Scary Disney: The Jungle Book: Kaa, Shere Khan and The Fight

The Jungle Book is a classic tale of a boy abandoned in a jungle who is taken in by wolves and hunted by a tiger who is thirsty for his blood. The story has been adapted into many movies and in 1967 Walt Disney took it on but died during the production making it his last movie to be released. Disney's version is wonderful adding in King Louie and some catchy songs we’d be singing for years to come.

A young boy is left in the middle of the jungle. Bagheera the panther comes across him and takes him to the wolves who help raise him and name him Mowgli. One day the wolves learn that Shere Khan is in the jungle and is out to kill Mowgli. The wolves ask Bagheera to take him to the man village. Mowgli and Bagheera sleep in a tree where they meet Kaa, a hungry python who tries to eat Mowgli. Bagheera intervenes and frightens Kaa away. The next morning, they are woken up by an elephant herd which Mowgli tries to join. Bagheera finds Mowgli, they have an argument which causes Mowgli to run away. He runs into Baloo, a bear, who promises to raise Mowgli in the jungle. They are interrupted by a group of monkeys who take Mowgli away to King Louie, an orangutan with a monkey empire. King Louie wishes to learn how to make fire but Mowgli doesn’t know how. Baloo and Bagheera manage to rescue Mowgli and King Louie’s empire falls to the ground.

Mowgli runs away once again and ends up in the coils of Kaa. Mowgli runs away again and this time comes across four vultures. They accept Mowgli as a friend but Shere Khan shows up ready to kill. He sets off after Mowgli but Baloo and Bagheera turn up once again. Baloo fights with Shere Khan and Mowgli manages to scare Shere Khan away with fire which he is petrified of. Mowgli goes with Bagheera and Baloo to the man village where he stays, Bagheera and Baloo head home happy knowing Mowgli is with his own kind. A few scenes with the villains are quite creepy and unforgettable leaving its audiences with a few nightmares.

1. Kaa

2. Shere Khan

3. The Fight

1. Kaa

Kaa is an Indian Python who lurks around the jungle trying to eat Mowgli whenever he can. The first time we meet Kaa is when Bagheera and Mowgli are trying to sleep in a tree en route to the man village. Kaa pops his head out of the tree, tries to relax Mowgli before wrapping his coils around him before trying to swallow him whole. With his mouth wide open about to endure him, Bagheera wakes up and smacks Kaa away. Kaa then turns his attention to Bagheera, he puts Bagheera into a trance and tries to attack him. Mowgli sees what is going on and pushes his coils off the tree forcing Kaa off the tree to the ground. Realistically Kaa could have had Mowgli and Bagheera for his dinner, but this is a cartoon, anything can happen. Kaa appears a stupid snake and a villain we shouldn’t really be scared of, its just his eyes that are really creepy.

Later on in the movie when Mowgli has run away from Bagheera he runs into the coils of Kaa. Kaa has trouble trying to relax him so he starts singing to him. Trust in me, his musical number for the movie. He is rudely interrupted by Shere Khan who suspects he has someone up in the tree, which distracts Kaa. Mowgli wakes up and pushes Kaa off the tree sending Kaa flying off the tree. Kaa gets stuck so Mowgli finds this his opportune moment to escape. Realistically Mowgli would have been dead if it wasn’t for Bagheera and Shere Khan interfering. His song is quite creepy and sinister. Kaa really does play the role of the slapstick humorous villain the movie quite well.

2. Shere Khan

Shere Khan, the Bengal tiger who hates man with a vengeance. The first time we meet Shere Khan we see him hunting a deer. Ready to pounce he is interrupted by Colonel Hathi, the elephant and his crew. Shere Khan overhears that Mowgli is in the jungle and alone so sets out to find him. He then comes across Kaa and asks if he knows of Mowgli’s whereabouts. Though he can hear noises coming from the tree Kaa lies and tells Shere Khan he doesn’t know where he is. Realistically Shere Khan could have killed Kaa and Mowgli at the same time, but again anything is possible in in the Disney world.

Shere Khan then finds Mowgli with the vultures. He confronts Mowgli and stands a metre in front of him. Really, Shere Khan could have devoured him in seconds, but instead he plays with his food. He counts and tells Mowgli he has a head start, but he grows impatient and ends up in a fight with Baloo. Unlike Kaa, Shere Khan means serious business, he’s the villain not to be messed with. Shere Khan plays one of the greatest Disney villains ever created.

3. The Fight

The fight. The climax of the movie. Shere Khan finally meets with Mowgli. He could have killed him within seconds but he waited too long and Baloo and Bagheera come onto the scene. Baloo grabs Shere Khan tail in the nick of time and endures into a deadly battle. Shere Khan manages to take on Baloo and gives him a good clawing. Lightning strikes into a tree creating fire, Mowgli sees this as the moment to kill Shere Khan. He runs over to him as he is savagely beating Baloo, Mowgli ties a branch of fire around his tail which terrifies Shere Khan. He panics, then runs away with the fire on his tail and is not seen again. A victory for Mowgli. The rain soaks the fire up and we see Baloo lying on the ground unconscious. Everyone thinks Shere Khan has killed Baloo. A sad moment for the character and the audience. Bagheera gives a few words for Baloo but he finally wakes and they take Mowgli back to the man village. A happy ending for all. Well, all except Shere Khan that is.