1967's The Jungle Book marked the end of an era for Walt Disney's animated features. It was the last one Uncle Walt himself produced before his passing (almost a year before its release), signaling a break in works of sumptuous beauty and the start of a string of harmless family fare. Almost two decades would pass before the House of Mouse would strike a palatable balance between lush visuals and powerhouse storytelling, with this wild and woolly adventure exhibiting more than a few twinges of unease. Now making its Blu-ray debut, The Jungle Book is a fun, pretty, and upbeat little ditty, but it's maybe too much of a lark, the result of Disney wanting to bring the evocative imagery of Rudyard Kipling's stories to the big screen without their darker overtones.

Mowgli (voice of Bruce Reitherman) has lived what you might call a peculiar life. Led by fate to the jungles of India as an infant, Mowgli was taken in by the local wildlife and raised as one of their own. Through the wise guidance of Bagheera the panther (voice of Sebastian Cabot) and easygoing philosophy of Baloo the bear (voice of Phil Harris), the little "man-cub" grew up privy to a view of the world few of us get to witness. But as young Mowgli approaches his formative teenage years, the arrival of one jungle critter may end up spurring his return to civilization. The feared tiger Shere Khan (voice of George Sanders) is back, and he has a grudge against man --  especially little boys who can learn to hunt someday. Thus, Bagheera and a reluctant Baloo take it upon themselves to guide Mowgli back to his own kind before a certain striped one cuts his life short.

The Jungle Book is one of those Disney movies everyone loved as a kid, yet it never became an untouchable classic that fans laid down their lives to protect. It wasn't the first rendition of the Kipling tales, and it wasn't even the last for Disney, who churned out a live-action remake in the '90s and a direct animated sequel in 2003. Unfortunately, although The Jungle Book is entertaining, there really isn't much to the film. This being a movie aimed at children, that’s to be expected to a certain degree, but what conflict does arise here seems breezed past rather swiftly, the audience challenged rarely and the suspense only vaguely palpable. The Jungle Book ends up being just a simple fable about the coming of adulthood, yet lessons that could've been cleverly integrated into the story and setting are summarized mostly in hushed conversations between Bagheera and Baloo. The majority of the film centers on Mowgli messing around in the jungle, which is great if you're part of the key demographic, but for others, it means only a short wait before his episodic antics start to grow tiring.

Sure, The Jungle Book doesn't contain a whole lot of bite, but that's not to say it’s short on endearing qualities. The animation -- whose rough edges are especially highlighted in HD -- still contains a certain elegance to it; the way each animal moves is distinct, and the dense flora surrounding them is pure, unadulterated eye candy. The film's soundtrack also gave Disney some of the most memorable entries in its famous songbook, with "I Wan'na Be Like You" still a swinging treat to hear and "The Bare Necessities" inspiring toes to tap to this day. The Jungle Book was also one of the studio's earliest examples of rounding out its cast of voices with well-known celebrities, not to mention a rare case in which the practice landed a home run. Cabot is an ideal fit as wise old Bagheera, Harris brings loads of liveliness to the role of Baloo, and as the nefarious Shere Khan, Sanders is slick, smooth, and scary as all get-out. Plus, it's impossible to forget the great jobs performed by singer Louis Prima as the wily simian King Louie and Sterling Holloway (of "Winnie the Pooh" fame) as the hypnotic python Kaa.

I had a pleasant experience revisiting The Jungle Book for the first time in close to twenty years, but I don't hold it as dearly as I do some of Disney's other cartoon classics. Though the movie looks gorgeous and has some jazzy tunes, Mowgli's journey to manhood didn't grip me as much as it did in my days as a young animation junkie. But if you have little ones of your own or a special place in your heart for Baloo and company, The Jungle Book's high-def resurrection is cause for celebration.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

-Bear-e-Oke -- Baloo hosts a sing-along intermission that cues up whenever you pause the film (note: option enabled/disabled in the "Set Up" menu).

-Music, Memories & Mowgli -- A conversation with Diane Disney Miller, composer Richard M. Sherman, and animator Floyd Norman about The Jungle Book's making and legacy.

-A storyboarded alternate ending that details a different approach to Mowgli returning to the world of man.

-I Wan'na Be Like You -- A promotional featurette profiling Disney's Animal Kingdom park.

-@DisneyAnimation: Sparking Creativity -- Disney animators discuss the latest technological advances that allow them to collaborate on projects more efficiently.

-Audio commentary with Sherman, animator Andreas Deja, actor Bruce Reitherman, and some surprise guest appearances.

-Backstage Disney making-of featurettes.

-A deleted scene featuring Rocky the Rhino, a character who never made it past the storyboard stage.

-Disneypedia: Junglemania! -- A glimpse at the locales and wildlife that inspired the film's own setting and characters.

-A Jonas Brothers music video for "I Wan'na Be Like You."

-A DVD copy of the feature film.