The Jungle Book 2 | AccessAtlanta

The Jungle Book 2

Mowgli and Baloo are reunited.

FILM FACTS

Starring: Voices of Haley Joel Osment, John Goodman and Phil Collins
Director: Steve Trenbirth
Rating: G
Genre: Animation, Family

Discuss this film | Official movie site

On DVD 06/10/03 (G) 75 minutes

The verdict: Will keep the kids occupied and get them out of the house, but won't do much else.

Grade: C

By ELEANOR RINGEL GILLESPIE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Some stories simply don't have any more story to tell. Apparently, that's how Rudyard Kipling felt about his children's classic, "The Jungle Book."

But that hasn't stopped the folks behind "The Jungle Book 2," a third-rate kiddie movie that should've gone straight to video as originally planned. Disney also changed plans and gave a theatrical release to last year's "Return to Neverland" and made some decent money.

The original 1967 "Jungle Book" was the last animated feature supervised by Uncle Walt before his death. While it isn't in the same league with "Pinocchio" or "Bambi" or any of the other classic Disney animations, it has the Disney spirit, a kicky score and a distinguished cast of voice talent (George Saunders, Sebastian Cabot and Louis Prima, among others).

The "sequel" begins right where the first film left off. Mowgli (voiced by Haley Joel Osment) has left his jungle friends, Baloo the bear (John Goodman) and Bagheera the panther (Bob Joles), and gone to live with his own people in the nearby village. Mowgli soon learns civilization isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be and gets homesick for the jungle.

Baloo's been missing him, too, so when this better-singer-and-dancer-than-your-average-bear sneaks into the village, Mowgli runs off with him for their old fun and games. When the boy is discovered missing, the entire village goes in search of him.

The only animal as glad as Baloo is to see Mowgli back is the tiger, Shere Khan (Tony Jay), who's been waiting for a rematch ever since Mowgli bested him in the earlier film. To him, Mowgli is just a snack that's been postponed for too long.

As usual with so many direct-to-video feature cartoons, the animation is underwhelming -- an occasional fluttering leaf against a static background. (The exception is Shere Khan, who's like a sinuous bolt of bright orange). The voice talent is so-so, though you have to give it to Osment; he's figured out a way to stay in the biz, yet stay off the screen, during those awkward adolescent years.

The biggest problem, however, is how relentlessly generic this picture is. Even the sequel's message is standard kids' film stuff: Mowgli learns that growing up means being responsible -- working with others and following the rules (which, at the movie's end, means some secret playtime with Baloo).

There's nothing wrong with making a movie just to make money. Many movies made like that do. But given this and "Neverland," it's enough to get you worried. Do you really want to know how Bambi and Faline's relationship worked out? Or how Pinocchio behaves as "a real live boy"?