A feral child raised by jungle wolves must eventually assert his humanity to save his wolf parents from a tiger's malevolent influence on his pack.A feral child raised by jungle wolves must eventually assert his humanity to save his wolf parents from a tiger's malevolent influence on his pack.A feral child raised by jungle wolves must eventually assert his humanity to save his wolf parents from a tiger's malevolent influence on his pack.
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Father Wolf: Shere Khan does us great honor. What does Shere Khan need?
Shere Khan: My quarry - the Man's Cub. It's parents escaped me - give him to me!
Tabaqui the Jackal: It is his. Give it to him.
Father Wolf: The wolves are a free people. They take orders from the head of the pack, and not from any striped cattle killer. The Man's Cub is ours, to kill if we choose.
Shere Khan: You choose and you do not choose!
Tabaqui the Jackal: What is this talk of choosing, O master?
Shere Khan: Am I to stand nosing into your dog's den for my fair dues?
Tabaqui the Jackal: Fair dues!
Shere Khan: It is I, Shere Khan who speaks!
Mother Wolf: And it is I, Raksha the demon who answer. The Man's Cub is mine - mine to me! He shall not be killed. He shall live to run with the pack, and to hunt with the pack! And in the end, look you, hunter of little naked cubs, frog eater, he shall hunt you. Now get hence, back to your starved cattle, branded beast of the jungle! Go!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Nostalgia Critic: The Jungle Book (2016) (2018)
The film essentially tells the story of a little human boy named Mowgli who is raised by wolves, but must grow up fast in order to defend himself and the wolf pack from the lame white tiger Shere Kahn. In addition to the special pretty much translating the whole Kipling story into a half hour special, the whole thing is narrated by Roddy McDowal as if you're being read to while viewing it. While it might seem distracting at first, it allows for a storybook aesthetic to creep its way through the film, especially when what we're watching depends on specified action. Given Chuck Jones's determination to bring the harsh seriousness most commonplace in Kipling's work, the special does not hold back in showing the cold realities of having to grow up within a different species, therefore maturing quicker than expected. Perhaps the special's unapologetic dark honesty is why it isn't as remembered as other Kipling adaptations that tried to lighten the mood up, yet because of how bleak and well-intent the message is throughout the special, it can speak to anyone fearing the future of growing up differently from others.
Even beyond the serious content, the art direction is nothing short of brilliant. The backgrounds and environments feel like graphic illustrations in a retro children's book brought to life, with sharp colors and bold albeit abstract compositions all throughout the staging. In some ways, the more vibrant minimal setting makes the jungle stick out like a jungle due to the general attributes we associate jungles to look like. As for the characters, they look like Jones's more cartoonish and grotesque style of the time, but they come with a lot of very expressive poses and acting, all of which are in account of the brilliant animators and layouts from Jones himself. Some characters do have more dynamic expressions than others depending on their role, such as the more slow yet humble bear Baloo being around the much more stoic and intelligent panther Bagheera, or the sophisticatedly manic jackal Tabaqui serving the much more intimidating tiger Shere Kahn. Even Mowgli himself can show signs of being a happy little boy in contrast to his more fierce fighting gestures.
With all of these strong qualities intact, the love and passion embroidered all over Mowgli's Brothers just screams faithfully strong. It may not appeal to the broadest audiences outside of those unfamiliar with Kipling's original work or the Disney adaptation, but for those who love the works of Chuck Jones or any literature enthusiasts, this should be right up your alley. It is a shame that such a magnificently crafted retelling of a classic story has been largely forgotten today, so it's only a matter of time until it gets newly found appreciation for its well aged brilliance. Only time will tell.
- elicopperman
- Aug 17, 2021