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'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle'

A Response to the Negative Reaction from Audiences Everywhere

By LelaPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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When Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle first came out, I was extremely surprised at how poorly it was received by the media. Personally, when I watched the movie, I found that I enjoyed it, despite how different it was to the Disney version so many people have come to know. Today, I plan on explaining exactly why this movie is the best adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novel and why it is foolish to criticize the film so much. Before I begin, this article will contain many spoilers from the book as well as the movie, so a spoiler slert is now in effect.

Disney's adaptation is incredibly inaccurate.

This may come as a shock to those who didn't already know, but Disney's adaptation of The Jungle Book is almost nothing like the book. What may come as a bigger shock is that Walt Disney himself ordered this when the movie was made before his death. In fact, when getting his team together to make the movie, he asked each one of them if they had ever read the actual story. Once he had chosen the ones who hadn't, he instructed them that they were to refrain from reading the book while making the movie because he didn't want the movie anything like the book and for good reason, too. He instructed that the writers use a certain cast of characters and follow the basic story line he gave them: A boy gets lost in the jungle and is raised by the animals. As a result, the classic story so many generations have come to know and love was born and remade with that well known Disney touch.

However, very few ever seemed to catch on to how many inaccuracies and differences the Disney versions had in comparison to the book, so the outrage resulting from the sudden violence implemented in this classic tale wasn't too much of a surprise. So many people expected the Disney version we all know and love with its catchy music and lovable characters that they didn't think twice about the PG-13 rating listed in the Netflix description. In my opinion, it's the same idiocy as taking a five-year-old to watch the Legend of Tarzan and expecting it to be just like Disney's Tarzan. I will say that, while I haven't heard anything, I do believe not many people made the same mistake with the Legend of Tarzan, but I was quite shocked at the negativity Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle received just weeks after it aired as so many people made this terrible mistake. Instead of singing monkeys and bears teaching us about the "Bare Necessities" of life, unsuspecting audiences everywhere were met with "toned down" violence and a much darker story than they had grown to love over the years. The worst part? Even Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is extremely tame in comparison to the original story.

The True Story of 'The Jungle Book'

Rudyard Kipling's timeless classic may have had many adaptations since it was written, but none can compare to the much darker tale the author composed. To summarize it, Mowgli was a toddler stolen by the tiger who managed to run away and was discovered by some members of the wolf pack. After some debate over whether or not to kill the Man Cub or not, followed by his life being bought with a bull, the pack decides to raise the cub as their own. Throughout his life, he deals with the Monkey People, who try to make him their king. He meets Kaa, the Rock Python, who saves him from being a prisoner to the monkey people. He is forced to go to the Man Village after Akela's fall from power in the wolf pack, and finds he doesn't fit in at the Man Village, either. However, the story gets much bloodier. After he kills Sher Khan, with the help of some of his animal friends, a hunter lies to the village, claiming that he was a demon and that his family, who he had been reunited with upon his return to the Man Village, were witches. They attempt to kill Mowgli and his human family, but they escape. Seeking revenge, Mowgli sends some of his jungle friends to torment the villagers and kill their livestock. Then, after the rains destroy the last of the livelihood in the village, the villagers leave, and the elephants lead the jungle inhabitants in to completely destroy the remaining buildings so that the jungle may grow and take back the land.

Again, while all adaptations of TheJungle Book seem to differ greatly from the original story, I believe that the outrage over Mowgli:Legend of the Jungle is in poor taste, especially when it is the closest to the original story. It's a great take on the timeless classic, and, hopefully, once people know the truth, they will come to enjoy it more than when it was first aired.

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