THE JUNGLE BOOK Out on Bluray + Bonus Features ~ #JungleBookBluray #PetesDragonEvent

One of mine and my son’s favorite movies this year was definitely THE JUNGLE BOOK! And I think audiences definitely agree with us. The film was a huge success to the tune of $949 million at the global box office. How amazing is that? Last week, this retelling of the Disney classic became available on Digital HD. TODAY you can now grab the Bluray Combo Pack, as well as the DVD and On Demand! While in Los Angeles, I learned more about the film’s bonus features on its home entertainment release, and participated in a Q&A with producer Brigham Taylor and visual effects supervisor Robert Legato. That experience alone made me even more excited to include the adventures of Mowgli, Bagheera, and Baloo in future family movie nights.

Now earlier this year I presented you with Five Reasons To See The Jungle Book. I do invite you to read my review more in depth, but let’s just do a quick recap:

1) The Breathtaking Stunning Visuals

2) Bill Murray!

3) Perfect Casting

4) The Classic Jungle Book Songs

5) Neel Sethi as Mowgli

Now let’s chat about those bonus features…

Bonus Features

Now I must say, while seeing the film, I was completely in awe of the technology they used to create these life like animals. They all seemed so real on the big screen. If you were scratching your head wondering “how did they do that?”, no worries, the bonus features definitely answer those questions for you!

As I mentioned in my Brigham and Rob interview, we had the privilege of viewing “The Jungle Book Reimagined.” In this bonus feature director Jon Favreau sits down with Brigham Robert to reflect back on the time they devoted to the reimagining of THE JUNGLE BOOK. I loved how they discussed the inspiration they drew from mixing both Rudyard Kipling’s original stories and the Disney animated version. Plus as I mentioned above, getting the in depth look at how they create the animals and scenes thanks to their amazing team of technology wizards is definitely a viewing pleasure!

One of my favorite parts of the “Reimagined” feature is when they discuss the Opening Sequence Easter Egg. Disney is known for opening its films with the Magic Kingdom castle, often now with CGI. THE JUNGLE BOOK TEAM wanted to do something different. Rob had this to say about paying homage to Disney, by using the multiplane camera as seen in the opening of BAMBI:

“There is something very charming about the brilliant idea that they had with the multiplane camera and all that. So how do we subtly create a homage that makes you feel comfortable, like you’re watching an old Disney film… It’s something that lives for a long time and you kind of have some deep-rooted psychology to it. That to me was fascinating. I love the history of movies. I love all that. It’s the reason why I got into it in the first place.” – Rob Legato

Check out this bonus clip for yourself!

Another part I loved was where viewers can meet the all-star voice cast who. In my review, I mentioned Disney’s perfect casting. Check out these clips to see what I’m talking about!

Idris Elba

Lupita Nyongo

It was also pretty cool to learn that Richard Sherman, of the Sherman Brothers who wrote the original “I Wan’na Be Like You” for the classic animated version, worked with Jon to add new lyrics for a new version of the song. Which brings me to another bonus feature…

King Louie’s Temple: Layer by Layer

Get an in depth look at how the creators match up a musical number with THE massive, legendary ape and his army of wild monkeys in the Seeonee jungle.  You’ll get to watch creators developed the new “I Wan’na Be Like You” sequence, where King Louie famously tries to get Mowgli to tell him the secret to Man’s deadly “red flower” (fire).

Another bonus feature is Jon’s audio commentary, where he gives a scene-by-scene comments on the film… complete with his usual candor and humor! Plus if you are impressed with Neel’s film debut as much as I was, you will enjoy the bonus feature “I Am Mowgli.” It follows Neel’s journey from an unknown to performing in one of the biggest films of 2016, with some of the biggest movie stars around. Plus it’s great to see the close relationship between him and Jon as they worked on the film.

Be sure to connect with THE JUNGLE BOOK on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, and YouTube.

Want to learn more on my most recent adventure in LA? We can connect on head on over to Twitter (@AshBG) and on Instagram (@ashb4211). As you browse my social media feed, simply look for the hashtags #PetesDragonEvent, #JungleBookBluray, #QueenOfKatwe, and #Moana.

While I’attended an expense paid trip by Disney to Los Angeles, all opinions are 100% my own. THE JUNGLE BOOK film images provided by Walt Disney Publications.