This is a great
novel about a boy growing up in the Indian jungle and his adventures in this
classic coming of age story. It's an interesting piece of literature because
it's not very clear who the audience is supposed to be. Disney made it for kids
by turning the story into an animated movie and a live action movie later on.
Neither depictions of the book are even close to the original content; just
throwing it out there. The book may be through the point of view of a child,
but it deals with more adult issues. There's betrayal, vengeance, violence, and
sacrifice in a story about Mowgli trying to find his place in the world.
I personally don't think the animated Disney movie is bad, but it is interesting to compare it to the original book. It's interesting to see what Disney took from it and made more "child friendly". I will compare the book to the animated version because it was the first Disney adaptation and majority of people are more familiar with this version than anything else.
The story of Mowgli isn't one long consecutive storyline; it is a series of stories told outside of chronological context. The first story of the book is called "Mowgli's Brothers". This chapter could be a short story on its own because it is the strongest of all the stories in the book. Chuck Jones created a short animation with the same title and it follows the story more closely than the Disney versions. You can find it on You Tube, and I recommend it because it will change how you see the Disney movies and give you an idea about what the book is like before you decide to check it out.
It starts through the point of view of the wolves and how Mowgli found them when he was barely a toddler after his parents had abandoned him during an attack by Shere-Khan the tiger. In the animated Disney version, Bagheera the panther finds him in a basket. I'm not sure why the creators of the Disney movie made this choice, but in the book the wolf parents are more active characters and are the ones who stand up to Shere-Khan when they adopt Mowgli. Bagheera doesn't play a part in Mowgli's life until later on. Through some complicated jungle laws he buys Mowgli's wolf pack membership with an ox. The only thing really true to the story is that Bagheera and Baloo the bear do become Mowgli's mentors and friends.
Bagheera is sort of an older brother to Mowgli and is protective of him. Bagheera in the animated Disney movie is similar to the original character in that sense. The fact that Bagheera has been apart of Mowgli’s life since he was a baby makes their relationship that much stronger. So Disney probably had him save Mowgli as a baby instead of the wolves to create a foundation for their relationship.
I personally don't think the animated Disney movie is bad, but it is interesting to compare it to the original book. It's interesting to see what Disney took from it and made more "child friendly". I will compare the book to the animated version because it was the first Disney adaptation and majority of people are more familiar with this version than anything else.
The story of Mowgli isn't one long consecutive storyline; it is a series of stories told outside of chronological context. The first story of the book is called "Mowgli's Brothers". This chapter could be a short story on its own because it is the strongest of all the stories in the book. Chuck Jones created a short animation with the same title and it follows the story more closely than the Disney versions. You can find it on You Tube, and I recommend it because it will change how you see the Disney movies and give you an idea about what the book is like before you decide to check it out.
It starts through the point of view of the wolves and how Mowgli found them when he was barely a toddler after his parents had abandoned him during an attack by Shere-Khan the tiger. In the animated Disney version, Bagheera the panther finds him in a basket. I'm not sure why the creators of the Disney movie made this choice, but in the book the wolf parents are more active characters and are the ones who stand up to Shere-Khan when they adopt Mowgli. Bagheera doesn't play a part in Mowgli's life until later on. Through some complicated jungle laws he buys Mowgli's wolf pack membership with an ox. The only thing really true to the story is that Bagheera and Baloo the bear do become Mowgli's mentors and friends.
Bagheera is sort of an older brother to Mowgli and is protective of him. Bagheera in the animated Disney movie is similar to the original character in that sense. The fact that Bagheera has been apart of Mowgli’s life since he was a baby makes their relationship that much stronger. So Disney probably had him save Mowgli as a baby instead of the wolves to create a foundation for their relationship.
Baloo in the
Disney version is lazy and likes to play around with Mowgli. Mowgli and Baloo
often ignore Bagheera's warnings and act as if he's out to ruin their fun. They
turn into typical parents in a way where Baloo is like a mother who doesn't
want to see Mowgli grow up and move away to the human village while Bagheera is
like a father that insists it's for his own good.
I don't think this as a bad portrayal of the characters. It creates drama and a sort of interesting chemistry between all three characters. In the book, however, Baloo and Bagheera are both strict with Mowgli and tell him that he has to live with the humans soon, but not for the same reason, which I will get to later. Both Baloo and Bagheera have good intentions towards Mowgli and love him like a little brother. However the contrast in opinions between the two characters in the Disney movie is more engaging. It is one aspect they arguably did better than the book.
The tension between Mowgli and his animal mentors is more focused in the second story, "Kaa's Hunting". Kaa the snake in the Disney movie is voiced by the same voice actor who played Winnie the Pooh and the Cheshire Cat and many other miscellaneous Disney characters. Knowing that, watch "Trust in Me" on You Tube and picture Winnie the Pooh singing that song. It'll either give you the creeps or entertain you for a while.
Kaa in the book is legitimately terrifying. Before we are introduced to him, there is a lot of build up about his hypnotizing powers over the animals and how intelligent and stealthy he is. He's also described to have a whispering, devilish voice. In the movie he's a silly comic relief character who is barely considered a villain. I wish he had been the main villain in the book because he is a much bigger threat than Shere-Khan.
Shere-Khan is the main villain through out the book, but he contrasts greatly when compared to the Disney version. In the book Shere-Khan is a tiger that was born limp so he has to hunt old oxen in the human village. He also hangs around an annoying jackal named Tabaqui who eats Shere-Khan's scraps and likes to insult people and cause trouble when he can get away with it. This character doesn't exist in the movie. He could have been replaced with Kaa's down played depiction in the movie.
Shere-Khan in the Disney movie is a fierce creature who can be well spoken and classy about how he can pretty much kill whomever he wants. He is a very popular villain to this day. Shere-Khan in the book is a bit of a whiner when he doesn't get his way and is a huge coward. He vows to some day eat Mowgli out of spite, but is chased away with a stern stare and a poke of a burning branch to the butt. In the movie Shere-Khan was a challenge to overcome and a burning branch had to be tied to his tail. He even almost kills Baloo! In the book no one gets even so much as a scratch.
So that brings me to why Mowgli has to live with the humans. In the movie everyone is concerned for his safety and knows Shere-Khan will kill him. The wolves and Bagheera want him to grow up safely in the human village. So with that in mind, why didn't Bagheera just take him to the village when he was a baby?
In the book Mowgli stumbles upon the wolves when he's a toddler and they adopt him. It’s not fully explained, but it can be argued that they want to keep him out of kindness and they fight for Mowgli's pack membership and his safety from Shere-Khan. But as Mowgli gets older it is more apparent that he can't stay in the pack forever and due to complicated politics within the pack he has to exile himself and live in the village. So the book gets a point for this aspect because it's more in depth and complicated and makes the audience invested in Mowgli's fate.
I really recommend this book. It is a classic that is an easy read, but is also very smart. There are a lot of undertone themes and messages and the characters are more interesting than in the movie. The book is really more for teenagers and adults who enjoy classic books. If you prefer something more child friendly, I would recommend the Disney movie. Overall, I give this book 9 out of 10.
I don't think this as a bad portrayal of the characters. It creates drama and a sort of interesting chemistry between all three characters. In the book, however, Baloo and Bagheera are both strict with Mowgli and tell him that he has to live with the humans soon, but not for the same reason, which I will get to later. Both Baloo and Bagheera have good intentions towards Mowgli and love him like a little brother. However the contrast in opinions between the two characters in the Disney movie is more engaging. It is one aspect they arguably did better than the book.
The tension between Mowgli and his animal mentors is more focused in the second story, "Kaa's Hunting". Kaa the snake in the Disney movie is voiced by the same voice actor who played Winnie the Pooh and the Cheshire Cat and many other miscellaneous Disney characters. Knowing that, watch "Trust in Me" on You Tube and picture Winnie the Pooh singing that song. It'll either give you the creeps or entertain you for a while.
Kaa in the book is legitimately terrifying. Before we are introduced to him, there is a lot of build up about his hypnotizing powers over the animals and how intelligent and stealthy he is. He's also described to have a whispering, devilish voice. In the movie he's a silly comic relief character who is barely considered a villain. I wish he had been the main villain in the book because he is a much bigger threat than Shere-Khan.
Shere-Khan is the main villain through out the book, but he contrasts greatly when compared to the Disney version. In the book Shere-Khan is a tiger that was born limp so he has to hunt old oxen in the human village. He also hangs around an annoying jackal named Tabaqui who eats Shere-Khan's scraps and likes to insult people and cause trouble when he can get away with it. This character doesn't exist in the movie. He could have been replaced with Kaa's down played depiction in the movie.
Shere-Khan in the Disney movie is a fierce creature who can be well spoken and classy about how he can pretty much kill whomever he wants. He is a very popular villain to this day. Shere-Khan in the book is a bit of a whiner when he doesn't get his way and is a huge coward. He vows to some day eat Mowgli out of spite, but is chased away with a stern stare and a poke of a burning branch to the butt. In the movie Shere-Khan was a challenge to overcome and a burning branch had to be tied to his tail. He even almost kills Baloo! In the book no one gets even so much as a scratch.
So that brings me to why Mowgli has to live with the humans. In the movie everyone is concerned for his safety and knows Shere-Khan will kill him. The wolves and Bagheera want him to grow up safely in the human village. So with that in mind, why didn't Bagheera just take him to the village when he was a baby?
In the book Mowgli stumbles upon the wolves when he's a toddler and they adopt him. It’s not fully explained, but it can be argued that they want to keep him out of kindness and they fight for Mowgli's pack membership and his safety from Shere-Khan. But as Mowgli gets older it is more apparent that he can't stay in the pack forever and due to complicated politics within the pack he has to exile himself and live in the village. So the book gets a point for this aspect because it's more in depth and complicated and makes the audience invested in Mowgli's fate.
I really recommend this book. It is a classic that is an easy read, but is also very smart. There are a lot of undertone themes and messages and the characters are more interesting than in the movie. The book is really more for teenagers and adults who enjoy classic books. If you prefer something more child friendly, I would recommend the Disney movie. Overall, I give this book 9 out of 10.
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