The Jungle Book (lost Bill Peet version of Disney animated film; 1963-1964)

Bill Peet storyboarding his version of The Jungle Book.

Status: Lost

The Jungle Book was Disney's 19th animated feature film and was written by four different people, headed by Larry Clemmons. Originally though, The Jungle Book was written and storyboarded by Bill Peet, but quit the project and Disney in general, in 1964.

History

After the release of their 18th animated feature film, The Sword and the Stone, Bill Peet went to Walt Disney with an idea that they could make more interesting animal characters like in another Disney film that Peet storyboarded in, 101 Dalmatians. He also suggested that it would be based on a book by English author Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book. Disney liked the idea and greenlighted the project, with Bill Peet creating an original script with little supervision.

Disney however, became more involved with the story after The Stone and the Sword bombed at the box office. Bill Peet went for a more dark and mysterious take, akin to the original book. Disney initially thought the script and storyboards looked pretty good, but then became more critical and thought it looked more like Batman than a regular Disney animated story. Walt insisted on more changes in the story to make it lighter and more towards the family demographic. Bill Peet combated Disney on these changes until, on his birthday in 1964, Bill Peet left Disney Animation Studios and never came back. He cited that he had five children's books being published at the same time, and devoted full time to children's books in general. Bill Peet was replaced by another writer, Larry Clemmons, as head writer for the story of The Jungle Book.

Additions and Differences

There were many additions but also differences between Bill Peet's version of The Jungle Book and the version that was made into a film. As previously stated, Bill Peet's version was to be darker than the final product. The film's writers made the story more straightforward, instead of episodic-like the book. Mowgli (who was still to be the main character in Bill Peet's version) was to go back and forth between the jungle to the "Man Village." Three new characters were added to the story. There was the human girl, who served as the main love interest to Mowgli, King Louie, who was an orangutan who enslaves Mowgli to teach him also to make fire, and a rhino character, presumably named Rocky. Both King Louie and the human girl were kept in the final film, while the rhino was cut from the film. There was also going to be a poacher in Bill Peet's version who drags Mowgli back to the ruins (where King Louie lives) where there are gold and jewels under the ruin, and Mowgli is in charge of helping him find the treasure.

Bill Peet's version was to feature several songs by Ted Gilkyson, an American folk singer and who has collaborated with Disney before on some other animated works. Disney thought these songs were also too "dark" for a Disney film. Walt Disney decided to put the Sherman Brothers to write the music, which included seven songs. The one song they kept from Ted Gilkyson was "Bear Necessities", which the crew thought the song fits the movie well.

Gallery

A mini documentary on the making of The Jungle Book (part 1).

A mini documentary on the making of The Jungle Book (part 2).

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External Link

• A Wikipedia article on the 1967 Disney version of The Jungle Book. Retrieved 24 Apr '18

See Also

Disney Animated Films

• Aladdin (found Howard Ashman treatment of Disney animated film; 1988)
• Alice in Wonderland (partially lost original draft of Disney animated film; 1939)
• The Black Cauldron (partially found deleted scenes of Disney animated film; 1985)
• American Dog (partially found original version of "Bolt" Disney animated film; 2007-2008)
• Dumbo II (partially found production material from cancelled Disney animated film sequel; 2000s)
• Fantasia (partially lost original audio of Disney animated film; 1940)
• Fantasia 2006 (partially lost production material for cancelled Disney animated film sequel; 2002-2004)
• Frozen (partially found early drafts of Disney animated film; 1937-2012)
• The Jungle Book (lost Bill Peet version of Disney animated film; 1963-1964)
• Kingdom Of The Sun (partially found cancelled original version of "The Emperor's New Groove" Disney animated film; late 1990s)
• The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (partially found production material and deleted scenes of Disney animated sequel film; 1995-1998)
• My Peoples (partially found production material of cancelled Disney animated film; late 1990s-early 2000s)
• Pinocchio (lost Mel Blanc’s "Gideon the Cat" dialogue from Disney animated film; 1940)
• The Search for Mickey Mouse (lost production material of cancelled Disney animated film; 2002)
• The Seven Dwarfs (partially found cancelled direct-to-video prequel to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"; 2000s)
• Tangled (partially found early drafts of Disney animated film; 2001-2010)
• Wild Life (lost production material for cancelled Disney animated film; late 1990s-2000)

Disney Channel

• 101 Dalmatians: The Series (partially found unaired pilot episode of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
• Amazing Animals (found Disney Channel animated educational series; 1996-1999)
• Arwin! (partially found pilot of cancelled spin-off of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" Disney Channel sitcom; 2007)
• Bonkers "Fall Apart Bomb Squad" (found episode of Disney Channel animated series; 1993)
• Country Club (partially found test pilot of "Big City Greens" Disney Channel adventure-comedy animated series; 2015)
• Disney Channel Interactive (lost Dish Network game channel; late 2000s)
• Disney Channel "Disney's One Too" (partially lost "Recess" gags of TV channel block; 1999-2003)
• Disney's Coyote Tales (found Disney Channel extended version of "The Coyote's Lament" animated short; 1991)
• Disney's Doug (found episodes of animated TV series; 1996-1999)
• Dreamfinders (unproduced Disney Channel series based on "Journey Into Imagination" Epcot ride; 1983)
• Dumbo's Circus (partially found Disney Channel live action puppet series; 1985-1986)
• Fish Hooks (partially found unreleased pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2009)
• Going Wild with Jeff Corwin (partially found Disney Channel documentary series; 1997-1999)
• Gravity Falls (found Comic Con 2012 promo of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2012)
• Gravity Falls (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2010)
• Hannah Montana (lost production material of cancelled anime adaptation of Disney Channel teen sitcom; 2009-2010)
• Herbie the Lovebug (lost Disney Channel animated pilot; late 1990s-2000s)
• J.O.N.A.S. (lost unaired pilot of "Jonas" Disney Channel comedy series; 2007)
• Katbot (partially found unreleased Disney Channel animated series; 2005)
• Lizzie McGuire "Season 3" (lost production material of unfinished season of Disney Channel comedy series; 2020)
• Minnie Takes Care of Pluto (found original English audio of Mickey Mouse Works animated short; 2000)
• Mousercise (partially found Disney Channel exercise series; 1983-1996)
• Mouseterpiece Theater (partially found Disney Channel cartoon compilation series; 1983-1990)
• Pepper Ann (partially found unaired Nickelodeon pilot of Disney animated series; 1996)
• Phineas and Ferb (lost script of cancelled theatrical film based on animated series; 2010s)
• Phineas and Ferb: Shooting Star Milkshake Bar (partially found full version of song; late 2000s)
• Phineas and Ferb: Spot the Diff (found Disney Channel animated special; 2008)
• Recess "The Break In" (partially found pilot of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
• Star and the Forces of Evil (partially found unaired pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2011)
• Teen Angel (partially found Disney Channel serial drama; 1989)
• The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (partially found revival of Disney variety TV series; 1989-1994)
• The Jersey (partially lost Disney Channel sports themed comedy series; 1999-2004)
• The Owl House (partially found unaired pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2017)
• The Proud Family (partially lost unaired Nickelodeon pilot of Disney Channel animated sitcom; 1999)
• Welcome to Pooh Corner (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1983-1986)
• What's Stevie Thinking? (lost unaired pilot of cancelled spin-off of "Lizzie McGuire" Disney Channel comedy series; 2003)

Playhouse Disney

• Adventures in Nutrition with Captain Carlos (partially found Playhouse Disney animated short series; 2004-2007)
• Bear in the Big Blue House "Water, Water Everywhere" (lost unaired pilot of Disney Channel puppet series; 1997)
• Bear in the Big Blue House (partially lost original English audio of Playhouse Disney puppet series; 1997-2006)
• Breakfast with Bear (partially found episodes of Playhouse Disney spin-off series; 2005-2006)
• Handy Manny (partially found unaired pilot of Playhouse Disney CGI animated series; 2005)
• Little Einsteins (lost second pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney animated series; existence unconfirmed; 2004)
• Out of the Box (partially lost Playhouse Disney children's series; 1998-2004)
• PB&J Otter (partially found original credits sequences of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1998-2000)
• Playhouse Disney UK (partially lost interstitial material of children's TV channel; 1999-2006)
• Stanley (found unaired pilot episode of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1999)
• The Book of Pooh (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2001-2004)

Disney Junior

• Beverly Hills Chihuahuas (found pilot of cancelled Disney Junior animated adaptation of film series; 2012)
• Jungle Junction (lost pilots of Disney Junior CGI animated series; 2003; 2005; 2008)

Toon Disney

• Teamo Supremo (partially lost Toon Disney animated series; 2002-2004)
• Toon News (partially found CGI Interstitial Toon Disney series; 2004/2005)

Disney XD

• Billion Dollar Freshmen (lost unaired pilot episode of "Lab Rats" Disney XD live-action comedy TV series; 2010)
• DXP (partially found Disney XD video game block; 2017)
• Power Rangers Animated Series (lost Disney XD pilot of animated adaptation of live-action superhero series; existence unconfirmed; 2007-2009)

Other

• Green Monkeys (lost Disney pilot; 1999)
• La Chambre Folle (lost French Disney children's TV block; 1998)
• Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (found English dub of anime series; 2015)
• Robodz (lost Disney Toei animated TV series; 2008)
• The Mouse Factory (partially found Disney live-action/animated TV series; 1972-1973)
• The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show (found episodes of Disney animated TV series; 1995)
• X-Heart (partially found unreleased English dub of "X-Coração" Brazilian animated TV series; 2014)