Plot

After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther Bagheera and free-spirited bear Baloo.

Living among the wolves in the jungle, young man cub Mowgli quickly learns to live life among his wolf pack and all the animals that inhabit the jungle, but when the villainous tiger Shere Khan threatens Mowgli's life, black panther Bagheera offers to take Mowgli to a nearby man village where he will be safe from the tiger's wrath. Along the way, Mowgli gets tangled up in a series of encounters with a sly snake named Kaa, a swimmingly ruthless gigantopithecus named King Louie and a lazy bear named Baloo, who quickly becomes his guide to the 'bear necessities' of life.—Blazer346

An epic adventure about Mowgli, a man-cub raised by a family of wolves. Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan, 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, and the free-spirited bear Baloo. Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don't exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa, a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie, who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.—Jwelch5742

Mowgli is a "man cub" raised by the wolf Raksha and her pack, led by Akela, in an Indian jungle ever since he was brought to them as a baby by the black panther Bagheera. Bagheera trains Mowgli to learn the ways of the wolves, but the boy faces certain challenges and falls behind his wolf siblings, while Akela disapproves of him using human tricks like building tools instead of learning the ways of the pack. One day, during the dry season, the jungle animals gather to drink the water that remains as part of a truce during a drought that enables the jungle's wildlife to drink without fear of being eaten by their predators. The truce is disrupted when a scarred tiger named Shere Khan arrives, detecting Mowgli's scent in the large crowd. Resentful against man for scarring him, he issues a warning that he will kill Mowgli at the end of the drought. After the drought ends, the wolves debate whether they should keep Mowgli or not.

In the heart of the dense jungle, Bagheera, the wise black panther, takes pity on an abandoned infant named Mowgli. He entrusts the helpless little orphan to the wolves Akela, the Alpha male, and Raksha, the wary she-wolf. Despite being born of man, Mowgli quickly learns the ways of the pack and how to avoid danger under wise Bagheera's watchful eye. However, during a water truce, Mowgli catches the attention of the Bengal tiger, Shere Khan, a fierce carnivore. As a result, Shere Khan swears to kill Mowgli, fearing he will grow up to become a man and imperil the jungle. Mowgli, fearing for his life, separates from the pack and seeks refuge in the lush forest. But he soon discovers there are both friends and foes in this vast green maze. With no claws, fur, or sharp teeth to defend himself, how will the weirdest creature among all animals stay alive?—Nick Riganas

In the jungles of 1890s India, Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is a "man cub" raised by the Indian wolf Raksha (Lupita Nyong'O) and her pack, led by Akela (Giancarlo Esposito). Mowgli was brought to them as a baby by the black panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) within the jungles of Seoni, Madhya Pradesh. Bagheera trains Mowgli to learn the ways of the wolves, but the boy faces certain challenges and falls behind his wolf siblings, when he falls from a dead tree branch to the ground below. Bagheera says that Mowgli doesn't know how to hide his smell by being downwind and frequently separates from his pack. Bagheera teaches Mowgli that any tree with a fig vine, is either dead or close to it.

One day, during the dry season, the jungle animals gather to drink water that remains as part of a truce called during a drought that enables the jungle's wildlife to drink without fear of being eaten by larger, more predatory beasts. The truce is enforced when the Peace Rock is visible in the middle of the river due to the declining water levels and remains in force till the Peace Rock goes under water again.

Mowgli uses the shell of a fruit to grab water for himself, which makes the other animals see him oddly. Akela berates Mowgli for using human tricks like building tools instead of learning the ways of the pack. The wolf pack leader Akela tells Mowgli not to use his man tricks in front of the other animals.

The truce is disrupted, however, when a scarred Bengal tiger, Shere Khan (Idris Elba), arrives, detecting Mowgli's scent in the crowd. He is aware of Mowgli's presence and considers Man to be forbidden in the jungle. Shere Khan argues that a man-cub will eventually grow into a man. Akela covers Mowgli and tells Shere Khan he cannot have the boy. Akela knows that Shere Khan will not risk a confrontation during the water truce. Resentful against man for scarring him, he issues a warning that he will kill Mowgli at the end of the drought.

The rains eventually return to the jungle and the torrent of water submerges Peace Rock once more. As the wolf pack debates whether they should keep Mowgli or not, Mowgli voluntarily decides to leave the jungle for the safety of his pack. Bagheera agrees with the decision and volunteers to guide him to the nearby man village, despite Raksha's protests. The others agree it's for the best, and Mowgli shares a goodbye with Raksha, who says he will always be her son.

On their way, Bagheera tells Mowgli about how the elephants created the jungle. They dug the ground with their tusks and the rivers ran through them. Where they blew their trunks, the leaves fell. Bagheera guides Mowgli toward the village, but once they come across a field of buffaloes, they are ambushed by Shere Khan. Bagheera gives Mowgli to run in a specific direction and says that he will find him. Bagheera holds the tiger off for Mowgli to run. Mowgli runs down a hill as the buffalo stampede. Shere Khan tries to spot Mowgli, but the boy escapes by riding a buffalo.

When Mowgli wakes up, the buffaloes were travelling on the side of a mountain. A huge landslide hits the mountain and Mowgli escapes by jumping into the river, which takes him to a dark part of the jungle.

Later, Mowgli comes across a huge snakeskin that has recently been shed and soon meets the python Kaa. Mowgli meets Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), an enormous Indian python, who hypnotizes him. While under Kaa's hypnosis, Mowgli sees a vision of his father (Ritesh Rajan) being mauled while protecting him from Shere Khan. Mowgli's father blinded Shere Khan's left eye, and the tiger killed the man.

The vision also warns of the destructive power of the "red flower" (The forest fire), which was created by man and which destroys everything it touches. Kaa then attempts to devour Mowgli, but he is rescued by a sloth bear named Baloo (Bill Murray). Together, they form a close bond after realizing their teamwork allows them to get honey easily for Baloo, and Mowgli agrees to stay with Baloo until the winter season arrives. Baloo shows Mowgli that the man village is nearby and that he can go whenever he wants, but Mowgli decides to stick with Baloo, who shows Mowgli all about the "bare necessities of life."

Meanwhile, Shere Khan confronts the wolf pack, and says that he left explicit instructions for Mowgli to be turned over to him once the drought was over. Shere Khan kills Akela and takes over the hills to lure Mowgli out.

Bagheera eventually finds Mowgli and Baloo and is angered by Mowgli's usage of tricks to get Baloo his honey. Baloo claims that Mowgli is helping him hibernate for the winter, until Bagheera points out that bears don't hibernate in the jungle. An argument flares between Mowgli and Bagheera, but Baloo calms them down and persuades both of them to sleep on it. During the night, Mowgli finds a herd of elephants gathered around a ditch and uses his vines to save a baby elephant from the ditch. Although Baloo and Bagheera are both impressed, Baloo realizes he cannot guarantee Mowgli's safety after Bagheera tells him that Shere Khan is hunting for Mowgli. Baloo agrees to push Mowgli away in an effort to get him to continue onward to the man village. Reluctantly, Baloo tells Mowgli he never thought of him as a friend and wants him gone. Heartbroken, Mowgli retreats to a tree.

However, Mowgli is kidnapped by the Bandar-log who present him to their leader, a humongous Bornean orangutan-like Gigantopithecus named King Louie (Christopher Walken). Assuming that all humans can summon the red flower, King Louie offers Mowgli protection from Shere Khan in exchange for the red flower. Baloo distracts Louie while Bagheera tries to sneak out with Mowgli, but their plan is discovered. As Louie chases Mowgli though his temple, he informs Mowgli of Akela's death. His rampage eventually causes his temple to crumble on top of him. Furious that Baloo and Bagheera never told him about Akela's death, Mowgli goes to confront Shere Khan alone.

Finding the man village, Mowgli steals a lit torch to use as a weapon and heads back to the jungle. A piece of ember falls from the torch and slowly starts a fire. Shere Khan tries to turn the animals against Mowgli by stating that man has brought the red flower into the jungle.

He confronts Shere Khan, who points out that Mowgli has made himself the enemy of the jungle by causing the wildfire. Mowgli throws the torch into the water, giving Shere Khan the advantage. Baloo, Bagheera, and the wolf pack intervene and hold Shere Khan off, giving Mowgli enough time to set a trap. He lures Shere Khan up a tree and onto a branch, which breaks under the tiger's weight, and the tiger falls to his death into the fire below. Mowgli then directs the elephants to divert the river and put out the fire.

In the aftermath, Raksha becomes the new leader of the wolf pack. Mowgli decides to utilize his equipment and tricks for his own use, having found his true home and calling with his wolf family, Baloo, and Bagheera.