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Disney debuts moody The Jungle Book teaser ahead of first trailer

Neel Sethi will be the only on screen actor in Jon Favreau's live action remake

Jess Denham
Monday 14 September 2015 05:35 EDT
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Disney's The Jungle Book is due in cinemas next April
Disney's The Jungle Book is due in cinemas next April (Disney)

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Disney's live-action take on The Jungle Book looks set to be a moody but beautiful affair judging by the first brief teaser.

Audiences enjoyed the first glimpse of 'mancub' Mowgli in a six-second clip shared at the D23 Expo that puts the wild jungle landscape at the centre.

Newcomer Neel Sethi plays the young boy raised by wolves, while the classic story's animal characters have been created using CGI.

Director Jon Favreau has signed on a stellar cast with Bill Murray voicing friendly bear Baloo, Ben Kingsley as panther Bagheera, Idris Elba as villainous tiger Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as python Kaa, Christopher Walken as orangutan King Louie and Lupita Nyong'o as mother wolf Raksha.

The film is based on Rudyard Kipling's 1894 short stories and many viewers will already have seen the much-loved 1967 animated adaptation. Favreau has hinted that new mythic elements will be added and the tone will be different, but some of the original qualities will remain.

Neel Sethi will be the only on screen actor as Mowgli
Neel Sethi will be the only on screen actor as Mowgli (IMDB)

Most excitingly, fans have been promised a rendition of "The Bare Necessities" by Murray - sure to be a highlight.

The Jungle Book is scheduled for UK release on 15 April 2016 with the first full trailer expected later today.

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