 |
|
|
|
The Jungle Book 2 |
 |
Set
a very short time after the events of 1967’s The Jungle Book, this follow-up
finds Baloo the bear missing his little “man cub,” and Mowgli bristling under
the rules and chores of the man-village that adopted him. The bare necessities
never looked so good to Mowgli, who longs for simpler days hanging out with
his favorite dancing bruin. It’s a case of hakuna matata déjà vu. One night
Baloo sneaks into the village and winds up rescuing Mowgli from an attack by
a vengeful Bengal tiger (they could have called this chapter Jungle Book
2: The Wrath of Shere Khan). And while revenge may be a dish best served
cold, the slinking feline would be happy to gobble up Mowgli any way he can
get him. The chase takes them across the river and into the dreaded jungle.
Fearing that Mowgli was carried off by a bear meaning him harm, his friend Shanti
and her rambunctious little brother, Ranjan, go after him. By the end, Mowgli
must choose between his human companions and his jungle pals in a pointlessly
tearful farewell with an obvious solution.
• positive elements: Mowgli complains that “All you ever hear is rules, rules, rules and work, work, work.” In the end, he realizes that responsibility is part of growing up (it takes the a whole film to make the same point that The Lion King did in about 20 minutes). The story exalts friendship and courage.
• spiritual content: Kaa the snake casts a hypnotic spell over Shanti.
• sexual content: None.
• violent content: Slapstick violence, threats of danger,
falls and a few intense chases. When Baloo lets out a roar, Shanti punches him
in the nose. Shere Kahn grabs a jeering vulture by the throat, and by all appearances
has finished it off, but the bird illogically shows up at the end of the movie
safe and sound. A huge, hollow stone head comes crashing down on Shere Khan
(it seems to squash him, but we discover he is just imprisoned by it). Any family
comfortable with the action conflict in the first movie will find nothing unusual
here.
• crude or profane language: None, though some parents of young children are uncomfortable with the word “stupid” which is used several times.
• drug and alcohol content: None.
• other negative elements: Mowgli and Baloo both tell lies. Mowgli is disobedient when he starts leading his friends across the river, but there are consequences to his actions. To create a sense of tension and dissonance, Disney heroes and heroines always act like the grass must be greener somewhere else, the cumulative effect of which could create general dissatisfaction in young children.
• conclusion: The idea-challenged folks at the Mouse House
have a severe case of pointlessequelitis. It’s a condition brought on by the
desire to strip-mine classic animation properties and put familiar characters
in insignificant new adventures just to keep product in the pipeline. Therefore,
what should have been a direct-to-video rental gets splashed on the big screen
to the tune of $7 a head. Disney’s desperation and contempt for long-time fans
is amazing. Jungle Book 2 is not. This sequel is so unnecessary and uninteresting
that, one hour into it, the children behind me were asking their father for
permission to swing on the handrails lining the stairway. The songs are instantly
forgettable, except for “The Bare Necessities” which gets repackaged and repeated
ad nauseam. Meanwhile, the story has basic flaws that lead to a no-duh!
ending. It took everything I had to keep from slapping the ball of my hand against
my forehead in disbelief when Baloo and Mowgli shared a teary farewell so that
Mowgli could journey back across the great social divide—a river so narrow that
a child could throw a rock from one side to the other. Then the revelation:
Wait! I could come over and visit now and then! And everyone goes home
happy, except perhaps the parent who dropped $35 on admission and snacks. Why
would Disney want to insult our intelligence, alienate customers and sully the
memory of its classic hits with such disposable fare? A quick buck. Which is
a sad statement about this once-proud studio. On a moral level, The Jungle
Book 2 is harmless. Unless, of course, you consider it immoral to waste
your time and money.
 eNewsletter
 Mobile
 Magazine
|
|
