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'The Jungle Book 2' worthy successor to original film
By KEVIN THOMAS, Los Angeles Times
February 15, 2003

HOLLYWOOD - Since its 1967 release, Disney's "The Jungle Book," inspired by Rudyard Kipling's stories, has been reissued many times and made into a live-action videotape.

At last Disney has produced a big-screen, animated sequel, "The Jungle Book 2," a work of such imagination it should enchant all ages.

Director Steve Trenbirth and a vast animation team have honored the classic Disney style. They have simply and attractively rendered human and animal characters with superbly illustrated backgrounds, in this instance a lush, leafy jungle replete with ancient ruins and a humble, nearby rural village.

It is in this village that the irrepressible Mowgli (voiced by Haley Joel Osment) lives with his adoptive family. The sequel does not inform us that Mowgli had been raised in the jungle by wolves, but it soon becomes clear that he misses Baloo (John Goodman), a sweet-natured creature Mowgli calls Papa Bear.

The villagers, in particular Mowgli's adoptive father (John Rhys-Davies), regard the jungle as dangerous, and its children are forbidden to cross the river and enter it. A homesick Mowgli cannot resist.

Mowgli's subsequent adventures are told with much wit and humor, and knockout musical numbers give the film a terrific lift. Lorraine Feather and Paul Grabowsky have created several new jazzy, razzmatazz swing numbers in a '40s vein that, along with Joel McNeely's score, lend a smart, engaging retro feel to the film.

It is a testament to the artistry and skill of all involved that the inevitable moment in which Mowgli realizes he must make a choice between man and beast is remarkably poignant. Yet "The Jungle Book 2" cleverly moves beyond this tug-of-heart to end on a jaunty, upbeat note reconciling mankind and nature.

Rated G. Now showing at Carmike 10, Farragut, Foothills (Maryville), Halls, Parkway (Sevierville), Tinseltown (Oak Ridge) and West Town.
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