The Jungle Book Movie Review, Director Interview & More!

The Jungle Book Movie Review, Director Interview & More, via MiamiMommySavings.com

Photo credit, Disney.

Disney’s The Jungle Book is NOW in theaters everywhere! If you are a fan of the Disney classic animated movie, you will love Jon Favreau’s live-action film version. Oh and by the way, if you have never seen any of the previously produced versions of The Jungle Book, this remake will be your favorite! I had the amazing opportunity to attend a secret (yes, like a super agent) 🙂 screening of the movie about a month ago and let me just say this, the movie is enchanting, visually stunning, and highly entertaining! Not only did I had the amazing opportunity to screen the movie, but I got to sit down for an exclusive interview with its director, Jon Favreau. So, before you run to see the movie, grab a seat and learn more about this amazing movie. Plus, find some fun printable activity sheets at the end of this post for your kiddos home entertainment.

Photo credit, Disney

~About The Jungle Book~

Let’s begin by exploring what The Jungle Book is about…

The Jungle Book Official US Teaser Trailer

Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.

~The Jungle Book Review~

As I said before, The Jungle Book is enchanting, it will leave you wanting more. Visually stunning, throughout the entire movie, you will be wondering what’s real and what’s not. And highly entertaining, you will laugh, cry and feel for Mowgli, his family, and his friends, plus you will sing the songs from the classic animated movie! This remake will be among your favorite Disney films because it has heart and action. Plus Jon Favreau and his team did such an amazing job at bringing to live Kipling’s work. If that wasn’t enough the work of Bill Murray as “Baloo”, Sir Ben Kingsley as “Bagheera”, Lupita Nyong’o as “Raksha”, Scarlett Johansson as “Kaa”, Idris Elba as “Shere Khan”, Christopher Walken as “King Louie”, Giancarlo Esposito as “Akela” and Neel Sethi (who plays Mowgli, the only live-action character in the film) will be the icing on this stunning and delightful movie.

“The Voices” Featurette – The Jungle Book

~The Jungle Book Director, Jon Favreau~

After screening the movie, my admiration for Jon Favreau’s work only deepened. I am a huge fan of action movies, especially superhero movies and I always admired Jon Favreau’s directing work in the Iron Man movies. So, to get a chance to interview him was the ultimate fan girl moment. So, here is what Mr. Favreau shared with us about the movie:

As a film maker, Jon wanted to converse Kipling’s The Jungle Book series message and to pay tribute to Walt Disney’s 1967 animated film legacy. One of his biggest concerns throughout the process was to tell a timeless story and to maintain the story’s tone. He wanted the emotion and the story to be at the front end and the special effect just to add to the movie-goers’ experience.
What about Mowgli character? Jon wanted a person that was on the verge of maturity and had a watchable personality to play Mowgli. And in his opinion, it was all achieved through Neel Sethi.
If you are a fan of Jon Favreau, you know that he is not only an amazing director but an established actor in his own right. Knowing that, I asked him if he could voice and direct himself as a voice in the Jungle Book, which one will it be? To my surprise, he does voice a character in the movie: he voices a Pigmy Pig. Pretty awesome, although, he would have loved to voice Baloo.
This fan girl had to ask if we would see Iron Man 4. His answer was, he would love to continue working on more Marvel movies and by the way, Jon is #TeamIronMan. So here is to hoping for more collaborations between Jon and Marvel! 🙂

~The Jungle Book Activity Sheets~

So, go watch The Jungle Book and come back to share with us your favorite moments in the movie by dropping us a note in the comment section below. And finally, click on the links below to download The Jungle Book activity sheets and have fun with the kiddos.

For more information:

Disclosure: I was provided with the information in this post by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. No compensation was received.