Scar (The Lion King) "handle[s] all of the dramatic heavy lifting." Even film critics who generally disliked the film tended to enjoy Scar's characterization and Irons's performance. Terrence Rafferty of "The New Yorker" wrote, "Among the celebrity voices on the soundtrack, two performances stand out," namely, "Jeremy Irons, as the villainous lion Scar" who "does an elegant, funny George Sanders impersonation." (Sanders himself had voiced Shere Khan for Disney in their 1967 version of "The Jungle Book"). Stephen Hunter of "The Baltimore Sun "described Irons's voice as "plummy-rich with rancid irony." Television Without Pitys Ethan Alter admitted to enjoying Scar, praising the character as
The Jungle Book (1967 film) Disney Vault on January 31, 2017. In the United States, the DVD and Blu-ray releases sold 12,058,369 units between 2007 and 2016, and have grossed as of August 2018. "The Jungle Book" received positive reviews upon release, undoubtedly influenced by a nostalgic reaction to the death of Walt. "Time" noted that the film strayed far from the Kipling stories, but "the result is thoroughly delightful...it is the happiest possible way to remember Walt Disney." "The New York Times" called it "a perfectly dandy cartoon feature," and "Life" magazine referred to it as "the best thing of its kind since "Dumbo",