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 (2016 film) Stone" awarded the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, labeling it scary and thrilling, yet unique and unforgettable, and adding that it "fills us with something rare in movies today—a sense of wonder." "The Village Voice"s Bilge Ebiri hailed the film as fast and light and that it "manages to be just scary enough to make us feel the danger of solitude in the middle of a massive jungle, but never indulgent or gratuitous." "The New York Times" Manohla Dargis was less enthusiastic. Cath Clarke of "Time Out" compared Elba's character of Shere Khan to Scar from "The Lion King",