Movie review
April 7, 2016 · 106 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The 2016 live-action remake follows Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves in the Indian jungle, as he flees the tiger Shere Khan and learns about belonging and survival with help from Baloo and Bagheera. The story emphasizes classic adventure, friendship, and self-discovery in a realistic CGI animal world. A single deliberate gender swap for the character Kaa stands out as a minor modern adjustment amid otherwise faithful storytelling with no recurring identity or political messaging.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Jungle Book.
Woke representation / casting
Director explicitly changed Kaa to female to address all-male cast imbalance for "our generation"; Mowgli casting fits the Indian setting perfectly with no other visible forced diversity or mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
No activist, political, or ideological dialogue present in the film.
Identity-driven story themes
Core narrative revolves around survival, friendship, courage, and self-discovery with zero identity politics or representation-focused arcs.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No modern activist framing of colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism, or systemic oppression; man-versus-nature conflict remains classic adventure logic.
Woke character or canon changes
Kaa gender-swapped from male in Kipling and 1967 version to female, directly attributed by director to updating for contemporary gender balance.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Virtually absent; no notable backlash accusing the film of woke messaging, propaganda, or identity agendas.
Creator track record context
Favreau's one public nod to gender diversity on this project amid otherwise apolitical mainstream career; no broader activist history.
Production
