Disney Releases First Live-Action 'Jungle Book' Trailer (VIDEO)

By Dondi Tiples, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, September 19, 2015

Disney just released its first live-action trailer for "The Jungle Book," a remake by "Iron Man" director, Jon Favreau.

The live-action adaptation of Disney Pictures' "The Jungle Book," featuring an all star cast of characters, finally rolled out to audiences after a teaser clip was initially presented at the D23 conference in Anaheim, California last month.

The trailer depicted intense action scenes showing Mowgli sprinting away from Shere Khan in the tall grass, leaping off cliffs, running across top branches of trees, swinging on a vine across a sea of flames, and even leaping off a window from the ruins of an ancient palace.

In the trailer, Mowgli is shown meeting Bagheera for the first time, riding on the back of Baloo the bear, and trying to dodge Shere Khan's deadly claws. A gigantic King Louie also makes an appearance, and through it all, the sinister voice of Kaa provides background monologue.

Footage of live action performances from a stellar cast, which included newcomer Neel Sethi, who plays Mowgli, were merged with photorealistic CG rendered imagery of the animals and the jungle environment featured in the film.

"The Jungle Book" forms part of the studio's encompassing plan to turn its animated classics into live action movies, with the 1967 original remade into a combination of live action hybrid performances and CGI.

The rest of the cast is composed of acting heavyweights, including Oscar winners, Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Christopher Walken (King Louie), and Lupita Nyong'o (Raksha, the mother wolf), as well as Academy Award nominee Bill Murray (Baloo), Scarlett Johansson (Kaa), and Idris Elba (Shere Khan).

While the original animated classic was a musical, capped by the iconic "Bear Necessities" duet sang by Baloo and Mowgli, the live action trailer features Mowgli riding atop Baloo who is shown floating on a river while softly humming the tune from the song, thus serving to bridge the animated original with the current film.