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The Jungle Book

What it’s about

Raised by wolves from a young age, 10-year-old Mowgli (Reitherman) lives in the wilds with Bagheera the Panther (Cabot) in blissful ignorance of human customs. But when man-hating Shere Khan the Tiger (Sanders) returns to the area, Mowgli learns his life is in danger, and reluctantly embarks on a journey to safety in the human village, with Bagheera and goofy, gregarious Baloo the Bear (Harris) at his side.

Why we love it

Based on the Rudyard Kipling story, this animated version of “The Jungle Book” was one of the last projects overseen by Walt Disney himself — and it is a pure delight. Lovably cheery and pickled in wit, this musical cartoon features outsize characters voiced by Harris, Sanders, Cabot, and the inimitable Louis Prima (playing a hip, jazzy orangutan), not to mention a Tarzan-like story that never loses its romp-through-the-Indian-wilds appeal. And naturally, it's hard to beat addictive songs like “Bare Necessities” and “That's What Friends Are For.”

Bruce Reitherman, Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima, George Sanders, Sterling Holloway Wolfgang Reitherman

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