A few months ago I posted a sneak peek at Disney’s brand new The Jungle Book…well, it’s finally here! The Jungle Book is out in theaters this weekend and receiving rave reviews. My friends who have been lucky enough to screen it have loved it! I haven’t been able to make it to the theater yet, but this movie is on our agenda for Sunday. The kids are very excited!
But even if you have been anxiously waiting for this movie to come out, there are probably things you don’t know about this sure-to-be blockbuster film. Check out these fun facts:
- Neel Sethi, now 11, was selected from thousands of candidates following a worldwide search for the perfect man-cub.
- The team at Moving Picture Company (MPC) were responsible for animating more than 70 species, crafting 100 million leaves and simulating earth, fire and water. A team of more than 800 computer graphics artists spent more than a year on the project.
- Artists digitally built most of the jungle environment that appears in the film, creating moss, bark, rock, water, grass, trees, leaves that were all inspired by their real-life counterparts in India. The virtual environment makes up 80 percent of the film frame 100 percent of the time.
- Filmmakers utilized motion capture technology to help them visualize the entire film prior to live-action production kicking off. The process involves special body suits adorned with dots that translate into the computer. Even director Jon Favreau suited up for select scenes.
- Mowgli deals with a lot of honey in “The Jungle Book.” The sweet stuff proved challenging for filmmakers, who wanted it to look authentic—yet still appealing. Color and viscosity had to be considered, as well as how to make the honeycomb it comes in.
It’s also impossible to ignore the cast in this movie. There are some huge names in this film including Bill Murray(“Baloo”), Sir Ben Kingsley (“Bagheera”), Lupita Nyong’o (“Raksha”), Scarlett Johansson (“Kaa”), Idris Elba (“Shere Khan”), Christopher Walken(“King Louie”), Giancarlo Esposito (“Akela”) and Neel Sethi who plays Mowgli, the only live action character in the film!
Want to bring the jungle home with you? Print these fun and educational, jungle-themed activity sheets to enjoy before or after the film (or both!). Just be sure to print them in color to get the full effect!
Have you seen The Jungle Book yet? What did you think?
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