James Kelemen

ANALYSING MAJOR ADAPTATIONS OF THE JUNGLE BOOK THROUGH THE LENS OF ANALOGY IN CONTEMPORARY ART

With the release of each new trailer for Disney’s live-action/CGI remakes of their earlier animated feature-films comes both a surge of excitement from generations of fans of the studio and its beloved franchises and a steady chorus of criticism. As a student of cinema, or even just as a critical consumer, however, one accepts the responsibility to investigate films beyond face-value judgments. This remains especially crucial for Disney and other popular animated films today, as a significant faction of society, including prominent talking head Bill Maher, has called for the removal of popular culture from academic discourse in favor of more examining more pressing, “serious” pursuits. On the contrary, I believe that analyzing this content is especially important in today’s socially and politically divided America, as it reflects predominant value systems and socializes young people into these ideologies. Furthermore, examining adaptations, such as Disney’s recent offerings, allows one the opportunity to transcend a single cultural zeitgeist or artistic medium in order to better observe shifts in defining societal features over time.