Disney essentially has four major movie streams these days: Marvel, "Star Wars," animated movies, and live action adaptations of fairy tales and catalog titles. They’ve made it work to the tune of billions of dollars (indeed, the studio has already crossed the billion dollar mark globally for 2016 already thanks to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Zootopia"). And the next in their go-big-or-go-home game plan is "The Jungle Book."
READ MORE: Watch: Epic Super Bowl Trailer For ‘The Jungle Book’
Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Neel Sethi, and Christopher Walken are the all-star voices that bring life to the CG creatures in this movie that once again traces Mowgli’s (newcomer Neel Sethi) adventures in the jungle. Here’s the synopsis:
Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world.
"The Jungle Book" opens on April 15th. Check out the new IMAX trailer, clips, and more below.