Retelling a classic story can be risky because audiences are firmly rooted into the original; however, I saw The Jungle Book at the cinema today, and found that it brought new life to an old favourite. It was vibrant and engaging, and appealing to a broad family audience.

The classic soundtrack was playfully incorporated, and adapted, without any long or repetitive musical sequences.

The exploration of the inherently connected animal kingdoms was an interesting detail, which highlighted the jungle’s natural order, and Mowgli’s nontraditional place within it.
I appreciated the approach taken to portray an animal perspective, seen particularly through the discussion of fire as a mysterious asset harbored by mankind, called ‘the red flower’. The unavoidable human qualities in the animal characters were contrasted and balanced by the deliberate and insightful attempt to capture this animal perspective.

The Jungle Book is a classic which is very sentimental to me, among a string of generations of others, and I’m satisfied that the new film did both Kipling’s original novel and Disney’s animated film, justice.