--- title: "The Jungle Book: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-jungle-book/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-jungle-book" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Jungle Book (1967): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 12 reviews: 9 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics like The Jungle Book, and they like it for the same reasons. The praise settles on the songs, above all ‘The Bare Necessities’ and ‘I Wanna Be Like You’, and on the voice cast, with Phil Harris’s Baloo and George Sanders’s louche Shere Khan named again and again. Several reviews note it is the last feature Walt Disney personally supervised. Most treat the loose handling of Kipling as a plus, preferring the film’s jazzy, knockabout humour to the solemnity of the book. The reservations are about story. Even admirers call the tale slight and episodic, a string of comic set pieces rather than anything much felt, and Slant finds the sudden turn to a domestic ending unconvincing. The spread is wide. The Times, reviewing in 1967, finds the film ugly, with muddy colour and relentless cuteness, and Film Comment judges the storytelling thin and the hero passive, well short of the studio’s earlier work. ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 2007. The critic calls it Disney’s greatest Mouse House party thanks to its freewheeling, carefree animation and double-entendre-filled songs. The abrupt shift to a domestic ending is singled out as the one unconvincing element. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-jungle-book-1967/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 1967. The critic calls it a perfectly dandy cartoon feature ideal for children and all ages, comparing its spirit and animal personification favorably to 'Dumbo.' It singles out the hilarious animation of the animals, their human-like voices (especially Phil Harris as Baloo), and the overall straightforward fun. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1967/12/23/archives/disney-jungle-book-arrives-just-in-time.html) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1967. The review praises the film as the last animated feature supervised by Walt Disney, highlighting its polished animation, upbeat songs like 'The Bare Necessities,' and strong vocal performances. It notes the story's loose adaptation of Kipling and commends the comedic antics and musical numbers. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1966/film/reviews/the-jungle-book-1200421257/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2013. The critic highlights the film's most joyous songs, 'I Wanna Be Like You' and 'The Bare Necessities', and singles out George Sanders's louche Shere Khan and Sterling Holloway's Kaa for praise in this loose Kipling adaptation. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-bluray-review-the-jungle-book-u-8742401.html) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic enjoys the film's jazzy humour and standout songs like 'The Bare Necessities' and 'I Wanna Be Like You', along with strong voice performances especially George Sanders as Shere Khan, while noting it is a slight tale that strays from Kipling. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/jungle-book-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Charles Solomon Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 1990. The review describes it as a high-spirited romp that will delight children, best known as the last film personally supervised by Walt Disney. It praises the polished animation sequences, especially Baloo's movements and songs like 'The Bare Necessities,' while noting the story serves mainly as a vehicle for comic antics rather than deep emotion. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-13-ca-42-story.html) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film surprisingly engaging despite objections from Kipling enthusiasts and those averse to Disney cartoons. It is praised for its inventive and witty script, highly entertaining vocal performances (especially George Sanders as Shere Khan), imaginative style, and restrained sentimentality. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/features/ultimatefilm/chart/details.php?ranking=7) ## Time Out — GB Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2014. The review highlights the film's shapely dialogue, knockabout visual gags, reasonable songs including 'The Bare Necessities', and mercifully little cutey-poo sentiment. It notes that the animation and storyline have only the bare necessities but finds the whole thing doesn't seem to matter much. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-jungle-book) ## Film Comment — Mark Harris Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). The critic views the film as a modest last hurrah for Walt Disney's personal involvement in animation, with thin storytelling and a passive hero that falls short of the studio's earlier masterpieces. Visual highlights include the expressive animal designs, though the piece also notes its dated gender dynamics and limited female characters. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/cinema-67-revisited-jungle-book/) ## The Times — John Russell Taylor Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 1967. The critic finds the film ugly and depressing, with muddy colour and little invention or fidelity to Kipling. It is relentlessly cute and ends with a gooey bout of infant sexuality. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/film-review-from-the-archive-the-jungle-book-qn2lndvdq) ## Paste — Garrett Martin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2023. This is the breeziest and most purely fun of all Disney features thanks to its fantastic voice cast, unforgettable music and Phil Harris's charismatic Baloo. It trades Kipling's solemn imperialism for a jazzy, freewheeling joie de vivre and remains a lively, deeply entertaining treat. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/best-movies/best-movies-1960s) ## Collider — Jackson Jackson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 2 March 2014. The film is immensely enjoyable with memorable characters and a rich source tapestry despite its episodic structure. The lush jungle animation and songs like 'The Bare Necessities' stand out as highlights. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-jungle-book-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-jungle-book.md