Take a trip down memory lane with the latest remake of family classic The Jungle Book, in cinemas now. We reveal some behind the scenes facts that will amaze you.
Here are some fun facts from Disney about the movie:
Mowgli sports a red loincloth in the film, but costume designer Laura Jean Shannon had her work cut out for her. “Mowgli’s immersed in water and mud, he gets rained on, he runs,” Laura says. “We even rigged a hidden safety harness into the costume because Mowgli hangs on tree limbs and cliffs. Each of the loincloths—we ended up with 16 or 17—had a very specific purpose.”
Shannon built a “suit of armor” from the leaves of an alocasia tree (known as elephant ear plant). The garment showcased how the intelligent man-cub would protect himself from angry bees before collecting honey for Baloo.
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 utilised motion capture technology to help them visualise 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.
Disney’s 1967 animated film, The Jungle Book, was the last film that Walt Disney oversaw. He passed away in 1966, the year before the film’s release.
Composer John Debney, who wrote the score for the new, live-action film The Jungle Book, is the son of Louis Debney, who worked for Walt Disney. “When I was a youngster, they were making this incredible magical film called The Jungle Book, and I was sort of a studio brat,” says Debney. “I got to know the young man Bruce Reitherman who played Mowgli. We would go on adventures around the world with his family.”
Watch the trailer for The Jungle Book here:
