Wow. This beautiful looking film piques your animal instincts, then draws you right into the action. Like Mowgli, you'll be welcomed into the animal kingdom. In fact, if you let yourself forget for a moment (well for almost 2 hours), that wolves tear bunnies and chickens apart, you'll really enjoy this little tale of how a man cub learns to become a man without the help of mankind.
Beautifully voiced, magnificently filmed and animated, and perfectly paced. It's fun and 100% engaging. For the first full hour you'll be saying "wow" a lot to yourself -- or perhaps out loud. And you may even get a bit choked up at the more tender moments. I enjoyed this film. It's one of the best of the year, but there still is room for improvement. I would have liked a deeper emotional arc (the arc here is all story). Mowgli transforms from a follower to a leader, and that's satisfying, but not deep. The individual relationships he forms are all sweet, but there isn't one that builds deeply. That said, yes, the film has strong emotional moments, but it just lacks a more enduring emotional undercurrent.
Nonetheless, it's still wildly entertaining. And I highly recommend.
-- Click here to see Books by Ross Anthony, Author --
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