Is the new adaptation of The Jungle Book good for kids? Well, don't expect the light, charming ride that was the original. This one is intense, sometimes dark and full of adventure. One long scene inparticular was quite scary. My kids were holding onto me more in this than they did in The Force Awakens. The story was similar to the original, with a few fun changes. It was amazing how real the animals and scenery were. The whole thing was filmed in a studio in LA. The animals were mostly puppets and computer animation, but you would never know it. John Favreau directed an all-star cast. Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Lupita Nyong'o as Mowgli's wolf mama, Scarlett Johansson was Kaa the snake, Christopher Walken was perfect as King Louie, and Bill Murray made the movie as Baloo. I wish there had been more music, but the 2 songs were good. I loved the new ending. When we left, I asked my two 9-year-olds if they would recommend it for ages 8 and up. My son said, "An 8 year old would have to be crazy-brave to enjoy that." So, we would recommend it for Ages 9+, unless they're crazy-brave.
