MOWGLI: LEGEND OF THE JUNGLE
Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET
MOVIE PREMIERE: Rohan Chand stars as Mowgli in this new version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, which, like Disney’s 2016 version, mixes live-action and motion-capture computer effects to bring Kipling’s story to life. Because Kipling’s story is old enough to be in the public domain, there was nothing to prevent two productions from moving forward at once – so they did. Disney won, and this Netflix version, shown briefly in a few theaters last month before streaming tonight, slowed down and extended its release date. But it’s worth watching, if only for its vocal cast: providing the voices, and the facial movements of the animals, are Christian Bale as the panther Bagheera, Cate Blanchett as the python Kaa, and Benedict Cumberbatch as the tiger Shere Khan. And the film is directed by a motion-capture expert: Andy Serkis, whose roles include Gollum in the Lord of the Ring films, King Kong, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes films, and Snoke in the recent Star Wars films. Warning: This may be too violent for young kids, so preview it for parental approval.