Exploring Classic Techniques in The Jungle Book’s Background Art
In a previous post I mentioned Eyvind Earle’s stylish background art for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959). Continuing with the classics, today I’ll share some thoughts about another favorite animation and its background art: The Jungle Book (1967). When we talk about the “classics,” we must always remember that these pieces of art were created using traditional techniques (probably gouache and watercolor in this case) before the era of Ctrl+Z. This means the artists were decisive and bold, as every wrong brushstroke was not easy to correct. The creative individuals who worked on the background art for The Jungle Book were Frank Armitage, Al Dempster, Ralph Hulett, Bill Layne, Art Riley, Thelma Witmer. Al Dempster also served as the color stylist.
Let’s explore how this classic animation set rules to be followed, and if you do, you’ll always know how to handle the scenes in an animated project to convey your message clearly and create eye-pleasing art that can’t go wrong.
The Playful Scenes
I would like to dive into the wonderful world of colors and share my thoughts and experience from my work in the industry on how backgrounds evoke emotion and enhance the story through their use of color. The playful and feel-good scenes where Mowgli connects with Baloo and the famous “Bare (bear 😁 ) Necessities” song are great examples to start with.
Take a look at Image 1. Notice the warm and eye-pleasing contrast of the colors and the roles they play: on one hand, we have the cold yellowish greens in the background where we can roughly see jungle elements, and on the other, the warm brownish-orange tones of the floor. What do cold colors do? Cold colors help with perspective by moving objects to the back and creating depth. This technique was first used during the Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci. What do warm colors do? Warm colors bring the elements to the forefront (the ground and branches at the left). So, if you want to easily create depth and perspective in your background art—or any concept art or illustration—that’s a tip worth remembering. Using cold colors at the background of any 2D image creates the illusion of 3 dimensions.
Have you noticed that the background is light, while the foreground is darker and the purple tones in between, blending the foreground and background seamlessly ? All these tips make the characters blend into the scene while still standing out.
The Monochromatic Night Scenes
In Image 2, we see a close-up where Kaa is hypnotizing Mowgli. It’s nighttime. Notice the monochromatic background in bluish and greenish tints, and the blue tint on the characters too. This technique helps merge the characters with the background. Imagine the characters having the pure, bright colors of daylight—they wouldn’t fit, would they? Notice also that there are no major contrasts in the background. Although we can clearly see the lighted and shaded parts, the shade is in a medium range color.
In Image 3, we see another monochromatic night scene, which is also one of my favorite backgrounds. I truly love everything about this image : the layout, the clever use of light, the beautiful colors, and the detailed jungle vegetation—detailed just enough. Observe how the “path of the characters” (where the animation will occur, something that background artists know from the layouts) in the center of the background is illuminated by moonlight and framed by darker elements and overlays in the forefront. At the back, you can see how the light, soft, with no contrast cobalt ultramarine blue elements add depth and perspective to this jungle scene. Imagine if all these elements were black—it would make the picture eerie and scary. Instead, this is a serene, summer night, with gentle moonlight. On the other hand, the foreground and the overlays are warmer and darker tints of greens, creating the illusion of 3 dimensions in our 2 dimension image, like as we said before.
The Tense Scene
In Image 4, we see how Mowgli defeats Shere Khan and sends him fleeing by tying a flaming branch to his tail. Notice the colors, carefully designed to create a menacing atmosphere: the background features shades of green, from sap to olive green, while the sky is an unnatural emerald-sap green. Shere Khan’s orange hue blends into the background with tints of green, while still standing out.
The Sad Scene of Greys
In Image 5, we have the sad scene of Baloo’s “death.” Although Baloo is not actually dead, we don’t know this yet. This scene serves to remind us that Mowgli’s victory came at a cost. Notice how the colors contribute to creating emotion: the color palette is gray with hints of greens, browns and blues. Observe how the characters stand out against the bright background at the point where they are placed. The rain, commonly associated with sadness, also plays a crucial role : The lack of light keeps the colors muted and low in saturation, enhancing the melancholic atmosphere. Notice how “blurry” the trees appear, their shapes dissolving in the rain. Also, take note of the darker foreground that frames the picture.
The Technique of Background Art in The Jungle Book
In contrast with the heavy illustrations of Sleeping Beauty that evoke rock castles and heavy rugs from the medieval era, the background art in The Jungle Book is light and tender—something that watercolors do exceptionally well. Nothing is heavy or baroque; everything is playful and light-hearted. The skies and background elements have this “watery quality,” both in night scenes and day scenes. This watery technique that adds transparency, makes the backgrounds light and playful. In my opinion, The Jungle Book’s background art follows all the rules for creating perfectly balanced and functional decor. It’s vibrant, it’s light, it’s playful when needed, and it’s spooky, gloomy, and tense when needed too.
Backgrounds are scenery, and if you learn how to treat them properly, this knowledge will obviously be helpful in other forms of scenery. Of course, backgrounds have their distinct specifications: they are fleeting images, but most of the rules we discussed apply.
Cheers,
Ersi
Interested in learning more about background art for 2d animation?
Check out our other posts : Tips on Background Art in 2D Animation !
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