8 Reasons The Jungle Book Remake Is Better Than The Original Animation

6. The Jungle Feels Like, Well, A Jungle

I don't usually like to spend ages harping on about how good the CGI of a new movie is; it's inevitably going to date, making any statement feel off in just a couple of years, and it's not like older classics are weakened by less jaw-dropping special effects anyway. But, f*ck me, does The Jungle Book look good.

Obviously you have all the various denizens of the world, but the landscape they live in is the real jaw-dropper. Neel Sethi acted most of the film on small, rudimentary sets (a few rocks and leaves here, some rain and mud there), with everything added in in CGI, and it looks phenomenal, more real than shooting in an actual jungle ever could.

From a design-standpoint it's also astounding. There's a development and growth to the various areas of the jungle here. The plains, Kaa's creepy tree, Baloo's paradise, Louie's dilapidated temple et al aren't just isolated locales, but all feel connected by real pathways, rivers and trees.

That's not to knock the animation in the original, which has some great establishing shots and solid backdrops, but you need The Lion King level animation to match the remake's emersion.