Adventures of Mowgli (Russian: Маугли; also spelled Maugli) is an animated feature-length story originally released as five animated shorts of about 20 minutes each between 1967 and 1971 in the Soviet Union. They were directed by Roman Davydov. In 1973, the five films were combined into a single 96-minute feature film. The Russian DVD release of the restored footage, distributed by "Krupnyy Plan" and "Lizard", separates the animation into the original five parts.

An English-language version made by Films by Jove was released direct-to-video in 1996 under the name Adventures of Mowgli. Charlton Heston is the narrator in the English version.

This is the second film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's work released in 1967. Even though the movie was not conceived as a reaction to the Disney adaptation, it proves an interesting contrast, being far truer to the primal and violent content of Kipling's original work.

[edit] Characters

Bagheera, Mowgli and Baloo resting after their escape from Bandar Log city

• Mowgli
• Akela
• Shere Khan
• Tabaqui
• Raksha
• Baloo
• Bagheera (female in the film, coming from Russian translation by N. Daruzes)
• Kaa
• Hathi
• Hathi's three sons
• Bandar Log
• Chil
• Thuu

[edit] Plot

[edit] Episode 1 - "Raksha"

A young child, Mowgli, wanders into a wolf cave in the jungle. The tiger Shere Khan (accompanied by his servant Tabaqui) appears at the entrance and demands that the wolves give him his prey, but the wolf mother Raksha refuses. He taunts them and says that the wolf pack will decide. Meanwhile, Tabaqui runs around the whole jungle and tells all the animals that a wolf pack has adopted a human.

The elders of the wolf pack watch a performance of the wolf cubs and Maugli, with Maugli matching the cubs' every step. The elders are evenly split about whether or not they should allow him to stay until they see Maugli pinch the nose of Tabaqui, who came up to taunt him. At this point, however, Shere Khan appears and demands that he be given his prey. Raksha and Baloo (the bear who instructs the young wolf cubs) come to his defence, but Shere Khan is undeterred until the panther Bagheera also appears and offers the wolf pack a freshly-killed bull in return for keeping Maugli alive. Shere Khan is forced to admit defeat, but vows that he will still eat Maugli one day.

[edit] Episode 2 - "The Kidnapping"

Maugli and Raksha's cubs are being taught to hunt by Baloo, who also teaches them the call of the jungle: "Me and you are of the same blood". Then Bagheera appears and teaches Maugli to climb and jump between trees. The Bandar-logs in the trees watch Maugli perform and decide that he's just like them but without a tail. A short while later, they kidnap him while he's sleeping and take him to their city. Baloo and Bagheera run after him but decide that they need the help of the python Kaa. They don't know where to look until Chil the Kite, flying above them, tells them that he saw him being taken to the abandoned city; Maugli had used the call of the jungle as he was being carried away and asked him to help. Baloo and Bagheera arrive first and are both overwhelmed by the monkeys. Once Kaa arrives, the monkeys go still and sit quietly on the city ruins around him. Kaa begins a hypnotizing dance, and every so often tells the monkeys to come one step closer. Bagheera and Baloo are nearly caught in the trap as well until they are pulled away by Maugli, after which they leave the scene.

[edit] Episode 3 - "Akela's Last Hunt"

[edit] Episode 4 - "The Fight"

[edit] Episode 5 - "Return to Mankind"

[edit] Crew

Note: Crew information for episodes 4 and 5 is incomplete.

[edit] Trivia

• One of Hathi's sons shows similarities to the baby elephant Junior, from the Disney adaptation.
• In this version, Bagheera is female. She is also less willing to spoil Mowgli, as she spanks him after he refuses to apologise for landing on Baloo (this scene has inexplicably been deleted for the English-language version made by Films by Jove).
• Human characters like Messua and Buldeo are not present in this film.
• Bagheera has three cubs in this film, one black and two gold. They are only mentioned in the book while Bagheera's female mate is not.
• In this film, the king's ankus is replaced with a dagger. This is the same scenario as in Disney's later film The Jungle Book.
• Unlike most adaptations that show Tabaqui, this is loyal to the story and he is a jackal. In most adaptations like Jungle Book Shonen Mowgli, he is a hyena.

[edit] See also

• History of Russian animation
• List of animated feature-length films
• List of Russian films
• The Cat Who Walked by Herself, a later Soviet feature film based on a Kipling story

[edit] External links

• Maugli (series) at the Animator.ru
• Maugli (1973 film) at the Animator.ru
• Maugli at the Internet Movie Database
• Review of Krupnyy Plan DVD release (Russian)
• A page of stills from the movie (linking to bigger versions)