Strength of a bear. Speed of a panther. Heart of a wolf! And very sharp teeth.
„
~ Mowgil telling William Boone what he has that William doesn't have.
Mowgli is the main protagonist of the 1994 adventure film Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. He is a young Indian man who started off as the son of a local jungle guide, but became orphaned and ended up living in the jungle while befriending the animals there.
He is portrayed by Jason Scott Lee, who voiced David Kawena in Lilo and Stitch.
Role in the film[]
At the age of 5-years-old, Mowgli is being guided through the jungle by his father Nathoo with a group of soldiers, among whom is Major Geoffrey Brydon, his five-year-old daughter Kitty and good friend Dr. Julius Plumford. The group soon learns that Shere Khan is after them, having learnt that Buldeo and two other soldiers have killed some animals for fun. That same night, Mowgli receives a bracelet from Kitty as a token of friendship. Shere Khan soon attacks the camp to kill Buldeo and his two men for breaking the jungle law. Nathoo defends Buldeo, although the latter leaves him to be killed by the tiger. In the chaos, Mowgli is lost in the jungle with his pet wolf, Grey Brother and believed by Brydon and his men to have been killed. However, he survives and soon encounters a friendly panther named Bagheera who leads him to a pack of wolves. Seeing that Mowgli is affectionate and caring to a cub of their species, the wolves accept him into their pack. Baloo also befriends a bear cub named Baloo.
Around 15 years later, Mowgli has grown up with his animal friends. When a monkey steals the bracelet Kitty gave him, Mowgli chases him into Monkey City where he encounters King Louie, who summons Kaa the python to attack Mowgli. When Mowgli fights off Kaa, he is given the bracelet back. Later that day, Mowgli spots a beautiful woman in the jungle, who is in fact Kitty. Neither recognizes the other and Mowgli gives Kitty a flower and attempts to kiss her - a gesture he had done when they were children. When Kitty tries to escape, she encounters Baloo, who Mowgli 'fights' off to defend her. Mowgli soon sees Kitty being advanced upon by Captain William Boone, who Kitty is in love with. Believing Kitty to be in danger, Mowgli attacks Boone and throws him in the water. Some of Boone's men, among whom is Lt. John Wilkins, attempt to fight Mowgli but all apart from Wilkins are also thrown in the water. Wilkins points his revolver at Mowgli though is hesitant to shoot him, despite being ordered to by Boone. Mowgli is saved by the timely arrival of Baloo and Bagheera, though Wilkins accidentally shoots him in the arm.
Days later, Mowgli enters the city looking for Kitty. He is spotted by Wilkins who sounds the alarm. He goes into Kitty's bedroom and she orders him to leave - however, he gives her a flower and tries to kiss her again. Eventually, Kitty is taken by Mowgli, despite him being unable to understand her. When she sees he is wearing her bracelet, she realizes who he is. However, Boone and his men soon enter Kitty's bedroom in search of Mowgli who is soon knocked out by Buldeo, who discovers that Mowgli has a dagger from Monkey City. Mowgli is arrested and taken to the jail for 'trying to kill' Kitty - a brutal officer named Sergeant Harley attempts to torture him for information on the dagger to no avail, though Brydon soon intervenes and orders the men to show Mowgli some charity.
Kitty and Dr. Plumford tell her father that the prisoner is Mowgli, though Brydon is somewhat skeptical until he realizes Kitty has her mother's lost bracelet which he recalls Kitty giving to Mowgli when they were children. Kitty and Plumford attempt to re-introduce Mowgli to the world of man by teaching him to speak and read. Mowgli, in turn, brings Kitty to the jungle and introduces her to his friends. The two start to fall in love. Meanwhile, Boone questions Mowgli about the dagger he was in possession of - Mowgli tells him he got it from Monkey City where there is loads of treasure. Boone asks Mowgli to bring him to Monkey City, but Mowgli refuses to, sighting Boone's refusal to follow the jungle law, much to Boone's anger.
At a party, Brydon announces that Boone and Kitty are engaged to be married. Heartbroken and following cruel treatment from Boone and his men, Mowgli runs back to the jungle, despite Kitty's pleas for him to stay. However, Boone and his men later attempt to capture Mowgli so he can bring them to the treasure. Mowgli escapes but is devastated to find that Boone and Wilkins have shot Baloo, who attempted to save Mowgli. Mowgli runs to find Dr. Plumford but learns that Plumford has gone with Brydon to escort Kitty on a ship to England. Bandits ambush Brydon, Kitty and Plumford and Brydon is wounded. As Buldeo attempts to kill Plumford, Mowgli, the wolves and Bagheera intervene, killing most of the bandits. Plumford thanks Mowgli for saving him and Mowgli tells Plumford that he needs his help in saving Baloo.
Mowgli soon catches up with Kitty and her father who have been held hostage by Boone, Wilkins, Harley, Buldeo and Tabaqui, a local guide. The men order Mowgli to take them to the treasure in return for Kitty and her father's safety. Mowgli agrees but promises they will not survive. The men tie Mowgli up to a tree near their camping spot. The group soon hears Shere Khan roaring and learn he is hunting them (possibly to avenge the killing of Baloo by Boone and Wilkins). The next morning, Bagheera helps Mowgli to escape so he can protect Kitty from Shere Khan. Harley gives chase but falls into quicksand and dies, despite Wilkins trying to save him. The rest of the group, apart from Brydon, soon continue their journey. Knowing that Brydon cannot make it to the city alone with his injuries, Mowgli arranges for an elephant to bring him there. Brydon is thankful to Mowgli and asks him to rescue Kitty, thinking a man lucky who can count Mowgli as a friend.
Mowgli soon surfaces the journey of the group from on top of a cliff. Tabaqui soon attacks Mowgli and attempts to kill him with a boulder, though Mowgli kicks him, causing Tabaqui to fall to his death. Boone orders Buldeo and Wilkins to shoot Mowgli but they fail thanks to the height of the cliff and Mowgli jumps to safety. When they get close to the treasure, Shere Khan kills Wilkins. Mowgli arrives at Monkey City and is soon cornered by Buldeo, who attempts to shoot him but is buried alive when he accidentally sets off a booby trap. Having escaped Buldeo, Mowgli goes into the treasure room where Boone decides to kill him once and for all with his sword. Mowgli, however, is able to wound Boone with a dagger and escape with Kitty whilst Boone is attacked and killed by Kaa. As Mowgli and Kitty make their way back to the jungle, they are ambushed by Shere Khan, who distrusts humans in general. When the tiger roars at Mowgli, the latter roars back in defiance, thus enabling Shere Khan to see him as a creature of the jungle, allowing him and Kitty to leave peacefully as neither had broken the jungle law.
When Mowgli and Kitty reach the jungle, they are delighted to see that Brydon and Baloo are both safe and well, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Plumford. Finally, Mowgli and Kitty share a kiss by a waterfall and Mowgli becomes lord of the jungle.
Personality[]
Mowgli is very loving and supportive towards animals in general, as he had a pet wolf named Grey Brother by his side since childhood. He gets along well with many of the animals living in the jungle; even at the time when he fought against Kaa (a dangerous python) and used a dagger to defeat him, it is only in self-defense rather than for sport (as covered by the jungle law). He is also appalled to see Boone's trophy room filled with the heads of animals that Boone killed for sport in the past, hearing the cries of anguish that each of them gave out before their deaths.
Skills[]
Unlike his novel version and his 1967 animated version, as he was capable of fighting back against Kaa (a dangerous anaconda) in self-defense, and was able to tackle down Boone and several of his thugs when they were attacking him. He was even able to come face-to-face against Shere Khan (a dangerous tiger) without showing any cowardice.
Heroes