Everybody knows the story of a young boy called Mowgli, who was brought up in the jungle by a pack of wolves. For 50 years generations of young people have followed his adventures with bated breath, laughed at the funny Baloo the bear and looked up to the smart teacher Bagheera the panther. Even though we know that nothing wrong could happen, we feel nervous looking at Kaa's clenched snakelike twine, or the exhortations of the monkey King Louis, who at any price wants to make fire. Finally, we cross our fingers for the brave boy fighting with the evil tiger, Shere Khan.

I don't know about you, but I like this story very much. So when I heard that Disney had decided to make a new version of The Jungle Book, I was determined to watch it.

The trailers were inviting, but the movie surpassed all our expectations.

The new version of "The Jungle Book" by Jon Favreau is an exact adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's book. The cartoon from 1967 takes the liberty of leaving out certain understated, dramatic moments, and, as a tale for kids, adds funny characters and adventures. This year's movie amazes us with its realism.

Although it is still a story for children, the message is more "adult". This is not just the adventure of a rowdy boy who comes across some nice animals and some bad animals; it is the story of a child growing up, torn between the worlds of animals and people. Mowgli doesn't feel at home in either place. For the animals he is only a man cub, and he doesn't quite remember people. He learns the jungle's rules, but regardless of his best efforts, his human traits start to dominate. Courage, cleverness and a motiveless heart distinguish him from his playfellows, and the adventures show him that he is a human. Unfortunately, being a human in the jungle is not something to be proud of.

The characters in the new film are portrayed in a much more intense way than in the animated version. Baloo the bear isn't only a carefree fool; he has a philosophical disposition and uses manipulation to reach his goal. The hatred of the tiger is asserted by his every word, but his body language also supports his rational arguments. The human in the jungle is an enemy for the animals. The king of the monkeys wants to be like a human and thinks that the only thing that distinguishes him from people is the skill of using fire. He tries to bribe Mowgli with his vision of governing the world. In the end, the boy who brings fire into the forest is simultaneously a godsend who will fight the tiger and a threatening bringer of fiery destruction.

The modern "Jungle Book" is a bow towards digital technology and the innovative execution of ideas. The only man who plays in this film is the young actor Nell Sethi as Mowgli. The other great actors such as Bill Murray (Baloo), Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Idris Elba (Shere Khan), Christopher Walken (King Louis) and Scarlett Johansson (Kaa) /in the Polish language version: Jerzy Kryszak, Jan Peszek, Piotr Fronczewski, Jan Frycz, and the excellent Anna Dereszowska/ can be recognised by the voices of the computer generated animals they play. The magic of cinema doesn't suffer from this. Quite the opposite. The movie stuns with its panache, and the elaborately prepared scenes from the jungle give us the creeps. The mirage of the animals is so perfect that we forget that they are digital creations. The raindrops really drip from the fur of she-wolf Raksha, little Mowgli puts his hand into the maw of Bagheera, the soaked fur of Baloo undulates in the river, and we almost feel its wet, animal smell.

I have written already that movies should address children's and adults' interests equally. Kids do not go to the cinema on their own, and dads and grandpas snoring in their chairs isn't the best recommendation of a movie. Fortunately, the producers of "The Jungle Book" needn't be afraid of this. This movie has universal appeal. Children will find a familiar story, beloved songs and talking animals. Adults can watch with amazement a modern movie with dynamic action and deftly built-up tension.

I recommend it for the whole family!