Disney continues to defy all odds by introducing fans to graphics and story lines they never even knew were possible. The film giant decided to blow everyone's mind by creating a live-action adaptation of their 1967 animated classic, The Jungle Book. That's right, take a second to catch your breath. The film features an incredible list of voice actors that help bring the beloved story to life, including Lucy's Scarlett Johansson, Pacific Rim's Idris Elba, St. Vincent's Bill Murray, and more. Disney recently released the first official trailer for the animated classic and thanks to a certain action-based director, it's intense!
If just reading The Jungle Book title gives you immediate flashbacks of nostalgia, then you'll want to find out just how Disney turned a vintage film into a modern masterpiece. From the catchy soundtrack (umm hello, "The Bare Necessities" anyone?) to the quirky animals who helped see Mowgli through tough times, the original film made audiences feel an array of emotions for nearly 80 minutes.
This time around, Disney recruited The Iron Man director, Jon Favreau, and his heavily executed motion-capture techniques, which are notably seen in James Cameron's Avatar. The only real life character is also the only live-action element in the 2016 rendition of the film, which is Mowgli's character played by upcoming actor, Neel Sethi.
The 2016 version of The Jungle Book features a star-studded cast as the voices of the iconic animals from the jungle including Murray as Baloo the happy-go-lucky bear, Elba as Shere Khan the man-eating Bengal tiger, Johansson as Kaa the python, Lupita Nyong'o as Raksha, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera the black panther, Christopher Walken as King Louie the orangutan leader and Giancarlo Esposito as Akela, the leader of a Seeonee pack of Indian wolves. Johansson's voice as the sinister snake can be heard throughout the first trailer as she tries to mislead Mowgli.
For those of you who have been living under a rock and aren't familiar with the story, The Jungle Book tells the tale of a young orphan boy named Mowgli who's discovered in the deep jungles of India by a black panther named Bagheera and is later sent to be raised by a mother wolf name Kaa. With the guidance of Bagheera and his friend Baloo, Mowgli tries to navigate and learn the means of survival while growing up in a jungle. Living in the jungle isn't easy, especially if you're a human living amongst wild animals. Mowgli learns that he might be in danger when the evil Shere Khan returns. He must contemplate leaving the jungle and the only family he's ever known.
The film is scheduled to be released on April 15, 2016. Warner Bros is also releasing their own version of the film called Jungle Book: Origins in 2017, starring Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett. The Warner Bros rendition will be headed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director, Andy Serkis.