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
The Jungle Book (1967 film) Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 86% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With expressive animation, fun characters, and catchy songs, "The Jungle Book" endures as a crowd-pleasing Disney classic." In 1990, when the film had its last theatrical re-release, "Entertainment Weekly" considered that "The Jungle Book" "isn't a classic Walt Disney film on the order of, say, "Cinderella" or "Pinocchio", but it's one of Disney's liveliest and funniest", while the "Los Angeles Times" thought the film's crew was "near the height of their talents" and the resulting