Disney should celebrate the day they first teamed up with Jon Favreau as a national holiday. His modern rendering of the classic tale The Jungle Book will make audiences believe that this very real Mowgli (Nell Sethi), the man-cub abandoned in the jungle and raised by Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) and Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o), with assistance from the sleek panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), will become a member in good standing of the larger jungle family. Mowgli’s journey has a natural and frenetic feel that undoubtedly stems from Favreau and the fact that he remains in touch with his inner child, which he proved so winningly in Elf. (Opens wide Friday) — tts (PG) Grade: A-
This article appears in Apr 6-13, 2016.
