The Jungle Book 2 Combo Pack

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's

Jungle Book 2 BD artThe story of Mowgli, the “man cub” continues in The Jungle Book 2. For the first time this colorful and musical film is available in a Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy combo pack.

 

In 1967 Disney’s The Jungle Book captivated audiences with the Rudyard Kipling story of Mowgli, the boy who was raised in the jungle. This little guy endeared himself to audiences of all ages, and in 2003 Disney continued his story with just as much enchantment as the original. The first film ended with Mowgli going to live in the “Man Village” with people instead of animals. The Jungle Book 2 starts a few days after the first story ended.

 

Mowgli is now part of the village but feels torn between his buddy Baloo and his old life of freedom in the jungle and his life of rules and responsibilities in the village. He runs away – back to the jungle and his old friend Baloo, who has also been missing his little buddy. Shanti, his “girlfriend” follows him into the jungle with little Ranjan, his new little brother, hot on her trail. Shanti and Ranjan are worried about Mowgli. They find danger and excitement in the jungle while searching for Mowgli.

 

Haley Joel Osment voices the Man Cub, aka Mowgli, Mae Whitman voices Shanti, and John Goodman provides the voice of the happy-go-lucky, loveable, carefree bear Baloo. With technological advances, The Jungle Book 2 is more vibrant than the original film. In the bonus features the filmmakers discuss this as well as how they wanted to remain true to the original film while advancing Mowgli’s story and adding more songs.

 

Some deleted scenes show a different direction for the story with songs that are delightful but, as the filmmakers acknowledge, didn’t quite fit their vision of the film. For instance, there is a song sung by Shanti, but it was cut from the production because the filmmakers wanted to put the focus of the film on Mowgli. There is another song that didn’t make it into the film with Shanti singing about the joys of the village and Mowgli singing about the fun of the jungle. Viewers are now able to see and hear what didn’t make it into this movie.

 

Music is a fun part of the film, and a “sing along” option allows viewers to, yes, sing along with the songs during the movie, with lyrics on the screen. And for those who might be a little sketchy about the first film (which is also available in a new combo pack), there is a short synopsis telling Mowgli’s story from the time he was found as a baby in the jungle to the time he entered the village.

 

“The Bare Necessities” is reprised, and the animals that viewers enjoyed in the original movie return. After all, it has only been a few days since the first story ended.

 

The Jungle Book 2 is filled with adorable characters, old and new (little Ranjan is so cute), and plenty of songs that will appeal to all ages. It’s rated G.

 

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About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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