Although nothing could ever top Disney's 1967 classic cartoon, this lavish live-action adventure from the same studio about Mowgli (Jason Scott Lee), the jungle boy raised by wild animals, is hugely enjoyable in its own right. Sticking closer to the original source material and dispensing with the musical numbers, this version has Mowgli's love for Colonel Brydon's (Sam Neill) daughter Kitty (Lena Headey) taking him out of the jungle and into civilisation. Taught to speak by Dr Plumford (John Cleese), Mowgli soon tires of life away from the jungle and the rivalry between himself and the wily Captain Boone (Cary Elwes) for the affections of Kitty. But when Boone discovers that Mowgli knows of the whereabouts of the treasures of Monkey City, he and his henchmen kidnap him and force him to guide them to the mythical city. A visual feast, although it positions itself slightly awkwardly between kids' and adult fare.

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