Empire UK

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FIRST LOOK EXCLUSIVE

REMEMBER

having dreams about

these characters

when I was little”

says Jon Favreau of

the Disney animated

classic The Jungle

Book. “I grew up with the fi lm.”

When Favreau came on board the

latest instalment of the Disney Live-

Action Animation Adaptation Cinematic

Universe (the DLAAACU) all he needed

was the bare necessities. In this case just

newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli the boy

who’s raised by various animals in the

Indian jungle. Sethi is essentially the

only live-action element here. Everything

else from the likes of Bill Murray and

Scarlett Johansson as the animals to the

lush environments will be CG. “I felt

Avatar was a game changer” explains

Favreau. “Then it seemed like nobody

used that technique again.” Until now...

Favreau has had the exceedingly

good taste to add a little Kipling

although he mainly wanted to evoke the

1967 movie. “I wanted to make sure that

whatever images were looming in my

memory I captured them” he says. “Kaa

the hypnotising snake the boy fl oating

down the river some of the music also...”

Ah the music. Favreau’s fi lm is not

a musical but it will have music some of

it new. “We had Richard Sherman (who

co-wrote most of the 1967 songs with his

late brother Robert) come in and update

some of the songs and lyrics.” And yes

Bill Murray’s Baloo will sing The Bear

Necessities. “Bill loves to sing he’s

funny” says Favreau. “He’s everything

you’d hoped for.” CH

THE JUNGLE BOOK IS OUT ON APRIL 15 2016.

JON FAVREAU WELCOMES US

TO YOU-KNOW-WHERE

THE

JUNGLE

BOOK