The Jungle Book (2016) VS Mowgli (2018)
Round 1: The CGI
Top 10 Differences Between Bird Box Movie & Book
Bringing the stories of “The Jungle Book” to life in live-action is no small feat. Disney’s 1994 adaptation had Mowgli communicate with real, nonverbal animals, but sacrificed the magic of the original stories in the process. So for their 2016 blockbuster, they went all in with a budget of $177 million - much of which you can bet went toward crafting the movie’s talking animals. It was clearly money well-spent. The animal characters are photorealistic without feeling generic or faceless. Critic Richard Roeper rightfully called the visual effects “arresting”, while Rotten Tomatoes concluded that the film set “a new standard for CGI”. In the wake of Disney’s success, director Andy Serkis needed to ensure that his take on the source material would be distinct. And one of the ways that he accomplished this was through the film’s CGI. His production company The Imaginarium are the industry leaders in motion capture, a technology that allowed him to make the animal characters not only extremely expressive, but also to somehow resemble their actors. The effect was undeniably captivating, and their expressions were unlike anything we’d seen from CGI creatures before . . . but the distinct look also made them feel a bit cartoonish. The CGI work in “Mowgli” is proof that Andy Serkis is far from finished pushing the boundaries of motion capture performance . . . but in the context of the film, his creatures don’t work quite as seamlessly as Disney’s. “The Jungle Book” takes the first round. WINNER: The Jungle Book: 1/ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle: 0
Round 2: Music and Score
Top 10 Greatest Music Biopics
Disney comes into this round with a strong advantage. The music from their 1967 animated “Jungle Book” is iconic and remains just as catchy a half century later. Composer John Debney was brought onboard to update the score, and did so with great reverence for Disney composer and legend George Bruns. There’s very little fault to be found with either Debney’s reimaginings or his own original contributions. Though Disney opted not to make the remake a musical, the characters still performed a couple of classics. Unfortunately, they paled in comparison to the animated renditions, and some reviewers felt that they were out of place. When you watch “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle”, chances are that you don’t think twice about the music. And that’s a good thing! Except in rare instances, the average cinemagoer pays little attention to the score, letting it blend in with the action on screen. In a non-musical film, the score is there to emphasize the atmosphere and tone of the movie, highlighting both emotional and narrative beats. In this sense, Nitin Sawhney's score is absolutely flawless. It’s a compliment to the film’s narrative that elevates the cinematic experience from start to finish. Though John Debney did a great job with “The Jungle Book”, it suffers from having to live in the shadow of its predecessor, and the musical numbers break the narrative momentum. The music in “Mowgli” consistently helps to push the story forward, so “Mowgli” wins this round. WINNER: The Jungle Book: 1/ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle: 1
Round 3: The Story
Top 10 Anticipated Movies of 2018
When Disney announced a live-action adaptation of “The Jungle Book”, there was a lot of scepticism. Disney’s 1967 animated version is a cherished childhood classic, one that delivers a kid-friendly but nonetheless thrilling adventure. The assumption was that this remake would either fall short or, at best, be a retread of familiar ground. Despite the odds, director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Marks managed to retell the story in a way that was at-once familiar and fresh. Sincere, sweet, fun and engaging start to finish, “The Jungle Book” is a story we’d gladly watch on repeat. For those who haven’t read Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”, the tale told in “Mowgli” might feel a little unfamiliar. Be that as it may, it actually comes closer to Kipling’s tales than any of the Disney versions. True to Kipling’s work, it dives deeper into the laws of the jungle, as well as the backstories of the animal characters. Unfortunately, reverence for the source material doesn’t always translate into a well-plotted narrative, especially in the case of short story collections. “Mowgli’s” story is compelling, but uneven. Though we can appreciate the effort that Serkis and screenwriter Callie Kloves put into their adaptation of Kipling’s work, at the end of the day, “The Jungle Book” tells a more satisfying, engaging story. WINNER: The Jungle Book: 2/ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle: 1
Round 4: The Cast
Top 10 Best Harry Potter Actors Who Were Perfectly Cast From the Book
Nobody can put together an all-star cast quite like Disney. We didn’t know it until we heard it for ourselves, but Bill Murray was born to voice Baloo the bear. And he’s not the only great choice. Ben Kingsley, easily one of the most respected actors in the industry, is fantastic as Bagheera. So are Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, and Lupita Nyong’o as Mowgli’s adoptive mother. Add Christopher Walken and a few other familiar voices and you’ve got one serious cast. Of course, none of this would matter if Neel Sethi hadn’t been such an endearing Mowgli. Putting together a cast to rival that of “The Jungle Book” should have been an impossible task, but “Mowgli” managed to do so - likely in no small part thanks to Andy Serkis’ reputation, respect and connections. Calling on actors he’d worked with in the past, he lined up Christian Bale as Bagheera, Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan and Cate Blanchett as Kaa. Serkis himself stepped into the role of Baloo. In a move that set the film apart from “The Jungle Book”, “Mowgli” also put a greater focus on the human characters, and Freida Pinto as the villager Messua is a welcome addition. With two such stellar casts, both films are neck and neck - until you consider Rohan Chand. Though Sethi’s performance is excellent, Chand delivers a definitive and more complex live-action take on character, earning his film another round. WINNER: The Jungle Book: 2/ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle: 2
Round 5: The Characterization of Beloved Characters
Top 10 Characters Who Can Communicate With Animals
The animals that populate the world of “The Jungle Book” are some of the most beloved characters in pop culture, and in Shere Khan’s case, one of the most revered villains. In reinventing these characters as CGI creations, Disney had their work cut out for them, but they largely succeeded. Even with a new look and voice, Baloo is that same old bear you grew up with. Meanwhile Idris Elba managed to elevate Shere Khan to new heights, delivering a nuanced and menacing vocal performance further bolstered by superb character development. This Shere Khan is three dimensional, both literally and figuratively. In “Mowgli”, which more closely follows its source material, Serkis seems to have gone out of his way to distinguish his characters from the Disney iterations. Nowhere is this more apparent than with Baloo. Played by Serkis, Baloo is a grizzled, tough-guy kind of bear - gruff, stern and strict with the cubs in his charge. It’s an interesting approach, but - fairly or not - hard for the average viewer to accept, given that Disney’s Baloo has become so iconic. With that being said, the movie’s unique and original approach works much better with other characters, like Bagheera and the members of Mowgli’s wolf family. While “Mowgli” delivered fleshed out characters with distinct personalities, the characters in "The Jungle Book" speak most directly to our hearts and our sense of nostalgia. For that reason, Disney takes this round and the competition. WINNER: The Jungle Book: 3/ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle: 2 Did we pick the right film? Be sure to debate it in the comments and of course, don’t forget to subscribe to MsMojo for more entertaining versus battles.
