The Jungle Book 2

The Jungle Book 2 is a 2003 American animated film produced by the DisneyToon Studios in Sydney, Australia and was released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. The theatrical version of the film was released in France on February 5, 2003, and released in the United States on February 14, 2003. The film is a sequel to Walt Disney's 1967 film The Jungle Book, and stars Haley Joel Osment as the voice of Mowgli and John Goodman as the voice of Baloo.

The film was originally produced as a direct-to-video film, but was released theatrically first, similar to the Peter Pan sequel, Return to Never Land. It is the third Disney sequel to have a theatrical release rather than going direct-to-video after The Rescuers Down Under in 1990 and Return to Never Land in 2002. The film is not based on The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, first published in 1895. However, they do have several characters in common. When released, it was criticised mainly for its cut-rate animation and a lazy, samey plotline to the original film.

Disney released the VHS and DVD versions on June 10, 2003. On June 17, 2008 a Special Edition DVD was released.

Plot
Mowgli is in the Man Village, living with his adoptive parents and new little brother, Ranjan. He has become sweethearts with Shanti, the girl who lured Mowgli into the Man Village. One day Mowgli tries to take the Village Children into the Jungle but Shanti realizes this and yells stop when Mowgli and Ranjan's father arrives and orders the kids back into the village and scowls at Mowgli telling him the jungle is a dangerous place and shows Mowgli a scar on his left arm. He also punishes Mowgli by sending him to his room without dinner. After Mowgli gets in trouble, he blames Shanti and won't talk to her, then Mowgli starts to miss the jungle. After an escape from a stampede of elephants, Baloo sneaks into the Man Village - unnoticed by the villagers - to visit Mowgli. Also, Mowgli's old arch enemy, Shere Khan, returns for his revenge. Meanwhile, Shanti tries to apologize to Mowgli, but she sees Baloo with Mowgli, and shrieks for help. Shere Khan sneaks into the village and everyone thinks he's the wild animal. After Baloo and Mowgli escape into the jungle, Shanti, believing her boyfriend was kidnapped, follows them. Kaa spots Mowgli and Baloo talking, and attempts to eat him. But, fortunately, he fails.

Later, Kaa spots Shanti alone, and tries to eat her. He manages to subdue her with his hypnotic stare, which causes her hands to hang loosely at her sides, and to not be able to look away, until Ranjan comes forward and pulls Shanti away in time, releasing her from Kaa's trance. Ranjan starts beating Kaa with a stick, and Kaa ends up accidentally swallowing a large rock. The weight of the rock makes his coils fall on top of him. While Ranjan keeps hitting Kaa, Shanti grabs him to get away from the snake. Ranjan soon scares Kaa from behind, and causes Kaa to fall off a nearby cliff and into a coconut tree, and Shanti and Ranjan soon leave. Mowgli seems to enjoy the jungle as he used to and tells Baloo about his life in the Man Village and Shanti.

Soon, Mowgli's old panther guardian, Bagheera, figures out that Mowgli had escaped the Man Village with Baloo, when the villagers are in the jungle screaming Mowgli and he tries to find him. Shanti and Ranjan are still looking for Mowgli, then get lost in the jungle. They soon find Mowgli sadly sitting in a tree and when he sees Shanti, he falls into some vines and gets tangled. Baloo finds them and scares Shanti. Shanti learns that Mowgli told Baloo to scare her, and she gets angry at him and runs away with Ranjan. Mowgli gets angry at Baloo for scaring Shanti and goes after them. He finds them and wants to explain, but Shanti points to Shere Khan, who is behind him. The children run and Mowgli tells Shanti and Ranjan to stay put in a bush. Shanti goes to help Mowgli and Ranjan encounters Baloo when he tries to follow Shanti. He tries to run away, but Baloo tells him to calm down and asks him where Mowgli is. Ranjan shouts "Shere Khan!" and they run after Mowgli. Mowgli finds an ancient temple and hides. Baloo and Ranjan run into Bagheera, whom Baloo leaves Ranjan with when they arrive at the temple, which Shanti has arrived at as well. She and Baloo encounter each other and soon learn that they are on the same side and split up. Baloo begins banging on a gong, soon being joined by Shanti and Mowgli each in their hiding places and confuse Shere Khan. Shanti's gong falls down and Shere Khan threatens her. Mowgli comes out of his hiding place and Shere Khan runs towards him. Mowgli begins to run and Baloo pushes Shere Khan away. Mowgli and Shanti run up a staircase, soon being followed by Shere Khan after Baloo tries to stop him again and soon run into a crater and jump across and land on a tiger head statue. Shere Khan jumps onto the tiger head which starts to fall. Shere Khan falls and lands on a rock and the tiger head lands down trapping him inside. Mowgli and Shanti fall too but are saved by Baloo. Meanwhile, Lucky, a new member of the vultures, comes down and begins to tease Shere Khan. After returning to safety Mowgli, Shanti, and Ranjan say goodbye to Baloo and Bagheera and reunite with their families where Mowgli's father apoligizes to him for not understanding that the jungle is apart of who he is and they return to the village. Not long after returning to the village, Mowgli, Shanti and Ranjan secretly return to the jungle spend some time with their new jungle family, unaware that Mowgli and Ranjan's parents know where they're going.

Production

 * John Goodman recorded his voice work in New Orleans while Haley Joel Osment recorded his in California.
 * Due to a legal dispute, the character of King Louie from the original Jungle Book could not be included in this film. However, he makes a non-physical appearance as a shadow puppet in the beginning of the film and is briefly mentioned in the middle of the film.
 * The decision was made to keep Shere Khan in shadow during the beginning of the film to "reflect his 'wounded pride'".

Returning from the first film

 * Mowgli, voiced by Haley Joel Osment
 * Baloo, voiced by John Goodman
 * Bagheera, voiced by Bob Joles
 * Shanti, voiced by Mae Whitman
 * Shere Khan, voiced by Tony Jay
 * Kaa, voiced by Jim Cummings
 * Colonel Hathi, voiced by Jim Cummings
 * Hathi, Jr., voice by Jimmy Bennett
 * Buzzie, Flaps, Dizzy, &amp; Ziggy, voiced by Jim Cummings, Jeff Bennett, Baron Davis, and Jess Harnell
 * Flunkey (listed in credits as "M.C. Monkey"), voiced by Jim Cummings

New in this film

 * Lucky, voiced by Phil Collins
 * Ranjan, voiced by Connor Funk
 * Ranjan's father, voiced by John Rhys-Davies
 * Messua, voice by Veena Bidasha

Animals featured

 * Human (Mowgli, Shanti, Ranjan, Ranjan's Father, Messua, Nathoo & Other Villagers)
 * Sloth Bear (Baloo)
 * Black Panther (Bagheera)
 * Tiger (Shere Khan)
 * Indian Python (Kaa)
 * Asian Elephant (Colonel Hathi, Hathi Jr. & Elephant Patrol; Some seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Indian Vulture (Buzzie, Flaps, Dizzie, Ziggy & Lucky)
 * Baboon (Flunkey)
 * Indian Rhinoceros (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Parakeet (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Hippopotamus (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Indian Mongoose (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Ocelot (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Water rat (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Insect (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Earthworm (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Crane (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Cuckoo (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Kookaburra (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Gazelle (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Langur (The Bandar-log)
 * Owl (Seen by Shanti in the jungle)
 * Vampire Bat (Seen attacking Shanti)
 * Macaque (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Meerkat (Seen in King Louie's former palace)
 * Warthog (Seen in King Louie's former palace)

Hidden appearances

 * During one of attempts at the classic musical number The Bear Necessities from the first film, two prickly pears land on and stick to Kaa's head, making him look like Mickey Mouse. This is an example of a Hidden Mickey.
 * During W-I-L-D, Timon and Pumbaa can briefly be seen dancing until Baloo bounces them off with his backside.
 * Haley Joel Osment and Mae Whitman would later co-star again in Kingdom Hearts II, voicing Sora and Yuffie, respectively.

Soundtrack

 * "Jungle Rhythm," a new song composed by Lorraine Feather and Paul Grabowsky for the film, appears in two incarnations: firstly by Mowgli (Haley Joel Osment), Shanti (Mae Whitman), Ranjan (Connor Funk), and the village children chorus (Colin Davis, Jon Robert Hall, D.J. Harper, Karen Harper, Luana Jackman, Meagan Moore, Bobbi Page, and Ayana Williams). A Mowgli solo version appears later on in the film.
 * Like the first film, "The Bare Necessities" is performed on three separate occasions in The Jungle Book 2. First as a solo by Baloo, second as a duet between Baloo and Mowgli, and finally as a trio with Baloo, Mowgli and Shanti.
 * "Colonel Hathi's March" also returns for this film, this time performed by Bob Joyce, Rick Logan, Guy Maeda, and Jerry Whitman.
 * "W-I-L-D," another new song composed for the film by Lorraine Feather and Paul Grabowsky, is performed by Baloo (John Goodman) and a chorus of various jungle animals (Enoch Azmuth, Cindy Bourquin, Bill Cantos, Randy Crenshaw, Kevin Dorsey, Lorraine Feather, Karen Harper, Angie Jareé, Rick Logan, Melissa Mackey, and Bobbi Page).
 * The band Smash Mouth recorded a cover of the Sherman Brothers song, "I Wan'na Be Like You" (originally from the 1967 musical film), which is featured on this film's soundtrack during the end credits.
 * "Right Where I Belong" performed by Windy Wagner, and composed by Lorraine Feather and Joel McNeely, plays during the end credits.

Trivia

 * This is the second Disney sequel to take place right after the ending of the first film since The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, which took place right after the ending of the original.
 * Kaa is the second character to originally be played by Sterling Holloway and then taken over by Jim Cummings, the first being Winnie-the-Pooh.
 * The Meerkat and The Warthog during the W-I-L-D song resemble Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King.
 * Two Hippopotamuses were seen during the W-I-L-D song; this a slight error because hippos are not native to India.
 * It is one of the previews to the 2002 DVD release of The Santa Clause. The other previews are The Santa Clause 2, Lilo and Stitch, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, The Country Bears, and Inspector Gadget 2.
 * This was Tony Jay's last reprising role before his death in 2006.