The Jungle Book
Released 1967
Directed By Wolfgang Reitherman
Released 1967
Directed By Wolfgang Reitherman
Music By George Bruns, with songs by Richard and Robert Sherman
Happy February Disney Movie Addicts and Fans!! Normally this is a spot where I beg your
forgiveness for being away for the month of January. While January was a busy month with
performing and work, in reality it was a time of self-reflection. With all the additional shows and tasks at
work, February came and I decided it was a time for self-reflection. I made a conscious decision to stay out of
the spotlight for a month and make some decision for the future. Part of that reflection revolved around where
I would like to go with my performance life; part of it is where I’d like to
see this blog go and what “extras” for a little extra fun. The bulk of my reflection however has been
reading and immersing myself in books written on business management with Disney
as the central case study. I forget if I
have mentioned it in previous posts but I have a dream to eventually go to work
for the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Part of my plan to get there is to receive an
MBA with an emphasis in hospitality management.
It’s been a pipe dream of mine ever since I was in college
(unfortunately going to Disney to study in my college years didn’t line up with
my musical goals at the time). These
past few weeks of self-reflection have spurred in me a new passion and a new
desire to finally make that dream come true.
In the coming years I’ll be setting goals for myself and seeing them
through and with luck by the time I hit 35 I’ll be in Florida working for Disney
full time!!
One chilly, snowy night in
February I had just come home from a very long day at work. As is my normal routine, I put on some water
to start boiling for pasta, change out of my work clothes into jeans and a
t-shirt and proceed make dinner (when I’ve had a rough day, chopping up vegetables
and putting together a tasty meal out of various ingredients helps me re-focus
and re-center). When dinner was served I
surveyed the movie collection and decided on this month’s movie, The Jungle
Book, based on the writing of Rudyard Kipling. As I watched I began to find the travels of
Mowgli back to the human village not unlike many journeys we all take in life
towards our goals or destinations.
Released in 1967, we follow the
story of Mowgli, found by the panther Bagheera and taken to a wolf pack to be raised
until the age of 10, when it’s found out the tiger Shere Khan has returned to
that part of the jungle. With Shere
Khan’s hatred toward men, the wolf pack has decided Mowgli must return to the
man-village for his own safety as well as the safety of the pack. Along the way Bagheera and Mowgli run into
the easy-going Baloo the bear, the happy-go-lucky King Louis the orangutan,
Col. Hathi and his elephant brigade, the hypnotic Kaa the snake, a grab of singing
vultures and a run in with Shere Khan himself.
After all the adventures and fighting to stay in the jungle, the trio of
bear, panther, and man-cub stumble upon the man-village and a young girl
singing a tune attracts Mowgli to the village and what can be assumed a life
among man and woman.
Many thoughts hit me as I watched
Jungle Book that cold night. As I
watched and listened to the movie that chilly night while eating dinner, it
struck me that much like Mowgli traveling (reluctantly) towards the
man-village, I too am traveling on a path much different than what I thought I
wanted; but ultimately a path leading towards ultimate happiness. Jungle Book was the last film Walt
Disney had a hand in before his death of lung cancer in December of 1966. In a way … the journey towards Walt Disney
Studios also had to go through its own jungle and come out on top to survive as
well. Taking a look at the central
characters of the movie, Mowgli is faced with a challenge of staying in the
jungle vs. rejoining the human world. On
the one side of him is the voice of concern and reason in Bagheera, oftentimes
to his own comedic detriment. On the other
side is the voice of frivolity in Baloo, that even though all’s well that ends
well, his laidback and lax attention causes some of the trouble they get
into. Along the ride in the film are
troubles meeting Mowgli from the slippery serpent of Kaa, able to lull you into
a false security of words before devouring his prey, to Shere Khan the
dangerous and tyrannical ruler of the jungle.
And even the temptation of frivolity and falling into the false truths
from King Louie (I think it could even be argued King Louie is the danger of
fair-weathered friend that makes promises only to get what they want, his
“kingdom” being built on ruins of an ancient civilization but easily
shattered). And yet throughout the
story, Baloo and Bagheera come to agreement about the ultimately safety and
happiness of Mowgli, which leads up to the final confrontation with Shere Khan
and meeting of unlikely allies in the vultures. In the end, nature takes its course and Mowgli
hears the lull of a young girl singing about her future as she is fetching
water from a nearby stream. Mowgli
finally faced with what the Man-village holds goes in of his own accord
(growing up and out of childhood one could say), while Baloo and Bagheera march
off back into the jungle (the imagination and fantasy stewards of childhood
always there but not in the forefront of the mind as they once were).
Jungle Book holds many
wonderful memories for me. Being one of
the first Disney movies I saw in theaters (My hometown movie theater did
children’s films for the summer time), opening my eyes to the magic of Disney. And even now as an adult and learning the
history behind the movie, you can see how it has influenced future animated
films as well as spurred Walt Disney Studios forward after the death of Walt
Disney. Jungle Book is truly a
masterpiece of storytelling and animation that made Disney the force it is
today.
Title: Jungle Book
Perfect For: Any Disney fan
Most likely character you’ll see in the parks: This is a
difficult one as many characters have been moved into the vault. However, from my experience you’ll most
likely catch Baloo (and sometimes Mowgli) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Well everyone … We’ll see what
the future holds for all of us. I will
be working on bringing something new to the blog very soon. It could be a book recommendation or maybe a
recipe or history and pictures of parks.
But whatever it may be … I hope you will continue to enjoy this blog.
Make it a magical day – Patrick A