Walt Disney Records releases The Jungle Book soundtrack, featuring score by award-winning composer John Debney (“Iron Man 2”), the end-credit tracks including “Trust in Me” performed by Scarlett Johansen and produced by Mark Ronson, “I Wan’na Be Like You” performed by Christopher Walken, plus Dr. John & The Nite Trippers’ rendition of “The Bare Necessities.” The original music was composed and produced by John Debney. The original motion picture soundtrack will be available wherever music is sold today, April 15, 2016.
Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world. The wild adventure swings into theaters in 3D on April 15, 2016.
The all-star voice cast includes Oscar®-winners Ben Kingsley (“Learning to Drive,” “The Walk”), Lupita Nyong‘o (“12 Years a Slave,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) and Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter”), as well as Bill Murray (“Lost in Translation”), Idris Elba (“Star Trek Beyond”), Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”) and Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad’).
With its roots in classic Disney animation, Jon Favreau’s epic live-action version of “The Jungle Book” called for a powerful score. Veteran composer John Debney brought his award-winning sensibilities to the film—along with a notable history as part of the Disney family.
“I have quite a history with Disney,” says Debney, whose father Louis Debney was hired by Walt Disney himself in the mid-1930s. “When I was a youngster, they were making this incredible magical film called ‘The Jungle Book,’ and I was sort of a studio brat. I got to know the young man Bruce Reitherman who played Mowgli. We would go on adventures around the world with his family.” When John was a boy he got to spend the day with the Sherman Brothers at the lot and decided then, that he would create music for films too.
According to Debney, the plan from the get-go was to create a classic score reminiscent of the 1967 film. “Jon [Favreau] wanted a timeless sound to the score and I embraced that,” says the composer. “That’s where I come from. I love writing really rich, beautiful Disney-esque music.”
Favreau wanted to pay homage to the original in a subtle way. “We were able to reinterpret and highlight snippets of the songs we all know and love,” says Debney. “I couldn’t believe I’d get to work with Dick and Bob Sherman’s music. I think it’s really smart to embrace these amazing, classic tunes—yet bring them into this new interpretation of the story in our own way.”
The score features a classic orchestral sound accented by ethnic instruments, including bass flutes, woodwinds, big drums, Indian violin and Indian flute. An impressive 104-piece orchestra brought Debney’s score to life.
The Jungle Book track list follows:
1. “The Bare Necessities” Performed by DR. JOHN and The Nite Trippers
2. “Trust in Me” Performed by Scarlett Johansson
3. “Main Titles – Jungle Run”
4. “Wolves – Law of the Jungle”
5. “Water Truce”
6. “The Rains Return”
7. “Mowgli’s Leaving – Elephant Theme”
8. “Shere Khan Attacks – Stampede”
9. “Kaa – Baloo to the Rescue”
10. “Honeycomb Climb”
11. “The Man Village”
12. “Mowgli and the Pit”
13. “Monkeys Kidnap Mowgli”
14. “Arrival at King Louie’s Temple”
15. “Cold Lair Chase”
16. “The Red Flower”
17. “To the River”
18. “Shere Khan’s War Theme”
19. “Shere Khan and the Fire”
20. “Elephant Waterfall”
21. “Mowgli Wins the Race”
22. “The Jungle Book Closes
23. “I Wan’na Be Like You (2016)” Performed by Christopher Walken
24. “The Bare Necessities” Performed by Bill Murray & Kermit Ruffins
The Jungle Book soundtrack is now available at iTunes http://smarturl.it/jbsa1, Amazon http://smarturl.it/jbsama2, streaming services http://smarturl.it/jbssta1, and wherever music is sold. For more information on Walt Disney Records’ releases, like us on Facebook.com/disneymusic or follow us at Twitter.com/disneymusic.
