Jon Favreau and Neel Sethi on The Jungle Book

Let director Jon Favreau and star Neel Sethi take you behind the scenes of this Friday’s big screen spectacle

Believe it or not, Jon Favreau’s latest was shot entirely in Downtown Los Angeles! Walt Disney Pictures‘ The Jungle Book, which hits theaters this Friday, brings back to the big screen Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale of a young boy raised by animals in the Indian jungle. The film introduces young star Neel Sethi as the film’s only live-action performer but, thanks to cutting edge visual effects technology, he’s joined by a photo-real cast of animal characters that include Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, Giancarlo Esposito as Akela, Bill Murray as Baloo, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, and Christopher Walken as King Louie.

ComingSoon.net recently sat down with Jon Favreau and Neel Sethi to get a behind-the-scenes look at what went into bring The Jungle Book to life. Check out the video interviews in the player below! You can also check out our D23 Expo interviews with Jon Favreau and his Jungle Book cast members by clicking here and click here to read about our visit to the film’s set.

In the film, Mowgli is a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan, who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera, and the free-spirited bear Baloo. Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa, a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie, who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.

Will you be checking out Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book in theaters this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book

THE JUNGLE BOOK - King Louie is a formidable ape who desperately wants the secret of Man's deadly "red flower"--fire. He's convinced Mowgli has the information he seeks. "King Louie is huge--12 feet tall," says Christopher Walken, who voices the character. "But he's as charming as he is intimidating when he wants to be."

Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Jungle Book

THE JUNGLE BOOK - Bagheera is a sleek panther who feels it's his duty to help the man-cub depart with dignity when it's time for him to leave his jungle home. "Bagheera is Mowgli’s adoptive parent," says Ben Kingsley, who lends his voice to Bagheera. "His role in Mowgli’s life is to educate, to protect and to guide. My Bagheera was military—he’s probably a colonel. He is instantly recognizable by the way he talks, how he acts and what his ethical code is."

Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Jungle Book

THE JUNGLE BOOK - Voiced by Idris Elba, Shere Khan bears the scars of man, which fuel his hatred of humans. Convinced that Mowgli poses a threat, the bengal tiger is determined to rid the jungle of the man-cub. "Shere Khan reigns with fear," says Elba. "He terrorizes everyone he encounters because he comes from a place of fear."

Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Jungle Book

THE JUNGLE BOOK - Kaa is a massive python who uses her voice and hypnotic gaze to entrance Mowgli. The man-cub can't resist her captivating embrace. "Kaa seduces and entraps Mowgli with her storytelling," says Scarlett Johansson. "She's the mirror into Mowgli's past. The way she moves is very alluring, almost coquettish."

Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Jungle Book

THE JUNGLE BOOK - Lupita Nyong'o voices Raksha, a mother wolf who cares deeply for all of her pups—including man-cub Mowgli, whom she adopts as one of her own when he's abandoned in the jungle as an infant. "She is the protector, the eternal mother," says Nyong'o. "The word Raksha actually means protection in Hindi. I felt really connected to that, wanting to protect a son that isn’t originally hers but one she’s taken for her own."

Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Jungle Book

THE JUNGLE BOOK - Akela is the strong and hardened alpha-male wolf who shoulders the responsibility of his pack. He welcomes Mowgli to the family, but worries he may one day compromise their safety. "Akela is a fierce patriarch of the wolf pack," says Giancarlo Esposito, who voices the character. "He believes the strength of the pack lies in what each and every wolf offers. He's a great leader, a wise teacher."

Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book