This week, Disney and People Magazine featured these amazing images of the actors behind the voices of the upcoming JUNGLE BOOK which will be in theaters April 15. Be sure to follow #JungleBookEvent April 3-5 as 25 bloggers and myself participate in a press junket for the red carpet premiere in L.A. Click here to find out about our up-coming trip to L.A.
Golden Globe winner, Idris Elba, provides his gravely deep voice to King of the Jungle Shere Khan who bears the scars of man. Convinced that Mowgli poses a threat to the jungle, the Bengal tiger is determined to get rid of the man-cub. “Shere Khan reigns with fear,” says Elba. “He terrorizes everyone he encounters because he comes from a place of fear.”
Previously recognized from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and her Oscar-winning performance in 12 Years a Slave, Lupita Nyong’o takes on Raksha, a mother wolf who deeply cares for all of her pups — including man-cub Mowgli, whom she adopts as one of her own when he is abandoned in the jungle as an infant. “She is the protector, the eternal mother,” says Nyong’o. “The word Raksha actually means protection in Hindi. I felt really connected to that, wanting to protect a son that isn’t originally hers but one she’s taken for her own.”
Kaa is a massive python who uses her hypnotic gaze and voice to entrance Mowgli. The man-cub cannot resist her captivating embrace. “Kaa seduces and entraps Mowgli with her storytelling,” says Scarlett Johansson. “She’s the mirror into Mowgli’s past. The way she moves is very alluring, almost coquettish.” Casting throaty Scarlett for this role is a perfect match.
King Louie is a formidable ape who desperately wants the secret of Man’s deadly “red flower” – AKA “fire” as the famous Disney song warbles. He is convinced that Mowgli has the vital information that he seeks. “King Louie is huge–12 feet tall,” says Christopher Walken, who voices the character. “But he’s as charming as he is intimidating when he wants to be.”
Bagheera is the sleek panther who feels that it is his duty to help the man-cub depart with dignity when it’s time for the boy to leave his jungle home for the man-village. “Bagheera is Mowgli’s adoptive parent,” says remarkable acting veteran Ben Kingsley, who lends his voice to the jet-black feline. “His role in Mowgli’s life is to educate, to protect and to guide. My Bagheera was military—he’s probably a colonel. He is instantly recognizable by the way he talks, how he acts and what his ethical code is.”
Akela is the strong and hardened alpha-male wolf who shoulders the responsibility of his pack. He welcomes Mowgli to the family, but worries that he may one day compromise their safety. “Akela is a fierce patriarch of the wolf pack,” says Giancarlo Esposito, who voices the character. “He believes the strength of the pack lies in what each and every wolf offers. He’s a great leader, a wise teacher.” Previously seen in tv’s Once Upon a Time, Giancarlo forms a solid and stern attitude to the wolf.
Leave a Reply