(Three more posts to go. And the last one is a slam-dunk, since it’s a bunch of thank-yous and stuff, all scripted. And it’s getting light outside.)
Okay, this is not about a comic book — but about an animated movie. Close enough, okay?
Well, an animated movie and an animated movie sound track.
The Jungle Book 2
I’m not a fan of the original Disney Jungle Book, but this latest straight-to-video effort makes the original read like Kipling.
The original film was full of fluff, but at least it had a theme: the man-cub needs to be with his own kind. It took various tantrums and battles and traumas to lay the groundwork, and it was only accomplished by Mowgli getting seduced by a woman-cub, so to speak.
The new release seems set on compromizing everything it can get its hands on. Mowgli runs away from home (ho-hum). He hangs with Baloo (cue reprise of “The Bear Necessities”). They wander around the jungle awhile. The monkeys are no longer a threat, I guess, because the ruins are now an all-animal review (for no particularly good reason). Shere Khan is a more menacing presence than before, but ultimately no more effectual than Kaa, the genetic reject of python-kind. In the end, Mowgli goes back to the Man-Village.
Oh, wait, I forgot, Mowgli’s girl friend goes after him (along with a toddler). They have some adventures — but the directors are extra-special to avoid too much attention on her — it’s really Mowgli’s movie, not hers (as they put it in the commentary of the deleted songs).
So, at least we’ve maintained the tragic but fitting status quo? No, because Mowgli has figured out a way to have it both ways. He and his girlfriend and the toddler will hang out in the Man-Village, but whenever they have to go gather water, they’ll simply signel Baloo and Bagheera to come out and play. A marvelous solution that will last until someone sees it, at which time the dangerous bear and panther will be hunted down and killed.
But, regardless, the lesson is clear — you don’t have to make hard decisions, you can just waffle around them.
Meanwhile, Bagheera is proving to be even more of an ineffectual and pompous ass than in the first flick. And the elephants have a token appearance, but that’s about it. The jungle has just become one big musical revue — except for that old temple out there that’s surrounded by a chasm … filled with molten lava?!
Never mind. Nobody falls into it. Even Shere Khan, who tumbles in, is merely trapped under a big stone head. But, we assume, only temporarily trapped, since there’s no death in this flick (even the vulture who had been taunting SK and who then got caught by him — evidently was only glared at balefully, since he’s back, intact and sassy, to poke fun at the trapped SK once again).
Feh.
At least we get to hear John Rhys-Davies’ voice now and again.
Jungle Book (Soundtrack)
This soundtrack for the original film is noteworthy for the extras. These include lengthy bits of interview with Richard and Robert Sherman, discussing the genesis of the movie. The original screen- and songwriters took the Kipling material too seriously, resulting in something dark and mysterious, which is just what Walt didn’t want. Remarkably enough, two of the demo tunes from that original version of the film are also included — and, yes, they sound dark and serious and mystical and tied to Kipling’s original and utterly inappropriate to what Uncle Walt wanted. Interesting, though.
Also included in the extra materials are two additional tunes, recorded by Phil Harris and released after the fact: “Baloo’s Blues” and “It’s a Kick,” the latter anticipating Mowgli’s return to the jungle (but far too dated to have been used in JB2).
Finally, the soundtrack also includes “The Land of Sand,” an unused Mary Poppins tune that was recycled into Kaa’s “Trust in Me” — and which would make a fine Sandman anthem. (See? There’s a comic book reference for you!)