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'Jungle Book' Opens in Hollywood
by Scott Holleran
 | | A scene from The Jungle Book |
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September 14, 2007
Burbank, California—With the upcoming 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition DVD of The Jungle Book around the bend—it's scheduled for an Oct. 2 release—Disney is wrapping up an 18-day engagement at its El Capitan movie palace in Hollywood. The 1967 animated feature, the last personally supervised by Walt Disney, remains a treat for all ages.
Based on Rudyard Kipling's adventure stories, Disney's version is the tale of a gangly boy named Mowgli (voice of Bruce Reitherman, Jungle Book director Wolfgang's son) abandoned in the jungle and the pair of loving parental figures—a panther and a bear—that guide him toward becoming a man. All this while a man-hating tiger (voiced by George Sanders of All About Eve) hunts Mowgli for kill.
Bagheera the kindly panther (Sebastian Cabot of Family Affair, narrator of Disney's The Sword in the Stone) and, reluctantly, Baloo the nonchalant bear (show-stealer Phil Harris, who went on to do O'Malley's voice in Disney's The Aristocats) set out to safely deposit Mowgli in a village. Their leisurely escapades include encounters with a hypnotizing snake, barbershop vultures and a nutty ape named King Louie. During El Cap's screening, composer Terry Gilkyson's song, "Bare Necessities," was one of many scenes to cause boys and girls to erupt in spontaneous laughter. As the tag line says, "this jungle is jumpin'!"
The opening night panel, hosted by Beauty and the Beast producer Don Hahn, featured a Jungle Book reunion of original voices: Reitherman, Darleen Carr (Shanti) and Chad Stuart (Flaps the vulture). They were joined by Disney animator Andreas Deja and songwriter Richard Sherman, who performed a medley of his many Disney hits.
Disney's resourceful Howard Green (co-author of Remembering Walt: Favorite Memories of Walt Disney) managed to find footage of loose-limbed Phil Harris practically in character from an outstanding TV performance of the Oscar®-nominated "Bare Necessities." The audience loved the clip, which is not included on the DVD—another reason why El Cap's opening night classic animation panels are not to be missed.
Every Jungle Book showing features an appearance by Baloo, who leads the audience in a sing-along of "Bare Necessities" and Mr. Sherman's "I Wanna Be Like You." The picture is shown daily at 10:00 am, 12:15 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:45 pm, 7:00 pm, and 9:15 pm.
Music
Months ago, loyal reader Guy, whom I met this summer in Colorado, recommended the album Life in Cartoon Motion by a singer and songwriter named Mika. I finally got around to listening to the debut album—already a hit in Britain—of this Beirut-born, London-based self-taught pianist (whose father, in an interesting side note, was taken prisoner at the U.S. embassy in Kuwait when Mika was a child). Since the CD's release, Mika has rocked Chicago's Cabaret Metro and New York's Highline ballroom.
Life in Cartoon Motion is a refreshing mix of 12 songs that's created for those who, like me, prefer upbeat, neatly arranged melodies. This young male vocalist pays tribute to Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, high-pitched Prince—even Grace Kelly in a song named after her that flows right into the more infectious, irresistible "Lollipop" and rolls into a string of tunes about big girls, cell phone calls and whatever else is on Mika's mind.
Besides "Lollipop," the best tracks include the lingering, regenerative "Any Other World" with its melodramatic strings and the bittersweet anthem "Happy Ending" but, frankly, the entire album—in stores, on Amazon.com and available from iTunes—is filled with honest, simple and playful songs. This is a long-play burst of something fun, fresh and, surprisingly, astute. Good call, Guy. I'm glad I listened.
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RELATED COLUMNS BY SCOTT HOLLERAN
• 2/5/07 - 'Peter Pan' at the El Capitan
• 12/29/06 - Walt Disney Biography, Classic Songs, 'Lion King' on Stage
• 9/28/06 - 'The Little Mermaid' at the El Capitan
• 6/1/06 - 'Dumbo' at the El Capitan
• 2/16/06 - 'Lady and the Tramp' at the El Capitan
• 12/29/05 - Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store
• 1/1/05 - Restoring Disney's Wonderful World
• Scott Holleran Column Index
MORE ARTICLES
• 11/29/06 - Interview: Walt Disney Biographer Neal Gabler
RELATED LINKS
• Tickets to 'The Jungle Book' at the El Capitan
• Mika's Web Site
• CD - Life in Cartoon Motion by Mika
• DVD - The Jungle Book 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition |
