At first, I thought: How did the boy learn to speak English (or any human language)? But it's a moot point. All the animals of the jungle speak English, of course.
The problem with Mowgli the Man Cub is that he's growing up. The jungle is all he knows, and while some of the animals might be sad to see him go, he's certainly not safe in the jungle (actually, again, I have to wonder how the monkeys, tigers, or snakes didn't eat him before he reached "dangerous Man Cub status). But anyway...Does the movie have a plot? I read some reviews that poo-pooed the movie for not going anywhere, with the "journey to the village" not being a satisfactory goal.
But I like the plot. We see different groups in the jungle interact with the boy, and, of course, they all get their songs. This movie has one of the most iconic Disney soundtracks, and to be honest, there's nothing like 1960 Disney animated films.
Other reviewers don't like the lack of female characters. That's certainly true. We get the one female elephant; it really has to be pointed out for us that she's female. And then we get the one girl villager at the end. That's it.
By the way, where are all the other villagers? You might assume the mother of the girl is at home cooking, as all adult female villagers would be. And maybe the male villagers are in the jungle hunting.
This is a little problem with the film. The animals who want to exile the boy to the village: Don't they understand that he will continue to grow into manhood, and then his one main task in life will be to reenter the jungle and kill? It might actually be safer for them if they just let Baloo the Bear adopt him.
In terms of the village: Mowgli sees his first human girl, and he wants a closer look. She is what convinces him to leave the jungle and enter the village. Then what? Where will he live? Will he live with this girl's family? Would he be old enough to have a hut of his own, marry the girl? Of course these are not questions the film delves into.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Comments
Post a Comment