An uneasy truce between the wolves and tiger "Shere Khan" becomes tested as "Mowgli" (Neel Sethi) gets older and harder to keep safe. Pre-empting things getting even more dangerous, they send him under the guardianship of the panther "Bagheera" to the nearest man village where he can grow up with his own kind. What now ensues are some engaging adventures through the jungle where he meets the clever bear "Baloo" - who knows how to get his honey supply sorted out; "Kaa" - the devious snake and, of course, the Kong-esque "King Louie". Now "Mowgli" isn't exactly sold on the man village thing, and the more he spends time in the forest with it's critters the less he wants to spend time with his people. Can "Baloo" and "Bagheera" deliver him in one piece? "Bare Necessities", "Trust in Me" and "King of the Swingers" add a bit of hypnotising and toe-tapping to a rather creatively animated story that merges the plentiful CGI with the live-action scenes really well - especially at the conflagration that is imaginatively created with quite a bit of menace and, of course, a nod to the healing balance of nature. Sethi has something of the Sabu to his performance. It must have been difficult for him to work with so much green screen, but he still manages to inject a degree of natural characterisation into his efforts - especially with the pesky bees and the even more pesky apes. It's not a great film for television - if you can see it at a cinema, then the photography and creativity accompany Roald Dahl's story of friendship and loyalty enjoyably.
