Jungle Book Villains

So the first movie I am going to talk about villains from is the Jungle Book. Why you ask, well because I saw a clip of it and decided to finish it on my own time.... In other words it was completely random. That aside, here is how the rest of my posts will work. I am going to analyze all of the villains from a single movie at once, (because some villains are so minor I may or not be able to write that much about them...) The villains will appear in order from the the most evil to the least (or the 'villain' who you may not think is a villain. you'll see what I mean.)

Anyway, on with the villains!

Shere Khan

Villain Type: Power Hungry/Revenge-Seeking

Look at his face. This is the face of an arrogant person.

What he wants: He wants to kill Mowgli because he hates humans (they have guns and fire)

From the second we meet Shere Khan we can see that he is someone used to getting his way. We can also tell that he thinks very highly of himself based on his reaction to Bagheera telling the elephant brigade that he is a formidable opponent. Shere Khan also likes to draw attention to himself before he goes and does something. This is shown by how he greets Kaa and how he jumps into the vulture's song. Earlier in the movie it is revealed that the reason he wants to kill Mowgli is because he is afraid of guns and fire. It is also revealed that he wants to get rid of Mowgli while he is young and weak which makes Shere Khan a coward.  However when he is with Kaa he demands to know whether or not Kaa ate Mowgli. This just shows how ruthless he is. If Shere Khan can't kill Mowgli then apparently nobody can. With regard to Kaa, it seems like the two of them have met in the past. We can make this judgment because Shere Khan seems well aware of Kaa's tricks and avoids them. However when things become tough for Shere Khan, he gets easily distracted. Then instead of focusing on what he wants, he tries to attack whoever defied him instead. In the end, his arrogance and how he is used to getting what he wants, that leads to his downfall. When Baloo and the vultures attack him he lets Mowgli get away and get fire to fight him with. Of course Mowgli ties a flaming branch to his tail and Shere Khan runs away never to be seen again (until the sequel.) I give this him a 5 out of 10 on the villain scale. Though he is feared, which is worth something, he is weak and  easily overcome by fear. (Maybe that's just in his nature as a tiger....) Also the second he leaves the screen it starts to rain. Don't you think the fire on his tail would go out and he would come back? But no, he doesn't come back. That is why he is a poor villain... (of course there is a sequel... but Mowgli goes out on his own, Shere Khan doesn't seek him out from the beginning.) I think that Shere Khan could be much more threatening... but it is a kid's movie.

Fun Fact: Though he is mentioned within the first ten minutes of the movie, he doesn't actually appear onscreen until about an hour into the movie (the exact time is 58 minutes and 50 seconds.)

Kaa

Villain Type: Personal-Gain/Obstacle Villain

What he wants: To eat Mowgli.

Who looks angrier in this picture? The one who was lied to or the one who lost his lunch?

From the second Kaa sees Mowgli there is only one thing on his mind: Food. However, whenever Kaa tries to eat Mowgli something shows up and ruins his plans, which then results to him getting knocked out of his tree. As Kaa goes off-screen from these things he complains about various aliments (like his sinuses.) He is able to hypnotize people and he thinks that no one knows about it, but everyone does. He seems to work for his own gain. This shown when Shere Khan shows up and starts asking for Mowgli, but Kaa is holding Mowgli hostage and won't give him up. Though Kaa seems scared of Shere Khan he is able to hold his tongue and not show him Mowgli. Kaa isn't dumb but he makes a few slip-ups at time that sometimes cost him what he wants. He isn't even all that bad considering how he seems disgusted by Shere Khan's behavior concerning Mowgli. Of course then he remembers that he is holding Mowgli hostage and those nice thoughts leave him. Kaa happens to be my favorite character in this movie but that aside, I would have to give him a 3 out of 10 on the villain scale His only motivation is the promise of food. If he didn't want to eat Mowgli he really wouldn't be a villain. 


Fun Fact: Sterling Holloway, the voice of Kaa, also played Winnie the Pooh.

Remember what I said about you not thinking a villain is a villain but I think they are a villain? (see top of the page) Well this next guy is one of those villains. (Feel free to disagree with me. This is just what I think.)

King Louie
Villain Type: Power-Hungry/Obstacle Villain
What he wants: To make fire. He wants to go higher than where he is now and thinks that controlling fire will help him get there.

He doesn't look like a villain does he? Well looks can be deceiving.

At first sight King Louie is a lovable character who sings an adorable song about wanting to be human. But find the villain in him we have to look at his actions. First off he kidnaps Mowgli and tries to keep him at the cost of his palace. He also likes to be the center of attention and fights for it. Also, listen to what he sings. Yes, he wants to be human and that's cute, but then he says that he wants to control fire. This is what makes King Louie a villain. His clear motive is to gain control of fire. What he wishes to do with fire is unknown. He could just want fire to impress his subjects. But there is a chance that he wants fire for a darker reason: to control Shere Khan. As mentioned earlier; Shere Khan is afraid of fire. King Louie may want to use fire to control Shere Khan which would make him the most powerful animal in the jungle. However because he does not succeed so, what he would have done with fire remains unknown. I give him a 4 out of 10 because his motives are unknown. His motives could be sinister or something as dumb as trying to show off to his subjects. 


See you next time.