“The Jungle Book” Is Beautiful, Breathtaking Nostalgia

There’s something to be said about constantly reliving your childhood. I’m going to be honest with you: I never believed that the day would come where all of my favorite childhood and adolescent things would be remixed and repackaged for consumption in 2016. Which is to say, I never thought I’d be/feel old. Yet and still (redundant, I know), Disney has done it again. The Jungle Book is Disney’s newest remake and I’m all the way here for it. They were drawing me in when they leaked Lupita Nyong’o and Idris Elba as voices of the characters and they completely had me when they released the ad with them and the rest of the cast next to those amazing animals. That was complete badassery. Now that I’ve seen it in 3D? Yo! The Jungle Book is flipping gorgeous! Rudyard Kipling has to be doing somersaults somewhere in the clouds.

When Disney decided to take the 1894 classic that was written for Kipling’s eldest daughter and turn it into animated glory in 1967, folks lost their minds. It became an instant classic with voices of the heavy hitters of that time. I can’t tell you how old I was when I first saw The Jungle Book, but I know it was my great grandfather’s favorite Disney movie (outside of Fantasia). I have vivid memories of him toiling over his plants while whistling “Bare Necessities” and of me squeezing these kiddo hips next to him in his favorite arm chair after running and hitting play on the VCR in order to shriek from Kaa’s mesmerizing stare one more time. Watching these …