Lena Headey is very likable as Kitty and has great chemistry with Jason, Cary Elwes is sinister and callous as the traitorous Boone, and Sam Neill and John Cleese both add humour and quintessential British charm to the film, especially Cleese in his interactions with Mowgli. Jason Scott Lee is emotive, innocent and sincere as Mowgli, and while I'm aware he's not Indian, I feel his performance solidifies his place in the role he truly feels closer in spirit to Kipling than the animated Mowgli (though I do very much like the animated film). Famous Kipling elements such as the Law of the Jungle, the red flower as a symbol for fire and an affinity for nature are carried over which I believe makes it more genuine. However, Boone hatches a plan to lure Mowgli back to lead them to the lost city. Unable to adjust to life amidst the British aristocracy and saddened by Boone's proposal to Kitty, Mowgli returns to the jungle. Captain Boone learns from Mowgli of the location of the lost Monkey City and its treasure within. Mowgli follows her back to the British fort and his captured by Boone, but is freed on Kitty's request and is taught by her and Dr Plumford the power of speech and the ways of civilization, and Mowgli begins to fall in love with her over time. Mowgli grows up in the jungle and discovers his childhood sweetheart Kitty wandering through the jungle accompanied by her suitor, Captain William Boone. Mowgli also adopts a young Baloo as his brother. Bagheera the panther discovers the pair and leads them to the wolf pack where they are adopted as members of the pack. In the chaos, Mowgli and his wolf cub Grey Brother are separated from the convoy and his father killed by the tiger and lost in the jungle. As a boy, Mowgli is smitten by the Colonel's young daughter, Kitty. One night in the jungles of India, Shere Khan the tiger attacks a convoy of soldiers of the British Empire whom Mowgli and his father were guiding.

I cannot fathom why Disney hasn't attempted to revive it for a new release. It's been almost ten years since I last saw it and my affection for it hasn't declined. Despite diverging in many ways from Kipling's classic novel, I love this film, and feel that it holds up well since when I was a child.

The jungle book 1994 soundtrack