Adventures of Mowgli

Adventures of Mowgli Russian also spelled Maugli is an animated featurelength story originally released as five animated shorts of aboutminutes each between 1967 and 1971 in the Soviet Union. They were directed by Roman Davydov and made by Soyuzmultfilm studio. In 1973, the five films were combined into a single 96minute feature film. The Russian DVD release of the restored footage, distributed by Krupnyy Plan and Lizard, separates the animation into the original five parts.

This is the second film adaptation of Rudyard Kiplings work released in 1967. Even though the movie was not conceived as a reaction to the Disney adaptation, it proves an interesting contrast, being more faithful to the epic and primal content of Kiplings original work. The Soyuzmultfilms adaptation appeared more adult and on spirit is closer to Kiplings book. In it there are scenes of mass fights and duels, blood and death are shown, there is a charged atmosphere, a suspense. Subjects of life and death, a debt and feeling, heroism of the soldier and human essence rise.The story starts with a golden jackal named Tabaqui walking towards his master, the dreaded tiger known as Shere Khan, who stretches himself, and then walks to the spot of a camp with Tabaqui guiding him. Out of cruelty and hatred, Shere Khan leaps towards the campsite. Whilst doing so, he accidentally burns his right forepaw, forcing a young child, Mowgli, to wander into a wolf cave in the jungle. At that point, Shere Khan accompanied by his servant Tabaqui appears at the entrance and demands that the wolves give him his prey, but the wolf mother Raksha refuses. He taunts them and says that the wolf pack will decide. Meanwhile, Tabaqui runs around the whole jungle and tells all the animals that a wolf pack has adopted a human. ........

Source: Wikipedia