Product Details

• Actors: Jason Scott Lee, Cary Elwes, Lena Headey, Sam Neill, John Cleese
• Directors: Stephen Sommers
• Writers: Stephen Sommers, Mark Geldman, Ron Yanover, Ronald Yanover, Rudyard Kipling
• Producers: Edward S. Feldman, Eric Angelson
• Format: Color, Live, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• VHS Release Date: August 27, 1996
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304191421
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,371 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Disney scrapped the songs and talking animals for its second version of Rudyard Kipling's classic novel, an old-fashioned boy's adventure that more resembles the classic Korda brothers' lush original than Disney's own animated musical. In this live-action version, Jason Scott Lee (the hunky star of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) is the grown Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves and taught the ways of the jungle by Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther. Fascinated by Englishwoman Lena Heady, whom he spots marching through the jungle on a safari, he follows her to the city. She teaches him the ways of polite society while a greedy British soldier (a sneering Cary Elwes) plots to discover the fabled lost city, where a fabulous fortune awaits. At this point the film becomes more Tarzan than Kipling. Lee's rippling form, back in the freedom of a loin cloth, is on display running through the jungle, swinging on vines, and going mano a mano with snooty Englisher Elwes. His charm and sex appeal has made this film a favorite of many adult women, but it is a family adventure, after all, with colorful locations, grand sets, and plenty of fun-loving animal moments. Sam Neill is his usual figure of moral strength as Heady's explorer father, and John Cleese imparts a little deadpan humor as the safari's absent-minded professor. Director Stephen Sommers went on to direct the 1999 action fantasy hit The Mummy. Ages 6 and up. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DVD Special Features, March 9, 2002

By 

Imran Husain (Costa Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (DVD)

Since the special features in "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book" aren't mentioned in Amazon.com's usually thorough product info, here's a quick rundown:
- Widescreen (2.35:1) - Enhanced for 16 x 9 Televisions
- Audio Commentary With Director Stephen Sommers and Editor Bob Ducsay
- "The Making of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book" Featurette
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- Spanish Language Track
- Spanish and French Subtitles
All in all, a fine presentation of a fine family adventure film.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Adventure For The Family, December 22, 2004

By 

K. Fontenot "Prairie Cajun Regenerated!" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (DVD)

Although "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book" reminded me more of Tarzan than Mowgli, it is still a good film to watch with the family. Jason Scott Lee does a good job as Mowgli all grown up. Cary Elwes is the perfect British jerk and Sam Neill has a decent supporting role. Lena Heady and John Cleese have the most interaction with Mowgli, and they give the best performances out of the bunch.

The animal cast does a pretty good job as well. Some of the human/animal interaction can be written off as fake-looking, but the majority of the scenes using animatronic creatures look reasonably good.

Young children may be turned off by the deaths in this film, and of Kaa the python, who makes a couple of brief, but scary to a five year-old, appearances. Language, as well as dialogue as a whole, is kept relatively tame. Neill and Elwes let off a few slurs, but nothing worse than the "D" word.

Overall, a decent adventure flick for kids too young for Indiana Jones movies, but who love adventure tales. Another decent suggestion is "The Phantom," starring Billy Zane.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPRISINGLY BRILLIANT, June 11, 2000

By 

JACK SHANKS (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jungle Book [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I walked into the cinema ready to sleep through this one but an amazing thing happened , a Disney epic became one of my all time favorites thanks to the exellent direction from Stephen Sommers. He bends the rulrs of the average Disney movie and makes it suprisingly violent (i.e quiksand moment and the room filling up with salt scene). It's an adventure with an Indiana Jones feel to it and the acting is great and Cary Ewles is briliantly evil as the bad guy. Terrific!