2. The Jungle Book (2016)
Jon Favreau directs an adaptation of the 1967 classic about a little boy, Mowgli, raised by wolves, who makes his way through the labyrinthine jungle. Along the way, he crosses paths with the laid-back bear Baloo, who loves snoozing as much as he loves honey, and the pragmatic panther Bagheera. They serve as his friends and guides as he faces the menacing tiger Shere Khan. The photorealistic, computer-generated animation of the animals and surrounding environments—the lush greenery and bubbling waterfalls—is breathtaking. The Jungle Book was filmed entirely on a green screen, meaning the actors never actually stepped outside, and often, the young actor Neel Sethi was interacting with puppet heads of animals or nothing at all! Yet nothing feels artificial. The Jungle Book is stunning, and even with its digital updates, it never loses the endearing personalities of its animal characters.
