Jungle Book 2

This topic contains:

• details about Jungle Book 2's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Jungle Book 2 completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 6th of April, 2003.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Jungle Book 2 contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references, nudity, substance us and coarse language
• the movie's message
• overall comments

A synopsis of the story

Mowgli has been adopted into an Indian village and is living there happily with his family and friend Shanti, but he longs for the jungle. He misses his old friends Baloo and Bagheera and although it is forbidden to cross the river into the jungle Mowgli attempts to do so a few times. Meanwhile Baloo is also missing Mowgli and sets out to the village to find him.

Shanti sees Baloo carrying Mowgli off and thinks he is being captured by a wild bear. She follows them across the river into the jungle. While this is happening Shere Khan the fierce tiger, is also looking for Mowgli to take revenge on him.

Shanti is followed by Ranjan a little boy who has a wild streak in him and wants to venture into the jungle to help find Mowgli. They both get lost and meet scary creatures along the way: owls, bats and a python who wants to eat Shanti. Baloo and Mowgli are enjoying their reunion but Mowgli misses his human companions.

Shanti and Ranjan eventually find Mowgli and they are all confronted by Shere Khan who is trying to get Mowgli. They manage to outwit Shere Khan who falls down a crevice and is trapped by rocks. Shanti's parents eventually find the children and Mowgli has to decide whether he wants to stay in the jungle or return to the village with his human family.

Use of violence

There is some slapstick violence in the film such as:

• Ranjan pretending to be a tiger and scares Shanti who falls into the river
• Bagheera falls off a tree branch into the river

Material that may scare children

Under seven

There are some scary scenes in this film that might upset some very young children including:

• Shere Khan is quite fierce and scary
• Shere Khan creeps up behind Shanti
• Men scare Shere Khan away with torches and spears and he becomes quite aggressive when cornered
• Kaa the python tries to eat Mowgli
• Shanti is lost in the jungle and is frightened by owls and bats
• Kaa hypnotises Shanti and is about to eat her when Ranjan appears and attacks the snake
• Bagheera is caught in an elephant stampede
• Baloo pretends to scare Shanti and is quite fierce
• Shere Khan roars loudly
• Shere Khan chases Mowgli and Shanti up a rock face which collapses
• Shere Khan is trapped in the crevice but is not killed

Children over the age of seven

Children over the age of seven would realise this is fantasy.

Sexual references, nudity, substance use and coarse language

There are no sexual references, nudity or coarse language in this film. There is no use of substances although Baloo makes a reference that he is 'only a wild animal at parties'.

The movie's message

The take home message of this film is that life is often about having to make choices and it isn't always easy to make a decision.

Values that parents may wish to encourage include:

• loyalty
• courage
• friendship
• kinship
• love and caring

Values that parents may wish to discourage include:

• disobedience
• freedom and fun of the jungle are preferable to discipline, rules and responsibilities

Overall comments

This is a Disney animation and as such is very well done and entertaining. However from an adult's viewpoint it doesn't have a great story line and is quite simplistic. The film is made for children and the scariness in it is kept at a level that it could be acceptable for most young children.