“Look for the bare necessities”
Just like "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", certain films are a marker for my earliest childhood growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s and “The Jungle Book” is definitely one of them.
The film was of course based on the book of the same name by Rudyard Kipling, I never read the book, but I have seen the film many times over. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli and was made in 1967, and released on October 18, 1967, but it's influence lasted throughout the 70's and 80's And indeed, it was just re-released for it's 30th anniversary a few years back. Remastered and as good as ever.
The film had some absolute classic songs within it like "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wan'na Be Like You" which really are brilliant songs in their own right. The film was a massive success making over £73 million worldwide. And for me, was from then on a marker against which all other animated films were held against. There’s not been one as good and enjoyable as this for years. Though the “Toy Story” trilogy is perhaps as good for the new generation.
The film received a load of great reviews when it was released and re-released. And even won an Academy Award nomination for best song – for “the bare necessities” though it lost against “Talk to the animals” which is a travesty!
It still has a great pull. I recently played it to my young nieces who hadn’t even heard of it before, and they loved it. In fact we watched it AGAIN straight away (in the way children always want to “again!”). And they sings the song all the time. Classic.
Do You Remember The Jungle Book?
Do You Remember The Jungle Book?