[UPDATE: More posters for The Jungle Book have dropped!]
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Disney's live-action/CGI reimagining of The Jungle Book is set to soon be released in theaters. The film continues the trend of Disney live-action remakes/re-imaginings set by Cinderella and Maleficent, and other remakes and reimaginings are lined up to follow thereafter, including Pete's Dragon later in 2016, followed by films like Dumbo and Pinocchio in the future.
The Jungle Book had its release date pushed back from October 2015 to April 2016, and so far, all we've really had in the way of marketing is a short trailer, a striking poster, and a few images. Now that the New Year is here, and the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is out of the way, Disney can ramp up The Jungle Book campaign, starting with new images and a fresh one-sheet for the film.
The Jungle Book is directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man 1 & 2) and features newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli. He is the only human actor to appear on screen, though the movie does feature a highly impressive all-star voice cast. Sir Ben Kingsley lends his voice to Bagheera, with Bill Murray as Baloo. Lupita Nyong'o plays Raksha, Mowgli's adoptive wolf mother, Scarlett Johansson is Kaa, Christopher Walken voices King Louie and Idris Elba is Shere Khan.
The new Jungle Book image (below) shows Mowgli walking through the Jungle with Bagheera by his side while a herd of elephants lurk in the shadows. It is unknown at this point if this is Colonel Hathi, since it is not confirmed that he appears in this remake.
The second image is a poster forming part of a trio, which, when laid together showcase all the animals of the jungle and, presumably, Mowgli too. This poster gives us a good look at King Louie, with Kaa, along with a rundown temple in the background, in keeping with where Louie (who is truly "king-sized" in this version) resides in the original Disney animated classic.
UPDATE: The next Jungle Book poster has now dropped online, featuring the villainous Shere Khan on the prowl:
UPDATE #2: Last, but not least, we have the final Jungle Book poster, featuring Mowgli, Baloo and Bagheera:
With The Jungle Book's release just three months away, a full trailer release is imminent. That will give us a good chance to hear how the cast all sound together, since we've only heard Johansson's Kaa so far, as well as getting a better look at the CGI and live-action blend, which looked impressive in the first trailer. If nothing else, this Jungle Book is an intriguing prospect. It seems as though Disney have taken a darker turn, more in keeping with the original Rudyard Kipling story - but will they have kept any of the family friendly appeal that gave the original Jungle Book such charm?
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The Jungle Book opens in theaters on April 15th, 2016.
Source: Walt Disney Pictures