The Jungle Book

“The Jungle Book” by Disney’s movie poster depicts aspects from the movie’s main theme: fantasy versus reality. Mowgli, a young boy is raised in the jungle by wolves. There he crosses many dangerous animals and situations. These opposing motifs of charming fantasy and harsh reality are portrayed in design of the poster as well as a deeper meaning than first meets the eye.

The first aspect that draws the eye is the tiger, Shere Khan. As the main antagonist of the film, the tiger represents the threats of the wild. His looming size relative to the child, Mowgli, conveys a sense of danger to the audience, and establishes the unbalanced power dynamic between the two. As shown by how his stripes morph into the trees and bushes of the jungle undergrowth, Shere Khan also represents the jungle itself.

As the stripes move down Shere Khan’s back, they begin to turn into branches and trees of the jungle. With a closer look, the audience can see the silhouette of Mowgli balanced precariously the branches of a tree. His treacherous position further establishes the uneasy, fearful mood of the poster. Since he too is made of the same tiger stripes as the rest of the background, it is implied that he is part of the jungle, but not to the same extent as Shere Khan. This idea is enforced by the film’s plot, as the major conflict between Mowgli and Shere Khan is that Shere Khan does not believe Mowgli belongs in the jungle. The size of his silhouette demonstrates how little control he truly has in this conflict and in the jungle as a whole.

The jungle as shown in the poster has an eerie feel to it. Most of the trees that Mowgli is surrounded by are dead, This represents the ominous death that is expected of a child living in the jungle. “However he does have help, and something that at first glance looks like a tree branch in front of Mowgli, is actually a snake. The snake, whose name is Kaa, Is an antagonist in the movie. He poses threats to Mowgli many times throughout the movie. In the poster Kaa's size is comparable to Mowgli’s, showing more of a personal threat rather than a large looming one. In the poster Both of them look very insignificant, implying that they must help each other conquer the jungle."

In the background there are trees that look alive with leaves. This represents the main tone of the movie and the light and whimsicality that Mowgli, a young and upbeat boy who likes to sing and dance. He is still a primarily innocent and naive character that just likes having fun with animals, regardless of whatever threat they may pose to him. This idea is further reinforced by how he is walking without and caution, about to fall off of the branch into the dark jungle below.