Disney gears up for another Blockbuster with Jungle Book

The teaser released a few months ago gave enough indications of the fact that it will at least be a visual extravaganza if nothing else. Now the full trailer of The Jungle Book is out and it is also one of the best things you will see today because it only raises our expectations even further.

It is not that it shows anything new. We already know the classic story by Rudyard Kipling and probably most of the Indian millennials have grown up watching the dubbed Hindi version of the Japanese anime. This film itself must be a new adaptation of Disney’s own animated version from 1967. In fact some of the scenes may remind you of anoder Disney classic Lion King but the good thing here is that the film seems to be filled with all the essential Disney elements we have known and come to love over the years. Heroic yet endearing characters, carefree action-adventure, uplifting theme backed by uplifting music and a complete coming of age story suitable for the entire family.

While a family friendly entertainer is always expected of Disney, one may have doubts about the action part. However, what you should know is the fact that it has been directed by John Favreau of the Iron Man franchise. So, high voltage action is nothing new to him and the trailer indicates as much. The film also has an all star cast including Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken and Scarlet Johansson, but all of them play anthropomorphic animals. The only actor who is really “seen” is the young Neel Sethi who plays Mowgli to perfection and might turn out to be the breakout star this year.

So, from the trailer it is more or less certain that Disney has another winner up its sleeves. Purists and fans of the older film might complain about excessive CGI but I think this is the standard demanded by the market nowadays and the team Jungle Book has nailed the look with bright, saturated frames and kinetic editing. Have a look at the trailer if you have not already.