect here—a supreme example of “it’s everything I never knew I wanted”—especially when he gives us his phlegmy take on “Bear Necessities.” Almost as ingenious? Christopher Walken as the orangutan King Louie, who wants to use Mowgli to create “the red flower” (i.e., fire). Although the film is not technically a musical, of course Walken gets his chance to (loopily) sing the classic, “I Want to Be Like You.”
The Jungle Book has moments of charm, laughter, and, yes, genuine menace—it may not be the best for the very youngest of Disney fans. There’s a message there too, about the power of community and embracing what makes you special. (Mowgli ends up using those tools to save himself and others.) The Jungle Book should definitely be seen on the big screen and in 3D, if possible. It’s a wonderfully immersive adventure. Come to think of it, I don’t want to know how they made those creatures come to life. Why ruin the magic?