Well. I think this topic might be interesting to our foreign friends.

Russia has very old traditions of classical animation; we've got a huge amount of animated cartoons - and several true masterpieces among them.

To start the talk, I'd like to mention "Mowgli". It was created in the late 60's - about the same time Disney was making "Jungle Book". Although both films were inspired by the same book by Kipling, they turned out to have little of common with each other.

I like Disney's "Jungle Book", too; but, in fact, it is very, very loosely based on Kipling's original story. Disney used only the main idea (a boy in the jungle), some names from the book and some basic situations (like Mowgli being stolen by monkeys); characters' personalities and events are completely different. No Law of the Jungle, no Tabaqui the Jackal, no Kaa's wisdom, no Bagheera's discernment, no Baloo's lessons for wolf cubs... and - oh my! - almost no wolves at all!

"Mowgli" is not an animated comedy, but rather an animated epic. It follows Kipling's plot more accurately - so you can see Pack Meeting and Council Rock, Kaa hipnotizing Bandar-logs ("Come all one pace nearer to me..."), Mowgli riding Rama the Bull, an episode with white cobra, etc. It catches the spirit of the book well and uses many of Kipling's concepts and ideas - like Master Words or Red Flower.

Here are some screenshots. I concider the style of drawing and coloring really charming - in some way it imitates the art of India. It looks great in motion. Bagheera sometimes resembles a swift shadow, sometimes a drop of darkness jumping through the screen, and sometimes a lazy house-cat. When wild dogs invade the jungle, they look like a brown torrent of dogs.

The music was written by a well-known composer - it's kind of strange (also imitates eastern music) but interesting and colorful. And the actors who made the voices did their best.


"We be of one blood, ye and I"!

It's one of my favorite animated films and I completely agree with Соболь. But I want to add some words about jokes and humour there. There are not so evident like in the Jungle book, may be like some jokes in TLK, but it's usually much more better.
Well, many phrases from "Mowgli" came to our life and language forever

--> Kivuli

"'Softly! What dost thou know of softness, old Iron-feet?' Bagheera grunted."

- that's the way it was in the book.

Thank you, I haven't this book in English

I love that first picture. That creature looks so cool.

That's not the only great creature in that movie

Yeah, especially a word Bandar-log

i like wolfes in "mowgli" they are so nice, especially Akela
2 Соболь make some screenshots with him please

Well, I do not know any person who does not like Akela
He is a real Leader. By the way, one of my favourite characters is Caa (is that the right spelling?..) He is so wise

yap! and he's cool animated - so cute! )

Does anyone know where I could buy this movie? I don't care if it's only in Subtitles or what ever, I'd just love to see it. And the origional too, not a remake.

http://multiki.arjlover.net/multiki/

!!! here you can download MANY rus.movies and Mowgly too - t's # 717-721 but they are on russian

Forgive me if being rude but isn't the animation detail shown in a very low quaility? I mean compare it to TLK...

Yeah, the details of the backgrounds are not so high quality as in TLK, but it was made in 1973. And if you'll see the movements of the animals and their similarity with real animals.... it's great!

also on this site you can find movie "kotyonok-gav" it means kitten wow,
my name on this forum kotenok_gaff - i take it from this movie but i a little changed it. this movie about kitten named Wow and when puppie barked he thought than he call him there are 5movies here - #584 - 588