The Jungle Book (1967 film) versions of both the screenplay and the soundtrack followed Kipling's work more closely, with a dramatic, dark, and sinister tone which Disney did not want in his family film, leading to writer Bill Peet and composer Terry Gilkyson being replaced. The casting employed famous actors and musicians Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, George Sanders and Louis Prima, as well as Disney regulars such as Sterling Holloway, J. Pat O'Malley and Verna Felton, and the director's son, Bruce Reitherman, as Mowgli. "The Jungle Book" was released on October 18, 1967, to positive reception, with acclaim for its soundtrack, featuring five songs by
Shere Khan Shere Khan Shere Khan (; ) is a fictional Bengal tiger and the main antagonist of Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book" and its adaptations. According to The Kipling Society, the word "Shere" (or ""shir"") translates as "tiger" and "Khan" is a title of distinction, used together "to show that he is chief among tigers." Other sources indicate "Shere" may mean "tiger" or "lion" in Persian, Urdu, and Punjabi, and that "Khan" translates as "king", or "leader", in a number of languages influenced by the Mongols, including Pashto and Urdu. Shere Khan was depicted by Kipling as being born with a crippled