Influenced by both the 1967 animated film and the book by Rudyard Kipling, Disney brings “The Jungle Book” to the silver screen once again, this time in a gorgeous mix of CGI and live action.

Voices include Bill Murray as Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, Giancarlo Esposito as Akela and Christopher Walken as King Louie.

The only non-CGI actor among the animated jungle animals is 10-year-old Neel Sethi playing Mowgli.

In his film debut, Sethi does a fantastic job as the young Indian boy abandoned by his parents and taken in by Bagheera, the panther, and the wolves to protect him from the deadly tiger, Shere Khan.

The voices for each of the animal characters are superb, making it difficult to pick out exactly which is the best. Even though we only hear the voices of the actors and actresses, they provide enough energy and feeling to the character to make them stand out as equals amongst each other.

Combine all the impressive voice talents with the eye-popping blend of CGI and realism and you get a fully believable, life-like animal. With stunning detail (especially Shere Khan’s animations), the animals jump out of the screen without the need for 3D.

It stays surprisingly equal between the book and the ’67 cartoon as well. I had just finished reading the book for a class, and it opened up the world in terms of “The Jungle Book” all the more.

I would highly suggest reading the book before seeing this movie, as it will be even more immersive and engaging than it already is.

Regrettably though, “The Jungle Book” is not without faults. While combining book and movie so well in other parts of the film, it becomes awkward and loose when musical numbers “Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You” are plopped into place without any real need for them besides the fact that those songs were in Disney’s original cartoon.

These sudden breaks in mood pull away from the fantasy-come-to-life that the movie maintained until then; they end up being more of a distraction than adding any real content to the overall film.

Another low point of the film is that, while Sethi is incredible as Mowgli, there is no character arc written in for the boy. This lack of depth or conviction in his growth makes the final confrontation with Shere Khan a bit flat and less dramatic than it could have been. It takes a toll when the first two-thirds of the film are so engrossing.

Overall, “The Jungle Book” is an engaging experience that sets a beautiful new standard for CGI and provides a stable introduction for Sethi, supported by an impressive cast.