Chil is a supporting character who was featured in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book story collections, based on the character "Chil the Kite". The character is often portrayed as a bird playing an important role throughout the story. In Disney-produced Jungle Book media, two different iterations of Chil were featured in the 1998 direct-to video film adaptation of The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story and in the 2016 film adaptation of The Jungle Book respectively.
Background[]
Origins[]
Chil is based on the Chil the Kite character from Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories, a bird that played an important role in Kipling's original books sending a message to animals whenever a threat occurs throughout the events of the story. The character was originally called Rann in Kipling's original books in earlier editions of the book but in later editions of the books, the character was renamed Chil. In the original source material, Chil appeared in the short stories, "Mowgli's Brothers", "Kaa's Hunting", and "Red Dog" respectively.
Appearances[]
The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story[]
- “Hey, Hathi Baby, since you're playing tour guide, where's that secret elephant graveyard? I am starved!”
- ―Chil[src]
In this Disney-produced direct-to video adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling story, this incarnation of Chil portrayed as a female vulture instead of a male brahminy kite from the original book.
Chil is present attending a meeting with Hathi at the watering hole, being one of the last ones to attend and just as she arrives, Hathi gives a reminder to all the animals about the dry season, indicating that until the monsoon season arrives, no animals shall be allowed to eat other animals nor hunt, much to Chil's concern. Soon as Shere Khan arrives, he attempts to eat Chil during her arrival only for her to fly away in shock after Shere Khan insulted her by calling her a "bowl of chili". Later, as Hathi takes Mowgli to explore the jungle around him, the two walk across Chil who explains the dangers of the Red Flower, explaining that the more the Red Flower occurs in the jungle, the deforestation becomes worse thanks to the wildfire it causes. Chil later appears during Mowgli's montage of training with Bagheera to which she and a nearby water buffalo overhear Mowgli pretending to squawk like a vulture, followed by Mowgli doing it again the next day after Bagheera and Baloo discuss with each other just as the man-cub does the same call he did again.
Mowgli then encounters Chil again when he follows the trio of chimpanzees into the edge to the wolf pack's territory, where Chil warns him that if he goes any farther, the wolf pack will be unable to help him as the chimps plan to lure Mowgli into a surprise, which Mowgli risks following the chimps rather than listening to Chil's advice. Noticing Mowgli getting attracted to the chimps, she plans to alert Raksha to tell her about Mowgli. Later, Chil alerts Raksha and warns her that she saw him following a group of chimps into a place known as "Monkey Town" where they lured him into a trap, which Raksha tells Chil to alert the other wolves about Mowgli just as Raksha plans to rescue him. Chil is not seen again after that, not even after Mowgli regained his courage to return to the jungle and then banished Shere Khan from the jungle.
The Jungle Book (2016)[]
This incarnation of Chil is depicted as a male brahminy kite (an accurate depiction of the character being portrayed as a kite in Kipling's original story) instead of a vulture and is completely different from the 1998 counterpart. Unlike in the 1998 adaptation, Chil does not speak and only communicates through screeches. While not mentioned by name in the film, the audio commentary included on the Blu-ray releases of The Jungle Book identifies the brahminy kite as Chil[1]. This incarnation of Chil is shown to be alert and in charge of the Water Truce often alerting the other animals about what is happening - particularly when it comes to Shere Khan arriving or whenever someone wielding the Red Flower arrives at the jungle.
Chil is first seen hearing Ikki telling the other animals about the Water Truce which he flies to tell the other animals about this after the Peace Rock was revealed and the Water Truce was called just as various rhinos, blackbucks, nilgai, water buffaloes, and other animals attend the Water Truce while Bagheera narrates that hunting at the riverbank is forbidden because drinking comes first before eating with animals living in harmony with each other only for their moments to be interrupted with Shere Khan arriving at the Water Truce. The next day, Chil (offscreen) alerts Raksha, Grey Brother, and their family that Shere Khan has arrived which Shere Khan faces Akela, telling him that Mowgli left the pack to which Shere Khan furiously attacks Akela and tosses him off a large rock formation, much to the other wolves feeling furious with Shere Khan's assault.
Chil then flies past Baloo who is on his way to rescue Mowgli and as he flies past, Baloo thinks that this warning would not be a good sign. Later, when Mowgli goes to the man village and takes a torch from the village, Mowgli runs past the jungle where Chil notices of what Mowgli is doing and squawks to alert the animals of the Red Flower which Chil notices of the fire being a threat to all animals, in a plan to fight against Shere Khan. Chil continues flying across the jungle to alert more animals, including the Seeonee wolf pack and the other jungle animals that the Red Flower is spotted across the jungle, which everyone plans to get to the river before the Red Flower causes a massive wildfire. The battle ends after Shere Khan falls to his death, followed by the Red Flower being extinguished and the jungle saved.
Gallery[]
_-_Chil_the_Kite.png "The Jungle Book (2016) - Chil the Kite.png (644 KB)")
Trivia[]
- In the original Jungle Book story by Rudyard Kipling, Chil was the only bird who played an important role in the original story. Chil was absent in the 1967 Disney adaptation of The Jungle Book, despite having an important role in the original story - although the birds playing an important role in said film were the four vultures, Buzzie, Flaps, Ziggy, and Dizzy, who were original characters made to resemble the Beatles that were created exclusively for the film.
- Kathy Najimy, who voiced Chil in The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story, also starred in the 1997 Warner Bros. animated film, Cats Don't Dance as Tillie Hippo, which curiously also starred John Rhys-Davies (who voiced Woolie Mammoth in this film); conversely, Rhys-Davies would later star in The Jungle Book 2 where he did the voice of Ranjan's Father in the sequel.
- The English Audio Description and the English closed captions in the 2016 remake of The Jungle Book erroneously describe Chil as an "eagle". In real life, kites and eagles are a separate species of birds of prey.
References[]
- ↑ Jungle Book Audio Commentary (Blu-ray, 2016).
