Welcome to wildly wondrous ‘Jungle’

You have to wonder what is going through the mind of Andy Serkis this weekend. Serkis, the actor most famous for bringing “The Lord of the Rings’” Gollum to life, is slated to make his directorial debut with yet another live-action/CGI adaptation of “The Jungle Book,” carrying another all-star cast, such as Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch and Cate Blanchett.

While the film is not to be released for another year or more (its release date has been moved a couple times since it was first announced), it’s going to be hard to escape from the shadow of director Jon Favreau’s latest version, which will no doubt loom large even in 2018.

Rudyard Kipling’s enduring tome has been adapted many times since its release in 1894, most notably by the House of Mouse in 1967 with their enduring animated musical take. But it now has some competition with this live-action and CGI blend that deserves an equally long life, largely because of its awe-inspiring vistas, amazingly realistic computer-rendered animals, and a pulsing heart that underlies it all.

Mowgli (here played by Neel Sethi) is the man-cub adopted by a wolf pack led by Akela (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito) and Raksha (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) and under the tutelage of  Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley), the black panther who originally brought him to the pack and acts as his guardian against the relentless Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba). Khan has sworn vengeance for a nasty human-caused scar that fuels his fury for humans, and Mowgli’s presence in the animal kingdom only feeds his rage.

Once he flees the safety of the wolf den, Mowgli encounters the familiar roster of colorful characters of the animal kingdom, most notably his honey-hungry bear buddy  Baloo (perfectly captured by Bill Murray) and the oversized orangutan  King Louie (voiced by a menacing Christopher Walken). Not since “Babe” have the animated expressions of animals felt so true to life. And where the 1995 talking pig film relied on actual beasts as their actors, the fact that those within the world of “Jungle Book” are completely created by 1’s and 0’s make this a marvel to watch.

Of the most recent Disney live-action adaptations it's released recently (the over-produced “Maleficent” and the lavishly empty “Cinderella”), “Jungle Book” is by far the strongest re-telling yet. And those who immediately hear the title and recall the animated version’s timeless tunes, which arise rather organically from the action.

There’s not much new dramatically, but the film still feels fresh thanks mostly to the pixelated players in the film and director Favreau’s flair for sumptuous vistas. It’s hard to imagine next year’s new model being able to erase the impact made by this wildly wondrous “Jungle.”