The
Jungle Book - Diamond Edition
(1967/Disney Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
B/B- Sound: A-/B Extras: B- Film: B-
I
once again watched Disney's The
Jungle Book
almost forgetting that I had reviewed the film several years earlier
when the Platinum
DVD version was released. For that reason I went into this viewing
with a fresh mind, but concurrently reinforced the fact that I simply
find The
Jungle Book
forgettable. Blasphemous for sure that a Disney aficionado as myself
would suggest that a Disney classic like The
Jungle Book is
not as good as most would suggest; but sadly it is true. So why
would The
Jungle Book be
so fondly remembered (by most) if it is not that great?
The
fact of the matter, however, is that the tale constructed for the
purposes of the 1967 Disney classic feels rushed and all too short;
dismissing much of the emotion and insight the Rudyard Kipling novel
had originally created. Would the film been better if Walt Disney
had not passed away midway through production, we will never know.
But what is clear is that the film does not live up to other films
like Snow
White,
Sleeping
Beauty,
or modern classics like The
Lion King.
So why all the fanfare? My feeling is that it is in the art and
characters themselves. That is to say, Baloo, Bagheera, Shere Kahn,
and even Mowgli are all wonderfully and imaginatively animated with a
style and charm unlike any others. Their appeal would go far beyond
The
Jungle Book itself
to inspire other animated series (such as Talespin)
and be an integral part of the Disney Universe.
So
with amazing characters, brilliant artistry, and an imaginative world
that only Disney could create; it is no wonder why The
Jungle Book has
stood the test of time in hearts and minds of fans across the world.
From this reviewer's point of view it is far from the greatest Disney
venture to date, but that is one man lost in a jungle of much more
ferocious fans.
For
a more detailed look into The
Jungle Book,
please refer to my Platinum
release review:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6178/The+Jungle+Book+40th+Anniversary+Platinu
From
a technical standpoint this Diamond
Edition
release is much improved over the previous Platinum
release; though still not as perfect as some of the other Diamond
releases. The picture is presented in a 1.75 X 1, 1080p AVC encoded
MPEG-4 that boasts of bright colors, but overall appears to have been
digitally scrubbed clean. Whereas Disney purists would like to see
some of the natural grain and sketch lines of the original art; it is
not unimaginable that Disney would want to give the 50 year old film
a fresher look. The problem is they cleaned the image so much it can
be distracting at times as the characters almost float across the
backdrop, as there is some disconnect between the hand painted
landscapes and the cartoon characters. With that said the image is
crisp, clean, and clear with inky blacks and bright colors (if not up
to a three-strip, dye-transfer Technicolor copy of the film so
valuable these days); I just don't think the restoration work was
meticulous as it should have been. The sound is much improved in its
7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) lossless track that utilizes the entire
soundscape and brings the jungle to life. The best sound comes
during the musical numbers, but concurrently dialogue and ambient
noise is also well done throughout.
The
DVD disc included here is a mere downgrade more akin to the Platinum
release with slight improvements.
The
extras are nice and plentiful; many ported over from the Platinum
release. Extras are as follows:
Audio
Commentary
Special
Introductions
Alternate
Ending
@Disney
Animation: Sparking Creativity
Bear-E-Oke
Music,
Memories, and Mowgli
Disney
intermission
I
Wanna Be Like You (behind the scenes at Animal Kingdom)
The
Bare Necessities: The Making of the Jungle Book
Disney's
Kipling: Walt's Magical Touch on a Literary Classic
Mowgli's
Return to the Wild
Frank
and Ollie
The
Lost Character: Rocky the Rhino
Song
Selection
Disneypedia
Music
Video by The Jonas Brothers: I
Wanna Be Like You
-
Michael P. Dougherty II
