(c) Disney

The Top 10 Things We Learn from This Commentary:

1. The waterfalls seen throughout the movie were actually live action footage inserted into the animated backgrounds.
2. Bagheera the Panther was based on a neatnik story man at the studio.
3. The wolf cubs were animated using reused animation of the puppies from 101 Dalmatians.
4. In addition to voicing the man cub, Bruce was filmed for live action reference for Mowgli.
5. The melody of �My Own Home� can be heard whenever the �man village� is mentioned.
6. Louis Prima and Phil Harris actually recorded the �scat duet� portion of �I Wanna Be Like You� separately.
7. Animator Milt Kahl used the live action films A Tiger Walks and Jungle Cat as inspiration while animating Bagheera and Shere Khan the Tiger.
8. The Sherman Brothers turned to an unused Mary Poppins song, �The Land of Sand�, as the basis for Kaa the Python�s number, �Trust in Me�.
9. The vultures� �What do you want to do?� bit was an homage to the Ernest Borgnine movie Marty.
10. George Sanders didn�t sing in �That�s What Friends Are For�; Bill Lee of the Mellowmen provided that final deep note.

Over on disc two, the extras are divided into two sections: �Man Village� (Backstage Disney) and �Jungle Fun� (Games & Activities). The new 45-minute �The Bare Necessities: The Making of The Jungle Book� is the centerpiece of the former, providing a thorough look at how the classic was created. Special attention is paid to the contributions by Bill Peet (the original story man on the project whose darker take was rejected by Walt, leading to his leaving the studio), Phil Harris (whose casting as the happy-go-lucky Baloo the Bear was originally met with resistance by the animators) and George Bruns, whose evocative score perfectly set the alternately laid back/jazzy mood of the film. It is also noted that Jungle Book was the first Disney animated feature to rely on �star casting�, a practice that continues to this day. And I must mention that I was surprised to learn that Clint Howard, brother of Ron and future cult star, voiced the baby elephant.

�Disney�s Kipling� offers a three-way comparison between the source material, Peet�s original story treatment and the final film, while �The Lure of The Jungle Book� highlights how the movie inspired such artists of today as Brad Bird, Glen Keane and Eric Goldberg, and how it influenced such modern characters as Tantor, Scar, Ariel and Iago, among others. Two brief featurettes spotlighting Bruce Reitherman and Frank & Ollie, plus a collection of art galleries, complete this section.

As could be expected, the �Jungle Fun� activities are strictly for the �man cubs� in the family, although portions of �Baloo�s Virtual Swingin� Jungle Cruise� are kind of tricky. The younger kids may want to stick to the simpler �Fun With Language� games also available.

Rudyard Kipling Edition In this �Toon Talk� feature, I will briefly highlight a recommended film or DVD, outside of the Disney universe, of similar interest to the main subject. JUNGLE BOOK 1942 - United Artists This early, live action version of Kipling�s adventure features a great Miklos Rozsa score, some exotic scenery and impressive (for its time) special effects (all nominated for Oscars, too). The movie, one of the first to be shot in color, stars Sabu as Mowgli, along with a menagerie of animals as the various denizens of the jungle. DVD available from United American Video.

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