The Jungle Book 2 [Blu-Ray]
Director: Steve Trenbirth
Cast: John Goodman, Haley Joel Osment, Tony Jay (VOICES)
Release Date: Now Available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack.
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Disc Rating: 10/10
Plot Summary:
Mowgli, missing the jungle and his old friends, runs away from the man village unaware of the danger he’s in by going back to the wild.
‘The Jungle Book 2’ has finally arrived home on Blu-Ray, and with the original classic released last month as well, everyone can now pick up both of these fantastic films on Blu-Ray for a limited time. I had actually never seen ‘The Jungle Book 2’ prior to my viewing of this Blu-Ray so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this sequel done so long after the original, yet I found myself to be significantly impressed with just how fun and well done it is. It really stays true to the tone of the original, and even picks up right where the original left off. It does a wonderful job of extending the story of Mowgli, Baloo and the rest of these beloved characters and kids and adults alike are sure to have a magical time with both of these films time and time again.
This Blu-Ray also includes a pretty hefty quantity of bonus content that the whole family will pretty surely enjoy. There are a couple of deleted scenes included, mostly done in moving animatic/sketch style and not completely finished scenes, but still a lot of fun to see them and where they might have fit into the story should they had been completely and included. The Sing-Along Songs are always a lot of fun, so it’s great that Disney continues to include these. I don’t care if you are 5 years old or 35, those are always a lot of fun and it also helps remind me just how much Disney continues on from each generation to the next, to know that many of the songs from these Disney films that we were singing along to as children (remember the old Sing-Along Songs VHS collections? Because I know I certainly do) are now being loved and shared with a new generation. So let me finish off by saying simply, I’m pretty sure Disney fans of all ages will want to make sure and add both this and the original to their collections on Blu-Ray while they still can, before they go back in the vault.
VIDEO:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘The Jungle Book 2’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 1.66:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation on this one looks absolutely amazing. The colors are sharp, detailed, every line perfectly smoothed and in place and I personally didn’t notice any real flaws whatsoever with this one throughout the film. The more detailed and modern animation used in this 2003 sequel could not possibly look any better than it does here and I think everyone out there will be quite impressed and pleased with the high definition video presentation included on this Blu-Ray release.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack which sounds as fantastic as the video presentation looks. There is a surprising amount of activity making its way throughout all five of the channels and the music and action/exciting sequences really give this lossless track a chance to show off its stuff, which it does quite admirably. Everything is sharp and detailed and while a lot of activity is quite loud at times in the rear channels it never in any way detracts from the audibility of the voices in the center channel. This is a very impressive lossless multichannel soundtrack that actually far superseded my expectations and I’m pretty certain kids and adults alike will have a lot of fun with this one, should they have the option to utilize it.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Disney fans can rest assured that even though this may be a slightly less recognizable or popular title than the original ‘The Jungle Book’, and while this may not be a Diamond Edition release such as the first, this Disney Blu-Ray is still absolutely loaded with all kinds of great bonus content that the entire family is sure to enjoy. Included on the Blu-Ray are deleted scenes, sing along songs, music videos, a featurette titled ‘The Legacy of The Jungle Book’ and more! For those who may have missed it, please see more detailed comments and notes regarding some of these features up above in the second paragraph of this review.
*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.
Disc Rating: 10/10
‘The Jungle Book 2’ is now available to own on Blu-Ray Combo Pack for the first time ever from Disney.