Film: The Jungle Book

 

In honor of all things Wild this month, it was a challenge to find some inspirational films. But the first thing that came to mind was The Jungle Book! Let's see what we can learn about this animated classic.


The Jungle Book was released in 1967 as Walt Disney Productions 19th animated film. Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name, it tells the story of an orphan abandoned in the jungle named Mowgli.

We all know the movie (maybe), but what about the interesting facts and juicy details? Here are five fun facts for your next trivia night!

1. The Jungle Book is the 29th highest grossing film of all time in the United States!
2. The original screenplay for the film followed closely to Kipling's dramatic, dark, and sinister tone which is about the struggles between animal and man. But Disney felt it wasn't family oriented enough and it was rewritten.
3. In the original book, the vultures are grim and evil characters who feast on the dead. Disney lightened it up by having the vultures bear a physical and vocal resemblance to the Beatles.
4. The film was re-released theatrically in North America three times; 1978, 1984, and 1990.  The original release was ten months after Walt Disney's death. It was the last film he produced.
5. It was one of the rare films in which animators were not exclusively responsible for single characters, and instead produced whole sequences.