In fact, God specifically said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. Although he has perfect health, safety, a beautiful environment, a relationship with the animals, and could walk with God, something was lacking. In Genesis 2, God creates Adam and puts him in the Garden along with the other animals. In fact, this is one of the opening messages in the Bible. Human beings need each other to find genuine fulfillment. While this works in the movie-since the animals have personalities, can build relationships, and even sing songs-this doesn’t work in real life. Rather than needing other human beings, Mowgli is truly fulfilled in nature alone. Humans really are different from the rest of the animal kingdom.īut what is interesting is that Mowgli finds his true home in the jungle. While The Jungle Book certainly doesn’t imply that humans are made in the image of God, it does show that humans are distinct from nature in terms of reasoning and intellect. In other words, Mowgli learns to be true to his nature rather than trying to imitate others. He no longer tries to be a wolf, but realizes that his intelligence and ingenuity set him apart from the rest of nature. Again, the message seems clear: humans cause destruction and only animals can bring safety and order.Īfter defeating Shere Kahn, Mowgli truly comes to grip with his unique human nature.
After using his ingenuity to defeat Shere Kahn, the elephants (who Mowgli had been taught previously to bow down to), reroute the river to extinguish the forest fire. But unbeknownst to him, while he is running through the jungle, sparks fall behind and start a massive forest fire in his wake. Mowgli grabs a torch and heads out to defeat Shere Kahn. In fact, ironically, human civilization is presented as the real jungle and the actual jungle is viewed as the most civilized. The juxtaposition with the jungle is clear: while the jungle has order, natural law, and cultivates respect for other kinds, human civilization is wild and unpredictable. And the message is clear: human civilization is wild, dangerous, and destructive. This is where we get our first up-close view of humanity. Knowing that Shere Kahn fears fire (called the “red flower), Mowgli runs into the human encampment hoping to find some for a weapon. But when Mowgli hears about the death of Akela, the former head of the wolf pack who raised him, he seeks revenge against Shere Kahn.
#Law of the jungle book series
At this point in the movie, the message is clear- Mowgli does not “fit” in the jungle and needs to seek out others who are like him.Īfter a series of life threatening adventures with Shere Kahn, the snake Kaa, the baboon King Louie, and the bear Baloo (the lovable character who gave Mowgli second thoughts about leaving the jungle), Mowgli is finally persuaded by Bagheera and Baloo to leave the jungle for good. His friend Bagheera, who first brought him to the wolf pack to be raised, convinces Mowgli that he needs to leave his beloved jungle and join human civilization.
Although he desperately wants to be like the other wolves, Mowgli senses that he is different and may never truly fit in.Īfter the fearsome tiger Shere Kahn threatens the entire wolf pack on Mowgli’s behalf, Mowgli decides that its best he leaves. Ignoring Bagheera’s advice to stay low like the rest of the wolves, Mowgli goes high into the trees, steps on a brittle branch, and falls to the ground in failure. Two questions lie at the heart of the movie: What does it mean to be human? And secondarily: How does man relate to nature? Specifically, these questions are explored through the life of Mowgli-a young boy whom wolves raise in the jungle.Īt the opening scene, the wise panther Bagheera is training Mowgli to chase like a wolf. Like all fictional movies, The Jungle Bookoffers a story, which has worldview implications. Disney is to be commended for making an engaging, creative, and faithful “live” version of this classic story. From my 3 ½-year old son, to my mother-in-law, we all thoroughly enjoyed it. My entire family went to see The Jungle Book this past weekend.