Walt Disney gave a copy of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book to one of his writers and said: "The first thing to do is not to read it." (As per Art and Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Hercules by Bob Thomas.) So from this alone, it's clear that Disney's final movie was intended to not be a loyal adaptation to Kipling's novels.

10 There's No King Louie

Although "I Wanna Be Like You" is one of the best songs in The Jungle Book, and one of its most memorable scenes, King Louie does not even exist in the book. This isn't a surprise, as orangutans are not even native to India (this is why King Louie was made into an extinct species of ape for the live-action remake). The character of King Louie was an original creation by Disney and was voiced by jazz musician Louis Prima.

The monkeys are still antagonists in the book, collectively called the Bandar-log, who kidnap Mowgli for reasons unspecified - not the "red flower" that King Louie craves.

9 There Are More Humans

In the animated movie, there are only two humans - Mowgli, and the young girl from the man village (named Shanti in The Jungle Book 2). In the book, there are many more humans. Mowgli actually joins the man village about halfway through the story rather than at the end, where he is adopted by Messua, who believes Mowgli is her long-lost son.

Other human characters from the book include Messua's unnamed husband, and Buldeo, the chief hunter who wants to kill Shere Khan for the value his hide can bring. Although there are more humans in the direct-to-video sequel, none of these characters appear there either.

8 The Wolves Are Much More Important

The wolves who adopt and raise Mowgli are barely given enough screen time to be fully characterized in the movie. They play a significantly larger role in the book, such as protecting Mowgli from Shere Khan early on. Even the mother wolf has a bigger part, where she doesn't even speak in the movie.

The biggest notable difference is the character of Akela, the leader of the wolf pack. He is one of the most forgettable characters in the movie, perhaps even in the Disney franchise. That is not so in the book. Akela is an important figure for Mowgli, even sacrificing himself to save Mowgli out of love for him, and it is this action that makes Mowgli decide to stay in the man village - not pre-pubescent hormones like in the movie.

7 Kaa Is A Good Guy... And A Bad Ass

The sneaky Kaa is arguably one of Disney's most memorable villains, renowned for his swirly hypnotic eyes and his quest to eat Mowgli. In the book, Kaa is not only one of Mowgli's allies but a very formidable and feared force to be reckoned with.

Although he has his sinister moments and a wonderfully creepy villain song, Disney's Kaa is accident-prone and is one of the movie's main sources of comic relief. In the novel, Kaa is called upon to rescue Mowgli from the monkeys, all of which he defeats single-handedly - a far cry from the sniveling snake in the movie. The only similarities that the two Kaas share are immense length and size, and hypnosis powers.

6 Shere Khan Isn't So Scary

Although he doesn't appear on screen until much later, the erudite Shere Khan is a formidable yet underappreciated Disney villain, feared by all who reside in the jungle (except Mowgli). He is even nastier in the live-action remake.

This isn't the case in the book. Shere Khan is arrogant and believes he should rule the jungle, but whereas the wolf pack is too fearful to protect Mowgli in the movie, they are more than a match for Shere Khan and fend him off in only the first chapter. Making Shere Khan stronger and more of a threat was a smart decision on Disney's part - defeating the main villain too early on would have made a dull movie.

5 Shere Khan Had A Sidekick

Almost all Disney villains have a sidekick - usually funny and incompetent. So it's a bit of a mystery why Disney did not give Shere Khan his sidekick from the novel. Tabaqui the cowardly jackal is the only character in the book that is loyal to Shere Khan and is hated just as much as the tiger.

On one hand, it would have been interesting to see Shere Khan with a zany sidekick, especially give the basis of Tabaqui's personality in the book. On the other hand, Disney Shere Khan is a great character on his own and there are plenty of comic relief characters in the movie already. Perhaps the closest Shere Khan has to a sidekick is his rather hilarious interaction with Kaa.

4 Baloo And Bagheera Swap Roles

Interestingly, these two key characters had their personalities switched over for the movie. In the original book, it is Bagheera who coddles Mowgli and develops a close bond with him, and Baloo who is the strict one, whose role is to teach the wolf cubs the law of the jungle, Mowgli included. Imagine how different "The Bare Necessities" would be if Disney's Baloo was a strict teacher!

3 Hathi Isn't A "Pompous Old Windbag"

In the novel, Hathi is the patient leader of the elephants and believes strongly in law and order. This might have provided a basis for the Disney version but Hathi in the novel is taken far more seriously by his peers than his Disney counterpart.

Disney's version of Hathi ("Colonel Hathi, if you please!") is a stuffy, pompous, forgetful old elephant who provides a good amount of comic relief in the movie, particularly when confronted by his long-suffering wife Winifred. Whilst something of a mockery of the book version, Disney's Hathi is undoubtedly an entertaining Disney creation.

2 The Baby Elephant Has Siblings

Hathi's son, named Junior, is the main source of cuteness in the Disney movie. Unlike Hathi, Junior quickly befriends Mowgli and shows him how to be an elephant. It is also because of him that Hathi, who unconditionally loves his son, even considers helping look for Mowgli.

As the movie's cutest character, it's a bit of a shame that Disney didn't follow the book in this instance. In Kipling's text, Hathi had not one but three children. With three cute baby elephants for Mowgli to befriend, there would have been not only triple the adorableness but Hathi perhaps would have been much quicker to help Mowgli.

1 There Are No Vultures

It's hard not to forget the quartet of sluggish barbershop-singing vultures who console Mowgli when he's perhaps at his lowest. This might be due to their similarity to the legendary band The Beatles, who were originally intended to voice the vultures.

There are no vultures in the book at all. Like King Louie, the vultures are an original Disney creation. Only unlike King Louie and the other monkeys, there's not so much as even a mention of vulture characters in the book and they didn't even make it into the live-action remake.

NEXT: 10 Behind The Scenes Facts About Disney's Alice in Wonderland

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