Okay, so I'm a HUGE fan of the original movie - it's right up there in my top 30! And yes, this one misses a lot of the originality, personality and timelessness of the original.
But putting that aside, this isn't a too bad little movie in its own terms. John Goodman and Haley Joel Osment put a lot of heart into their characters. I still can't believe Haley could pull off a musical comedy type role, where he actually sings **in character**, with a toe-tapping style and loads of charisma. Never figured the critically-acclaimed tyke had it in him.
And overall, the voice casting is pretty much on par with imitating the original. Maybe the script is a bit to contemporary and clichéd, with the action story feeling a bit ham-fisted. Shanti does feel a bit too contemporary to the story. And the resolution for Mowgli between settling down with the humans and having his animal friends in the jungle does seem a bit too pat. But at least it's fairly watchable. A bit above the cheesy TV cartoons that are mass-produced now. If only slightly.
But putting that aside, this isn't a too bad little movie in its own terms. John Goodman and Haley Joel Osment put a lot of heart into their characters. I still can't believe Haley could pull off a musical comedy type role, where he actually sings **in character**, with a toe-tapping style and loads of charisma. Never figured the critically-acclaimed tyke had it in him.
And overall, the voice casting is pretty much on par with imitating the original. Maybe the script is a bit to contemporary and clichéd, with the action story feeling a bit ham-fisted. Shanti does feel a bit too contemporary to the story. And the resolution for Mowgli between settling down with the humans and having his animal friends in the jungle does seem a bit too pat. But at least it's fairly watchable. A bit above the cheesy TV cartoons that are mass-produced now. If only slightly.