The Jungle Book (2016)
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Jon Favreau's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- Before Neel Sethi was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- During the filming of The Jungle Book, Neel Sethi improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
The Jungle Book is a 2016 American fantasy adventure film directed by Jon Favreau, a photorealistic computer-animated adaptation of both Rudyard Kipling's stories and Disney's 1967 animated classic. Neel Sethi stars as Mowgli, a human boy raised by wolves in the Indian jungle who must flee his home when the tiger Shere Khan, voiced by Idris Elba, declares that a human has no place in the jungle and threatens to kill him. Mowgli's journey takes him through encounters with the hypnotic snake Kaa, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, the genial bear Baloo, voiced by Bill Murray, and the ambitious orangutan King Louie, voiced by Christopher Walken.
The Jungle Book was a technical landmark โ every environment, animal, and natural element was created entirely through CGI, with Neel Sethi the only real element performing against blue screens, yet the result was so photorealistic that audiences genuinely could not distinguish the digital jungle from reality. The film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Bill Murray's Baloo, performing a memorable rendition of "The Bare Necessities," brought the film's most joyful moments.
The Jungle Book earned $966 million worldwide on a $175 million budget.
