14 DAY TRIAL // With the success of “Maleficent,” starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning, Disney understood that it had stumbled onto a new way of expanding its already impressive catalog: live-action remakes of their classic animated films.
“The Jungle Book” is Disney’s next release: it’s scheduled to open in theaters in April 2016 and boasts an A-list cast and, by the looks of the first teaser trailer, outstanding visuals. Unlike “Maleficent” or the more recent “Cinderella,” “The Jungle Book” is a blend of equal parts live-action and CGI, for the obvious reasons: this is, after all, the story of a little man-cub raised in the jungle by kind-hearted animals.
You can see the first official look at the film in the video below. Mowgli is played by Neel Sethi, while Scarlett Johansson voices the snake Kaa. In the original animated film, based on Rudyard Kipling’s stories, Kaa is male, but hearing Johansson deliver the iconic “trussst in me” line shows that she was the right choice for the character.
Idris Elba is evil tiger Shere Khan, while Ben Kingsley is Bagheera, Mowgli’s protector, mentor and best friend. Christopher Walken voices King Louie, while Bill Murray is the bear Baloo. Right at the end of the trailer, fans of the original film are treated to a sample of the “Bear Necessities” song, together with the familiar visual of Baloo floating down the river and acting as a raft for Mowgli.
The cast also includes Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’ and Giancarlo Esposito, and is directed by Jon Favreau, the man behind Marvel’s insanely successful “Iron Man” movie, the first one.
