The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions. Inspired by the Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it was the last to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during its production. The plot follows Mowgli, a feral child raised in the Indian jungle by wolves, as his friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear try to convince him into leaving the jungle before the evil tiger Shere Khan arrives.
The early versions of both the screenplay and the soundtrack followed Kipling's work more closely, with a dramatic, dark, and sinister tone which Disney did not want in his family film, leading to writer Bill Peet and composer Terry Gilkyson being replaced. The casting employed famous actors and musicians Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, George Sanders and Louis Prima, as well as Disney regulars such as Sterling Holloway, J. Pat O'Malley and Verna Felton, and the director's son, Bruce Reitherman, as Mowgli.
The Jungle Book was released on October 18, 1967 to positive reception, with much acclaim to its soundtrack, featuring five songs by the Sherman Brothers and one by Gilkyson, "The Bare Necessities". The film grossed over $73 million in the United States in its first release, and as much again from two re-releases. After the film's success, Disney later released a live-action remake and a theatrical sequel, The Jungle Book 2.
Plot[]
Cast[]
- Bruce Reitherman provided the voice of Mowgli
- Phil Harris voiced Baloo
- Sebastian Cabot voiced Bagheera
- Louis Prima voiced King Louie.
- George Sanders voiced Shere Khan
- Sterling Holloway voiced Kaa
- J. Pat O'Malley...Colonel Hathi the Indian elephant/Buzzie the Vulture
- Verna Felton voiced Winifred, Colonel Hathi's
- Clint Howard voiced Junior, Colonel Hathi's son.
- Chad Stuart...Flaps the Vulture
- Lord Tim Hudson...Dizzie the Vulture
- John Abbott...Akela the Indian Wolf
- Ben Wright...Father Wolf
- Darleen Carr...Shanti
- Leo De Lyon...Flunkey the Baboon
- Bill Lee...Shere Khan's singing voice
- Hal Smith...The Slob Elephant
- Terry-Thomas...Elephants' singing voices
- Digby Wolfe...Ziggy the Vulture
Filming & Production[]
Filming Dates[]
- 1966
Production Dates[]
- 13 July 1964 - 1 January 1967
Technical Specifications[]
Runtime | 1 hr 18 min (78 min) |
Sound Mix | Mono (RCA Sound Recording) | Dolby Stereo (1978 Re-Release) | Dolby Stereo (1984 Re-Release) | Dolby Stereo (1990 Re-Release) |
Color | Color |
Aspect Ratio | 1.37 : 1 (original & negative ratio) (open matte)
1.66 : 1 (alternative theatrical ratio) (matted) 1.75 : 1 (theatrical ratio) (matted) |
Laboratory | Technicolor, Hollywood (CA), USA (color) |
Negative Format | 35 mm |
Cinematographic Process | Spherical |
Printed Film Format | 35 mm |
The Jungle Book 1966-1967 Trailers[]
The Jungle Book - Original Theatrical Trailer
The Jungle Book - 1978 Reissue Trailer
The Jungle Book - 1984 Reissue Trailer
The Jungle Book - 1990 Reissue Trailer
Releases[]
Main article: The Jungle Book (video)