Bill Murray Singing The Bare Necessities From The Jungle Book Will Brighten Your Day

While we don’t expect the live-action version of Disney’s upcoming The Jungle Book to be an exact remake of their 1967 animated version, there is one moment that has been teased in the trailer that tells us part of the classic will be brought back into the new version. The song "Bear Necessities" will be performed by the film’s stars, Bill Murray and Neel Sethi. If you can’t wait to hear them perform it, then there’s good news. The pair did it on TV last night. Check it out.

Ahead of The Jungle Book’s April 15th release Bill Murray, who voices Baloo the bear, and Neel Sethi, who plays the "man-cub" Mowgli, were guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live. During this appearence, the host persuaded them completely out of the blue we’re sure, to perform a verse from the best-known song that came out of Disney’s animated version of the same story. The two actors give their best exasperated looks before accepting their fate. Bill Murray just can’t help but be entertaining with every fiber of his being. Plus Neel Sethi looks to just be having the time of his life. The young actor is making his feature film debut as the lead in The Jungle Book. We’re not sure he’s got a future as a singer, but his enthusiasm makes up for it. Also, the bear suits are a nice touch. If watching this doesn’t just make you feel happier, then watch it again.

Overall, The Jungle Book looks to be significantly more dramatic and action packed than the animated version. As Jimmy Kimmel says, the actors only perform part of "Bare Necessities" in the new film, so it will likely be more of an easter egg than a full on musical moment. We don’t expect any of the film’s other songs to make an appearance. Although, if it turns out Christopher Walken performs a verse of "I Wanna Be Like You" at some point we’ll just go get in line for the movie right the hell now.

Are you interested in Disney’s new version of The Jungle Book? Disney is now making live-action versions of their stories with the same frequency that they made the animated films to begin with, so many more are on their way. Do you think they’ll be classics in their own right one day?

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.