We watched The Jungle Book in its newest incarnation tonight.
There are many glorious aspects to it - the animation is astonishing and delightful. The reworking of two old famous songs is gleeful and a wonderful homage to the Disney Jungle Book. The care shared between Baloo, Bagheera and Mowgli is well done.
I didn't mind that Kaa is now female as her part in the story is really well done - and if you count the number of female characters in the original main story, you only have to use one finger, so... yeah. Olivia had read that she was all seduction, and Mowgli was a nine year old boy, and ew... but the connection between sex and death is something that she (and clearly, large swathes of the internet) doesn't understand yet.
They mess with the story, but honestly, they pull it back together into a good film plot pretty well. I won't complain. I miss the real Book I know and love so deeply, but ... I don't think they're ever going to make that one the way I want them too. And it sits very firm in my head and heart. I think it might be my most favourite ever book,
Do you know some people have never read it? For them, the Jungle Book is the Disney cartoon, silly songs and cartoon vultures. For me, it introduced me to romance and daring and conflict and death and friendship bonds and sacrifice.., so many human experiences put together in such a beautiful way. I think this film scrapes at that quite masterfully, even though I balk at it not being 'right' - the story is taken apart and stitched together but I think it works pretty well to redeliver the message. And the cast is fantastic, the animation is a tour de force. It's beautiful to be able to live in the world so visually. I wish they'd make one based on the original book and not the Disney cartoon just for me though, but that might be asking too much.
There are many glorious aspects to it - the animation is astonishing and delightful. The reworking of two old famous songs is gleeful and a wonderful homage to the Disney Jungle Book. The care shared between Baloo, Bagheera and Mowgli is well done.
I didn't mind that Kaa is now female as her part in the story is really well done - and if you count the number of female characters in the original main story, you only have to use one finger, so... yeah. Olivia had read that she was all seduction, and Mowgli was a nine year old boy, and ew... but the connection between sex and death is something that she (and clearly, large swathes of the internet) doesn't understand yet.
They mess with the story, but honestly, they pull it back together into a good film plot pretty well. I won't complain. I miss the real Book I know and love so deeply, but ... I don't think they're ever going to make that one the way I want them too. And it sits very firm in my head and heart. I think it might be my most favourite ever book,
Do you know some people have never read it? For them, the Jungle Book is the Disney cartoon, silly songs and cartoon vultures. For me, it introduced me to romance and daring and conflict and death and friendship bonds and sacrifice.., so many human experiences put together in such a beautiful way. I think this film scrapes at that quite masterfully, even though I balk at it not being 'right' - the story is taken apart and stitched together but I think it works pretty well to redeliver the message. And the cast is fantastic, the animation is a tour de force. It's beautiful to be able to live in the world so visually. I wish they'd make one based on the original book and not the Disney cartoon just for me though, but that might be asking too much.
2 comments:
I remember after going to see The Witches of Eastwick, the movie, after I'd read the book which I adored. The movie veered quite a bit from the book but it satisfied me nonetheless. It got the SPIRIT of it right and now and then, that's enough.
That's a tough one, because I loved the film so much - I started reading the book and his 'I understand women so well' attitude rankled with me a bit.
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