The Adventures of Mowgli

The Adventures of Mowgli (original title Mauqli), directed by Roman Davydov and based on Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories, was originally five separate short animated films released in the Soviet Union between 1967 and 1971, later combined into a single 96 minute feature in 1973. The score was composed by Sofia Gubaidulina, who would go on to become a world renowned contemporary classical composer. In the Russian translation, the character Bagheera is female, and the film follows that choice, a detail that differs from Disney's 1967 adaptation. Unlike Disney's cheerful musical version, the film is considered more faithful to Kipling's original text, a darker, more "adult" adaptation that includes violence and death. Its English dubbed version, narrated by Charlton Heston, was released on VHS in the US in 1998. Who it's for: anyone curious about a Soviet Mowgli adaptation, assembled from five separate short films, darker and closer to Kipling's original than Disney's cheerful version. Who it's not for: viewers expecting Disney's musical, lighthearted tone, since this is a more serious adaptation that includes violence.