Even After All These Years Later, Why 2016's The Jungle Book Is Still The Best Disney Live-Action Remake We've Ever Gotten

When the Cinderella live-action remake came out in 2015, I thought, well, that was an interesting experiment. I wonder if Disney will make any more of these. Flash forward 10 years, and Disney has made several live-action remakes, with Snow White being the most recent, and Lilo & Stitch being the next one in line.

However, out of all of the live-action remakes that they've made thus far (there are 23 in total if we're counting pre-Maleficent remakes like the Dalmatians movies, and Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book), I still think 2016's The Jungle Book is the best one that they've ever done, and I have a few reasons why this is.

The Jungle Book Is The Only Remake That I Think Is Arguably Superior To The Original

I'll be real with you, The Lion King did not need to be remade. Neither did Aladdin, The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast. In fact, none of the movies in the lauded Disney Renaissance period needed a remake. They were all great just the way they were (though, they admittedly had their faults).

However, when it comes to pre-Disney Renaissance movies? Well, then I think you have an argument for films that should be remade.

We've gotten a few of these, like Pinocchio, Dumbo and Lady and the Tramp, which were more direct remakes, and we've also gotten a few, let's just say, circuitous remakes, like Maleficent and Cruella, which play with the original story more and show them from a different perspective. However, none of these remakes (besides maybe Pete's Dragon-and I only say “maybe” since I'm not a fan of the 1977 film), are superior to the original.

None of them, that is, except for 2016's The Jungle Book.

Because look, the 1967 movie still holds up today. The story is enjoyable, the music is outstanding, and the animation is excellent. That said, while I certainly like the film, I wouldn't consider it a top-tier Disney flick like say, Peter Pan or The Sword in the Stone. I would call its live-action counterpart top-tier, though. The 2016 film is enthralling, engaging and even terrifying in some parts. In every way, I think it's superior to the original, and that is no small feat since the original is still pretty good (If not exactly top tier Disney material).

The Jungle Book's Special Effects Still Amaze

I don’t know if this is controversial or not, but I think most of the live-action Disney movies don’t look very impressive. Now, this isn’t always the case, as I think Lilo & Stitch looks pretty good, visually speaking.

But Beauty and the Beast definitely didn’t wow me, and neither did Aladdin. I thought the Beast looked pretty artificial, and Will Smith as the Genie just never worked for me on a special effects level. I mean, they were definitely serviceable, but I just thought they looked better in animated form. Tthe same goes for The Lion King, which all just sort of had an ersatz quality to it.

That said, I don’t feel that way about The Jungle Book. Shot entirely on a soundstage, what I think makes The Jungle Book look better than The Lion King is that it had a real actor present with Neel Sethi as Mowgli. This made all the difference, as everything around him looked real and it wasn’t just computer generated animals talking to each other.

This makes The Jungle Book look wholly unique when compared to the other live-action remakes, which predominantly had human characters interacting with CG characters. In The Jungle Book, it all just looks seamless and lifelike, and it still holds up today.

Honestly, I think The Jungle Book is the only live-action movie they visually got right, which makes it all the more immersive. A lot of that is also helped by the actual acting in the film, which I’ll get into next.

The Animal "Acting" Is Also The Best We've Ever Gotten From These Live-Action Remakes

I’m just going to read off some of the cast that voiced the animals in this picture, and you tell me that it doesn’t immediately spell success: Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito (among others). I mean, good Lord, how can you not win with a cast like that?

And while I know, there are several examples of big stars voicing animated characters with mediocre results, I think Jon Favreau just has that magic touch (especially when it comes to Disney), and he produced cinematic gold with this one.

Idris Elba as Shere Khan is utterly TERRIFYING. Every time he's on the screen, I legit claw the chair. Ben Kingsley as Bagheera is perfect casting, and the way his lips move with the dialogue just works so well.

Scarlett Johansson's Kaa is absolute genius. Her sultry voice works so well when it comes to that lulling effect. And Christopher Walken as King Louie both sounds like it wouldn't work at all, and also like there could be no other choice for the character.

In truth, we haven't gotten great acting like this in a live-action Disney remake since, and I will die on that hill.

The Jungle Book Is One Of The Few Remakes That Genuinely Deserved To Be Remade

I somewhat talked about this earlier, but The Jungle Book was absolutely deserving of a remake. It's not like Moana, which is getting a remake, but just seems way too soon for me. The Jungle Book , as in the original story, is actually old. Like, 1894 old.

The original Disney adaptation came out in 1967, and Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book came out in 1994, so another live-action remake was definitely due in 2016.

And, the remake works for that reason. My kids have seen all of the Disney Renaissance films, but when it comes to the older Disney flicks, I have to pick and choose which ones they watch since they get bored easily by the earlier flickd.

It's mostly the animation, since it just screams “ancient.” Yeah, I think the older movies look great (especially the original Snow White), but my kids can't even sit through them, The Jungle Book included.

But they enjoyed the live-action remake. The 1967 original is the kind of film that needed to be updated just to stay relevant. I'm not sure if I can say the same for Moana, though.

Lastly, It's Probably The Most Rewatchable

I don't know why, but besides Snow White, I’ve watched every live-action Disney remake ever made (having a Disney+ subscription helps). And, unless Snow White breaks the mold, I’m pretty sure it will be a one and done watch for me as well, just like almost all of the other remakes.

That’s because I don’t think these live-action remakes are anything special. Many of them feel like lesser versions of their original films, and the ones that are unique, like 2018's Christopher Robin and Alice Through the Looking Glass, were fine for a one-time viewing.

That said, I've actually watched The Jungle Book three times no: once when it first came out, once when I got Disney+, and once with my children. Each time, I'm amazed with just how good it is.

The movie just builds and builds. It's fun, but it's also serious. Plus, unlike the Mulan remake, which I think strayed way too far from the original movie, I really liked the changes that this live-action version made. The original cartoon and this live-action movie feel like they compliment each other.

In every way, The Jungle Book remake just works, and it's infinitely rewatchable. But what do you think? Do you also love The Jungle Book live-action remake? I'd love to hear your thoughts.