The Jungle Book
Blu-ray | DVD | Digital HD
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: Justin Marks
Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Rated PG | 106 Minutes
Release Date: August 30, 2016

Disney had ushered in a new phase of storytelling by reimagining their animated classics and turning them into joyous live-action iterations that pay respect to the source material and their animated predecessor. It’s not as though director Jon Favreau‘s The Jungle Book is just some generic retelling of the 1967 animated film; it’s something that utilizes nostalgia and then enhances the story with crisp photoreal CGI technology that draws in the audiences into that world. As soon as The Jungle Book starts, you sense all of that as it opens with an animated version of the traditional Disney castle opening sequence then transitions into the vibrant CGI world you can almost feel. From there it’s an immersive adventure about a boy finding his place in his pack, as well as in the dangerous settings of the jungle, where an enemy doesn’t feel he belongs.

I reviewed the film in length back in April when it was released in theaters, so you can read that here, where you’ll see I found it very enjoyable. Below you can check out a review of the bonus features that are available on both the Blu-ray and Digital HD release. These extras include “The Jungle Book Reimagined,” “I Am Mowgli,” “King Louie’s Temple: Layer By Layer,” and feature-length Audio Commentary.

It’s really hard to believe that the world of Jon Favreau‘s The Jungle Book was created in a soundstage in Los Angeles, CA. Though some sets are real, a majority of the surrounding environments were created on a computer. The thing is, you wouldn’t really have known it was because of the sheer detail that was put into creating that world. It took three years for the film to get made, much of it spent in an effort to perfect those details and getting everything just right. And as we have seen in recent weeks, it has certainly paid off as the film has taken the number one spot at the box office for the past two weeks.

Now we are getting a look at the bare bones of the film without all the flashy visual effects. A new video has appeared that shows us a behind-the-scenes look at the technologically complex film and what was done to bring it to the big screen. Check the video out below.

The Jungle Book
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: Justin Marks
Cast: Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken, Neel Sethi
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Rated PG | 105 Minutes
Release Date: April 15, 2016

There’s really only one word to describe The Jungle Book: magical. Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Chef), this live-action adaptation of Walt Disney’s 1967 animated film is a miracle of modern filmmaking, combining state-of-the-art special effects with heartfelt storytelling.

Newcomer Neel Sethi stars as Mowgli, a young boy orphaned in the jungle as an infant. Rescued by the black panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), Mowgli is raised by Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) and Akela (Giancarlo Esposito), an Indian wolf couple who adopt the “man-cub” as one of their own. But Mowgli finds he is no longer safe in the jungle when the tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat.

Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli sets out for the man village, guided by Bagheera and the benevolent bear Baloo (Bill Murray). Along the way, the man-cub encounters creatures who don’t have his best interests at heart, including the seductive python Kaa (Scarlett Johansson) and King Louie (Christopher Walken), a smooth-talking Gigantopithecus who wants man’s deadly red flower: fire.

The Jungle Book
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: Justin Marks
Cast: Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Neel Sethi
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Rated PG | 106 Minutes
Release Date: April 15, 2016

There is a fine line that filmmakers walk when reimagining a classic like Disney’s The Jungle Book. The animated film, released in 1967, has a special place in the hearts of fans who enjoyed watching a boy who lived in the jungle and was raised by wolves become a man. Though there have been many iterations and adaptations, that film is probably the most recognized. Now we flash forward to 2016, nearly 50 years since the release of the film where Disney has already created a successful formula of turning those animated classics into live-action blockbusters.

The film is storytelling come to life in every sense of the word. Like a parental figure reading a story to their child. Jon Favreau (Iron Man), faithfully adapts the film for the newer generation, while still paying respect to those who loved the original. Some might consider that his vision for this surpasses the original. Others might think it succeeds in its own right. In the end, the film is nostalgically joyous and a romping good time.

Disney will be releasing the highly anticipated The Jungle Book from director Jon Favreau. The film centers on a young boy (Neel Sethi) who became an orphan when the ferocious Shere Khan killed his father. Taken by Bagheera (Sir Ben Kingsley) to live with a wolf pack, Mowgli learns the ways of the jungle from his new wolf parents Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) and Akela (Giancarlo Esposito). When Shere Khan threatens the entire animal community unless the boy is delivered to him, Mowgli volunteers to return to the man village on his own. His journey will take him across the dense jungles where he meets all sorts of wildlife, and befriends an easy-going bear named Baloo (Bill Murray).

Geeks of Doom was recently invited to sit down with a group of fellow journalists to hear about what Favreau, Kingsley, Esposito, and Nyong’o had to say about the film during its press conference. There they spoke about the visual effects of the film, Sethi’s physical work, voiceover work, and respecting the animated original and Rudyard Kipling’s works while also making it entertaining for the newer generation. Check out the press conference below.