Sound In The Jungle Book

As a young girl, I would watch The Jungle Book repeatedly, but it wasn’t until today that I noticed how much of an impact sound has on the movie rather than the images. The Jungle Book was created with a variety of sounds that function to reveal character, shape the audience’s attention, and shape the audience’s feelings. One way sound impacts this film is by unveiling the characters of Kaa and Shere Khan to the audience. As Mowgli is snatched up the tree by Kaa, he speaking in a high pitch following a “hiss.” The pitch level was emphasized in Kaa’s character to create a diegesis of what a snake may sound like if he could speak. In addition, every time Shere Khan’s name was spoken or appearance was shown, there would be lingering suspenseful music playing within the scene. The music reflected the idea that Shere Khan, the antagonist, could always be lurking somewhere in the background. The pitch and music of The Jungle Book allowed the audience to comprehend characters of Kaa and Shere Khan through sound.
The timbre of a loud drum is played in synchronization to the elephants heavy steps. This quality of sound is present to allow viewers to create imagery of the large size of elephants. Also, in the beginning of the film, the silence outside of the wolves habitat, followed by baby Mowgli’s high pitched cry, alarms the audience where to direct their attention. The tool of silence following a high frequency cry invites the audience to understand the unusual conflict at hand of what the wolves will do with baby Mowgli. The quality of sound, silence, and pitch level of The Jungle Book are highlighted to direct the audience towards the elephants and surprise of baby