by Andreas Deja,
The Walt Disney Family Museum
Published By Weldon Owen
In the early and late 1980s there was a series of wonderful books about the Walt Disney Studios. These shared for the very first time with the general public the work that went into making these great animated Disney Classics. Andreas Deja’s new book, which is tied to an exhibition at the Walt Disney Museum this year, continues that tradition.
Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book – Making a Masterpiece, is the book. The author of this exhibit and guest curator at the museum says in his introduction that The Jungle Book is the first Disney animation he has ever seen. It was actually my second Disney animated film, following the Sword in the Stone
The movie was great, but I also wanted to know how Disney had changed the animated films. Walt says in the book that Kipling’s original was too dark and heavy …”. So, they took some of Kipling’s characters and situations and created their own story.
In both print and film, the hero is Mowgli. He’s a young boy who was raised by wolves in India. Baloo is his best friend, and he’s a bear. Baloo’s voice is provided by Phil Harris. It’s the role that introduced Harris to several new generations as his show-stealing song, “The Bare Necessities” afforded the personable actor/comedian/bandleader his most prominent role since leaving The Jack Benny Show for his own series more than a decade and a half earlier.
Deja claims that The Jack Benny Showgot Harris the part which would shape his career. When he thought he could not do “a bear voice” well, he had almost walked out. “Phil, you don’t need a bear.” “We want Phil Harris, like on the Jack Benny Show.”
Phil replied: “That’s what I can do.” The story of Baloo was altered considerably and Phil even had the freedom to add a few lines. This led to the creation of some of my favorite scenes in the film.
It was the jazz singer and musician Louis Prima who stole the show as the charismatic orangutan King Louie in the movie “Kings of the Swingers”. The author explains that the character had to be created for the film because there were no orangutans native to India or other great apes. The Italian-American legend essentially portrays himself, and gets to sing the dramatic number “I Wan’na Be Like You”. Unfortunately, Prima’s musical legacy is now a mere trivia question. The Jungle Book has been his most enduring work.
In the same vein, the Beatles were also almost voiced by four vultures. One thing I didn’t know is that the voice of one of those vultures was actually Chad Stuart of Chad and Jeremy, a British Invasion band.
This book is full of interesting trivia, but its main draw remains the artwork. You’ll discover everything from quick sketches in black and white to background paintings, animation cels and detailed character studies. There’s a whole section at the end on the 1966 merchandise, including several books that I remember having back then.
The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece is a book that will delight and impress any fan of Walt Disney.