U.S. #4345
Art of Disney – Imagination
Jungle Book

Issue Date: August 7, 2008
City: Anaheim, CA

Written in 1894 by well-known author Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book is a collection of fables using animals that can walk and talk to teach moral lessons.  Kipling, who lived in India until the age of six, based his stories in The Jungle Book on “everything he knew or heard or dreamed about the Indian jungle.” 

The most well-known of these tales are the three about a young “man-cub” named Mowgli.  Lost in the jungle after his parents were attacked by tigers, the young boy is adopted by a family of wolves.  They name him Mowgli the Frog, because of his lack of hair.

Mowgli’s life in the jungle is plagued by threats from the tiger Shere Khan.  But with help from his friends, Bagheera, the black panther, and Baloo, the bear, he escapes to the human village.  After the tiger is trampled by buffalo, Mowgli’s human family is attacked by the villagers.  In the end, Mowgli rescues them and sends animals to the village to trample it.

In 1967, Mowgli’s adventures were retold in the Walt Disney animated feature film named after the book.  Nominated for an Academy Award, The Jungle Book was the last Disney film personally supervised by Walt Disney.

The Jungle Book was honored on a 2008 U.S. postage stamp in part of the Art of Disney series.