This is the poster from the movie which opened in 1967.
The Jungle book starts with a classic opening for a movie of the time, with an opening of a book.
We then see the jungle. Bagheera, a panther hears a mancub crying and goes to investigate. Bagheera realises that if he didn't do something the baby would die, and so he takes the baby to live with a pack of wolves who've recently had cubs. The mancub, Mowgli, then lives with the wolves.
Ten years later and there's danger in the jungle, the ferocious man hating tiger, Sheer Khan has returned to the jungle, and the leader of the wolves decide it would be best to send Mowgli back to the man village. Bagheera tells them that he will do the job.
Mowgli and Bagheera set off, and Bagheera tries to explain that they're going back to the man village, but Mowgli doesn't want to go, for the night he pair decide to sleep on branch Just as Mowgli and Bagheera are falling asleep, Kaa, the hypnotizing snake appears trying to hypotize and capture Mowgli, but Bagheera saves the day and Kaa slithers off!
The next morning the pair are woken by an extremely loud elephant march! Mowgli thinks it would be fun to be an elephant and joins in the patrol. Colonel Haithi, the leader is not liked by many people in the patrol, and during the inspection Mowgli is outed! The elephants march off into the distance!
Mowgli still does not want to go and stays put! Bagheera gets annoyed and decides to leave him to his own devices. Mowgli wanders off and on his travels he meets the loveable bear, Baloo. Baloo tries to teach Mowgli to fight, and with the commotion, Bagheera thinks that something has happened to Mowgli, so he goes to see what's happened. Bagheera is disappointed to see Baloo, but feels he can't do anything. While on a ride down the river Mowgli gets kidnapped by a bunch of monkeys.
The monkeys take Mowgli to King Louis' of the monkeys palace, where King Louis tries to find out how to make fire from Mowgli, but he doesn't realise that Mowgli doesn't know. Bagheera and Baloo appear to save Mowgli, Baloo dresses up as a female monkey and starts to dance with Louis, that I until Baloo is discovered and a large scale fight occurs! A building crushes on top of Louis, allowing the trio to escape.
Baloo and Bagheera finally decide that again, it would be best to send Mowgli to the man village. As Baloo and Mowgli set off, Baloo tries to tell Mowgli that they're going to the man village but the Mowgli runs away.
We next see Sheer Khan, hunting, when he is interrupted by the elephant patrol. Bagheera finds Haithi, and while Sheer Khan is listening, Bagheera tells Haithi that Mowgli is missing. The elephants agree to help find Mowgli.
Mowgli wanders about the jungle, and wanders into the lairs of Kass. Kaa hypnotizes him by singing the song "Trust in Me," Sheer Khan appears and overhears the singing, he tries to force Kaa to reveal who he has got with him, but doesn't. Meanwhile Mowgli manages to escape from Kaa and runs away.
Meanwhile, a storm is brewing in the jungle. We see a bunch of vultures, having a bit of an argument over what to do. Mowgli wanders into the scene. The vultures wonder what is wrong with the forlorn looking mancub. Sheer Khan enters the scene, the vultures run off, scared, but Mowgli stays. Sheer Khan starts to chase Mowgli, until Baloo comes in and distracts Sheer Khan by hanging onto his tail. Sheer Khan again starts to chase Mowgli, until a lightning bolt strikes a tree, setting it on fire. Mowgli grabs a firey brance and ties it to Sheer Khan's tail. Sheer Khan is scared and runs off.
But after the commotion, Baloo appears to have died, and lies on the floor. Mowgli is very upset. Bagheera makes a huge speech saying how good he was, but than Baloo awakes and Mowgli is extremely happy.
Then, mowgli hears a girl singing in the nearby man village, and is intrigued. Mowgli goes to get a better look. He helps the girl with the water she is fetching and Mowgli and the girl walk off into the distance.
Baloo and Bagheera are a little sad, but realise that Mowgli is where he belongs. Baloo and Bagheera finish the movie by walking off into the distance singing "The Bare Necessities"
Click here to find out more about the Jungle Book.
� Amy Davies, 2002.
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