Jungle Book Exam Essay
In this Essay I will explain the differences in production, distribution and circulation between Jungle Book 1967 & Jungle Book 2016. I will be comparing the process of making and releasing the two Jungle Book films.
Looking at production for the 1976 version story boarding was key. Walt Disney looked at the cast and based the characters around the cast members. For example the character of Baloo was meant to have more of a minor part but Walt thought that the actor playing him (Phil Harris) was too good so he made the Baloo appear more than he should've. Disney stuck to their traditional animation style in the 1967 version whereas in the 2016 version it was much more darker, as they wanted to appeal to a more older audience. CGI was used to make the animals look more realistic rather than the cute and soft animals that appeared in the 1967 version. The 2016 version was directed by Jon Favreau, it does have a lot of the humor from the 67' version and a majority of the original songs are in the 2016 version due to the fact that Warner Bros were also coming out with a Jungle Book film so competition was heavy. The 67' version only had one main production company which was Disney. On the contrary, the 2016 version has many due to the masses of CGI used. One of these companies is called 'The Moving Pictures Company'.
As for technology the 2016 version used cutting edge CGI, actors had to preform against a blue screen. Many of the actors had to wear motion captures, these were censors used to map everything out. The majority of the scenes were shot in a warehouse, and the actor who played Mowgli (Neel Sethi) had to act with puppets most of the time so it'd be easier for him to imagine real animals around him. Most of the shooting was done in separate studios or on computers. This differs to the 67' version which had hand-painted backgrounds and a multi-plane camera. The multi-playing camera is just layering up the background, middleground and foreground. Lighting and positioning was key, animators would copy the drawings onto light-sensing plates. In short the technology for both films were very ground-breaking for the time. Disney is always ahead of the game.
In terms of the advertising and distribution process, there's a huge contrast between the 2016 and 1967 versions of the film. For example the film was originally released in the US circa 1967 then re-released again in the US in 1978. The film was then released throughout Europe in the 90s/80s. The original vinyl soundtrack was also the first record to achieve gold status in the USA from an animated feature. Disney is in fact a conglomerate which means it owns other smaller things for example theme parks. There were Jungle Book roller coasters and people would dress up as some of the animals from Jungle Book and fans could take pictures with them. When Jungle Book was first released Disney was already vertically integrated. Disney produced the films and then they were distributed by Buena Vista Distribution company. Which meant that the 67' version had to be distributed by the Buena Vista Distribution company. As for the 2016 version, there was so much CGI they had to ship out to other companies, especially the moving pictures company. Disney, as a conglomerate; was more diversified now. Which meant that they had their own TV channels and radio shows. This helped massively with promotion. Another key factor to promoting would be social media. The Disney Instagram account would post countdowns towards the film, trailers and teasers were also released. There was also a Snapchat filter for the Jungle Book could turn your face into Kaa the snake. The film was produced in 3D as well as 2D. Synergy is also key as Disney teamed up with the big fashion designer Kenzo and created a clothing line from the original film.
The 1967 Jungle Book cost $20 million to make, whereas the 2016 version cost $175 million to make. The 2016 version obtained $966 million at the box office and the 1967 version gathered $378 million.
Looking at production for the 1976 version story boarding was key. Walt Disney looked at the cast and based the characters around the cast members. For example the character of Baloo was meant to have more of a minor part but Walt thought that the actor playing him (Phil Harris) was too good so he made the Baloo appear more than he should've. Disney stuck to their traditional animation style in the 1967 version whereas in the 2016 version it was much more darker, as they wanted to appeal to a more older audience. CGI was used to make the animals look more realistic rather than the cute and soft animals that appeared in the 1967 version. The 2016 version was directed by Jon Favreau, it does have a lot of the humor from the 67' version and a majority of the original songs are in the 2016 version due to the fact that Warner Bros were also coming out with a Jungle Book film so competition was heavy. The 67' version only had one main production company which was Disney. On the contrary, the 2016 version has many due to the masses of CGI used. One of these companies is called 'The Moving Pictures Company'.
As for technology the 2016 version used cutting edge CGI, actors had to preform against a blue screen. Many of the actors had to wear motion captures, these were censors used to map everything out. The majority of the scenes were shot in a warehouse, and the actor who played Mowgli (Neel Sethi) had to act with puppets most of the time so it'd be easier for him to imagine real animals around him. Most of the shooting was done in separate studios or on computers. This differs to the 67' version which had hand-painted backgrounds and a multi-plane camera. The multi-playing camera is just layering up the background, middleground and foreground. Lighting and positioning was key, animators would copy the drawings onto light-sensing plates. In short the technology for both films were very ground-breaking for the time. Disney is always ahead of the game.
In terms of the advertising and distribution process, there's a huge contrast between the 2016 and 1967 versions of the film. For example the film was originally released in the US circa 1967 then re-released again in the US in 1978. The film was then released throughout Europe in the 90s/80s. The original vinyl soundtrack was also the first record to achieve gold status in the USA from an animated feature. Disney is in fact a conglomerate which means it owns other smaller things for example theme parks. There were Jungle Book roller coasters and people would dress up as some of the animals from Jungle Book and fans could take pictures with them. When Jungle Book was first released Disney was already vertically integrated. Disney produced the films and then they were distributed by Buena Vista Distribution company. Which meant that the 67' version had to be distributed by the Buena Vista Distribution company. As for the 2016 version, there was so much CGI they had to ship out to other companies, especially the moving pictures company. Disney, as a conglomerate; was more diversified now. Which meant that they had their own TV channels and radio shows. This helped massively with promotion. Another key factor to promoting would be social media. The Disney Instagram account would post countdowns towards the film, trailers and teasers were also released. There was also a Snapchat filter for the Jungle Book could turn your face into Kaa the snake. The film was produced in 3D as well as 2D. Synergy is also key as Disney teamed up with the big fashion designer Kenzo and created a clothing line from the original film.
The 1967 Jungle Book cost $20 million to make, whereas the 2016 version cost $175 million to make. The 2016 version obtained $966 million at the box office and the 1967 version gathered $378 million.
Lovely written style Hanna and good information and detail in terms of production and distribution. Perhaps a little more on exhibition/circulation methods, how this has changed (expanded) and rounding off, feels like this essay did end a little abruptly!
ReplyDeleteAmy