Average User Rating: 80% (40 Reviews)
5 / 5	A Gem Repolished!!!! Mohd Jafar (Hyderabad, AP India) - 5 May 2007 It cant get any better than this. Disney beloved animated classic "The Jungle Book" finally gets the long overdue special edition treatment. This new 40th Anniversary release will include an all-new digital restoration of the film and for the very first time ever, this release will feature the movie in 1.75:1 widescreen aspect ratio (Please be aware that "Jungle Book" was filmed in 1.37:1 aspect ratio and was cropped for its theatrical screenings. The movie loses a little from top and bottom here in this restored version so think twice before selling off your old copies which featured the movie in its original fullscreen ratio). Along with a 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix soundtrack, this edition includes a restored original theatrical soundtrack too. French and Spanish language tracks will also appear on the disc. According to dvdtimes, extras on this platinum edition will include: Audio Commentary - Combines comments from current animators with audio from the original creative team who made the film The Lost Character: Rocky The Rhino - For the first time ever, the near-sighted, short-tempered rhinoceros named Rocky is brought to the screen using original storyboards and original voice recordings by Frank Fontaine. The Bare Necessities: The Making of The Jungle Book - A comprehensive look at the last animated film that Walt Disney produced using existing archival footage in addition to new interviews with Richard Sherman, Brad Bird, Glen Keane, Eric Goldberg, James Baxter, Will Fi'nn, Andreas Deja, Burny Mattinson Ted Thomas, Bruce Reitherman, John Culhane, John Canemaker and Neal Gabler--plus a never-before-seen collection of artwork and treatments from the film Disney's Kipling: Walt's Magic Touch on A Literary Classic - A discarded film treatment from 1963 includes scenes from Kipling's "Mowgli Stories" and more are used to illustrate Walt's interpretation of the literary masterpiece The Lure of The Jungle Book - Many of today's biggest names in animation were inspired to pursue their careers after seeing The Jungle Book; this feature examines this phenomenon and features new interviews with Brad Bird, Andreas Deja, Sergio Pablo, Will Finn and Eric Goldberg. Mowgli's Return to the Jungle - Learn about nature filmmaking and the experience of making The Jungle Book firsthand from Bruce Reitherman, the voice of Mowgli. Baloo's Virtual Swingin' Jungle Cruise - Join everyone's favourite bear in this set-top and DVD-ROM game on an adventure through the jungle: enjoy fun activities and musical challenges, but keep an eye out because there's no telling what's on the other side of the river bend! English Learning Feature Still Frame Art Gallery This 40th Anniversary edition of Jongle Book will be available for a limited time only. So bring home Mowgli, Baghira, Baloo and Shere khan and all the lovable characters we've all grown up with, before they go back to Disney vault again!... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	It's just a bare necessity! - 13 March 2000 The feature-length cartoons Disney continues to produce are fine films, but nowhere near as good as classics like The Jungle Book. Unburdened by the modern-day Disney habit of giving every film a heavy family-friendly moral message, the Jungle Book is just 100% pure fun, with a cool hero (Mowgli), entertaining friends (especially the bear Baloo) and some great villainous characters (most memorably Shere Khan the tiger). This movie was made years before Phil Collins or Elton John were drafted in as cartoon soundtrack composers, and the songs are just awesome - "The Bare Necessities", "I Wanna Be Like You" and Kaa the snake's hissed encouragement to "Trust in Me". Get this video before the distributors withdraw it again!... Read Full Review »
3 / 5	Good film shame about the book Ms. Claire Dobinson "Border Terrier" (UK) - 7 November 2007 Be warned the so called 'book' which comes with the deluxe edition is simple 96 pages of pictures from the film, what a disapointment. That said the film is still worth it and the special box does look very nice on the shelf.
5 / 5	A Disney Masterpiece - 23 December 2000 This is one of my many favourite Disney films. The animation is great,the characters are great and the songs are excellent.If you don't have this film as part of your Disney collection go and buy it asap and you won't regret it.
5 / 5	Collectors Item Marc (England) - 7 November 2007 This set is really well presented and thoroughly worth the extra few pounds. The photo book is a real collectors piece and people who love the film will appreciate the enhanced picture quality of the fim which is what this book is showcasing. The Disney Deluxe Editions are like goldust to get hold of once they go out of print (Which is usually only after a few months) so if your unsure, buy it now while the price is still very reasonable. The film itself is exceptional and is certainly one of the best to come out of the Disney Animation Studios. It's been fully restored and remastered and looks gorgeous. Packed full of features, I just can't praise this set highly enough.... Read Full Review »