First Look: Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book

Disney has released the first look at concept art for Jon Favreau's new "live-action" version of The Jungle Book. I use quotation marks around live action because the film will seamlessly blend live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, "using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world." So basically imagine how James Cameron shot Avatar with some live-action elements but mostly a computer created world populated with photo realistic animals of Life of Pi or Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. See the full piece of Jon Favreau The Jungle Book concept art after the jump

I love the above concept art because it captures the feel of the Walt Disney animated classic but shows us the fantastical and beautiful setting that Favreau is trying to create digitally.

Official info:

Directed by Jon Favreau ("Chef," "Iron Man," "Elf"), based on Rudyard Kipling's timeless stories and inspired by Disney's classic animated film, "The Jungle Book" is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), 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 (voice of Idris Elba), 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 (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don't exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johannsson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.

The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong'o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack's alpha male Akela. "The Jungle Book" seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world. The wild adventure swings into theaters in 3D on Oct. 9, 2015.

"The Jungle Book" is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub raised in the jungle by a family of wolves, who embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery when he's forced to abandon the only home he's ever known.

Notes:

• Neel Sethi, age 10, was selected from thousands of candidates following a worldwide search for the perfect man-cub.

• Rudyard Kipling penned the collection of short stories, "The Jungle Book," in the early 1890s from his home in Vermont.

Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book will hit theaters on October 9th, 2015.