In India, The Jungle Book will always be compared to the version that was aired on Doordarshan. In comparison, this movie is every bit as brilliant as it seemed 20 years ago on 21-inch television sets. The 3D and the IMAX goodness add depth not just to the visuals but the impact of the story and the experience. Kids, young adults and adults will all enjoy this thrill-a-minute ride in the jungles of India, where animals can talk and where human beings and their creations are a part of enigma. Do not miss this at any cost.

The Jungle Book of today is fantastic as a movie-going experience, and somewhat less as a cathartic one. As blockbuster entertainment, it is complete in every way; as a standalone work, it is a little too dependent on its staggering legacy.

Apart from being a great movie The Jungle Book is also another big triumph for Disney. It seems whatever Disney touches turns to gold. It’s hard to think of another studio that has had so much universal acclaim and financial success for such a long stretch of time. With Moana and Rogue One coming later this year it certainly seems like Disney has made sure we’re in for a ton of fun.

The Jungle Book will be a nice weekend watch merely for the nostalgia at play and how incredible the movie looks. The story has long stayed with us and will for a while to come. Every return to the jungle must be welcomed.  

It may sound like a backhanded compliment, but this Jungle Book is a fine children’s film that’s happy to be just that. It’s scarier than the original, of course, but I’d imagine kids nowadays will take a 3D tiger leaping out from the screen in their stride.

What makes The Jungle Book enduring in our collective consciousness is that it is an outlet to our eternal fantasy to live in the wild. The film, painted in mystical shades, succeeds in invoking this deep, primal core present in all of us.

The Jungle Book, for its all its surface vim and vigour, is essentially cast in the classic mould that the story demands. It is enlivened with the standard emotional tropes related to family, friendship and the virtues of staying together in the face of adversity. It is a children’s tale all right, but Favreau and screenwriter Justin Marks ensure that there is enough in the mix for everyone. Thanks to the way it balances epic scale with sustained emotional traction, The Jungle Book is an irresistible fare.

The Jungle Book is always stunning to look at, and its economical 105-minute running time adequately showcases Mowgli’s first steps towards realising his inner potential and coming closer to his human self. But the film misses out on the opportunity to provide a compelling reason for Mowgli’s resurrection.

What is magnificent is the way a wondrous and real-looking jungle world is crafted with care through frame computer animation, performance capture and a bit of motion capture by Moving Picture Company and Weta Digital. This shows how much diligence and thought went into making this lovely saga that principally looks at straight emotions minus any “subtexts” that Hollywood cinema is often prone to have.