Disney’s continued and deeply troubling commitment to remaking all their animated classics as live-action/CGI hybrids has been a mixed blessing so far. For every film that honors or arguably improves on the original (Cinderella) there have been two that outright sucked (Maleficent, Alice in Wonderland).
So while we reserve the right to worry about the upcoming reimaginings of Dumbo and Aladdin, and scoff at the newly announced sequel to Mary Poppins (which probably has the novel’s original author P.L. Travers spinning in her grave), we also have to admit that maybe some of these movies will be great. And the one that just raised our hopes astronomically is Jon Favreau’s new version of The Jungle Book, which just premiered one hell of a new trailer.
Related: The 50 Best Disney Movies Ever Made
Sweeping vistas, photorealistic CGI animal characters, and a genuinely creepy vocal performance from Scarlet Johansson await you in this trailer for The Jungle Book, which premieres in theaters on April 15, 2016 and co-stars the voices of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’O and Christopher Walken, and introduces actor Neel Sethi as the human child Mowgli.
Trust in me, audiences: this trailer is worth watching, whatever your opinion on Disney, remakes, or kids movies in general…
From the Press Release:
Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.
The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world. The wild adventure swings into theaters in 3D on April 15, 2016.
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
