Disney Un-Disneyed: Mowgli by kuabci

Pen
June 2014

The next in my series of Disney source material character sketches is the wolf-raised Man-cub himself (review of The Jungle Book and its sequel here and here). I really liked these books, and even though they're a little darker than the Disney version, I think it's a pretty good adaptation in some ways.

(Also, I thought and thought about putting a little scrap of something on him, but it's just not the way it was or would be in the books, and I also thought and thought about marking this as mature, but it's just not. It's quite as innocent as it can be.)

UPDATE: Painted version here

Snow White here.
Pinocchio here.
Denizens of Sleepy Hollow here.
Cinderella here.
Alice In Wonderland here.
Peter Pan here.
Sleeping Beauty here.
The Wart here.
Mowgli here.
Robin Hood here
Taran here.
Basil of Baker Street here.
Oliver here.
The Little Mermaid here.

tcr11050 Featured By Owner Sep 12, 2015 Hobbyist General Artist

How old is he? And which wolf character is right by him?

kuabci Featured By Owner Sep 14, 2015 Professional General Artist

Mmm, looks maybe 13-15 here? Maybe a bit older? Definitely in between Disney's child and adult versions. And I think the wolf is just a generic representation of a wolf since he was raised by them.

tcr11050 Featured By Owner Sep 14, 2015 Hobbyist General Artist

Alright, though I was thinking it was the main wolf characters. Like Akela, Father Wolf, Raksha or Mother Wolf, or Gray Brother.

kuabci Featured By Owner Sep 14, 2015 Professional General Artist

Probably Akela, though I don't remember thinking of any specific one when I drew it. I think I actually meant it to represent Mowgli himself as a wolf, since he was adopted as one, like the jungle side of him.

tcr11050 Featured By Owner Sep 14, 2015 Hobbyist General Artist

Alright, I was thinking Akela because the wolf does kind of look elderly.

kuabci Featured By Owner Oct 7, 2015 Professional General Artist

Interesting, it was unintended to come across that way, but it's often fun to hear different interpretations.

tcr11050 Featured By Owner Oct 7, 2015 Hobbyist General Artist

Thanks :*)

Kodimarto Featured By Owner Jul 18, 2015 Filmographer

Excellent job on the sketching.

kuabci Featured By Owner Aug 5, 2015 Professional General Artist

Thank you.

Kodimarto Featured By Owner Aug 5, 2015 Filmographer

Anytime.

Renee-Niels Featured By Owner Mar 1, 2015 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

... Oh dear. .3. He IS kinda cute.

kuabci Featured By Owner Mar 2, 2015 Professional General Artist

As a jungle boy should be! (?)

aotearoa-geek13 Featured By Owner Dec 31, 2014

he's kinda cute! Blush

kuabci Featured By Owner Jan 5, 2015 Professional General Artist

Well, that wasn't exactly my driving motivation when designing him, but thanks!

Itsgoose2u Featured By Owner Jun 30, 2014 Hobbyist Digital Artist

This is awesome. I still can't get enough of this series you're doing.

kuabci Featured By Owner Jul 3, 2014 Professional General Artist

Thanks! I'm glad you're liking it. There are several more on the horizon in the coming months (and one in the coming moments).

Itsgoose2u Featured By Owner Jul 3, 2014 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Very glad to hear that

theterriblezodin Featured By Owner Jun 27, 2014 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I like this whole series, but this is my favorite so far.

kuabci Featured By Owner Jul 3, 2014 Professional General Artist

Interesting! What is it about this one that especially appeals to you, do you think?

theterriblezodin Featured By Owner Jul 4, 2014 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I suppose I really like the fluidity and the angles on the limbs. Maybe the fact he has no clothes has contributed to my seeing that more than in your other drawings??

kuabci Featured By Owner Jul 8, 2014 Professional General Artist

I see, that makes sense. It's fun to get back to the basic figure sometimes, though adding and draping clothes can be fun and challenging too.

theterriblezodin Featured By Owner Jul 9, 2014 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Agreed, on both points.

DTWX Featured By Owner Jun 27, 2014

EXACTLY! I've always hated Mowgli wearing some scrap clothing over him that he magically found, when he's supposed to be raised in the wilds of the Jungle.

Of course, he was also much younger, and would look even moreso, just like actual Feral Children.

kuabci Featured By Owner Jul 3, 2014 Professional General Artist

Yeah, I can totally see why they would put a little something on him, but it does make more sense that he would just go au naturel, and that's definitely how he's described in the book (in vaguest detail, of course). Maybe in the movie he's just wearing the blanket that he was found in, and fashioned it into a little diaper because instinctively he knew he wasn't just an animal? Ha, I don't know.

Do you mean he was younger in the book or in the movie? In any case, it's interesting, he goes from infancy in the books all the way to adulthood. I just decided to draw him somewhere in the middle there, since that's where he spends most of the stories.

DTWX Featured By Owner Jul 6, 2014

How the heck would he have the know-how to professionally fold a blanket into a diaper, let alone make it last for so long as he grew up, is beyond. me.
I say, just keep the kid Naked & then the closet perverts that is the parental group can bitch about it later.

Younger in the novels. Being a 10 year old in the wilds, he would look very scruffy, skinny, but also strong & durable, too.

kuabci Featured By Owner Jul 8, 2014 Professional General Artist

Oh, I'm sure he could figure something out. How hard could it be to wrap something around your legs and tuck it in? Instinct and all that.

And yeah, he was pretty young at times in the books, though he definitely grew to manhood as the stories went on, which gave it an interesting sense of scope.