Original subtitles

- I'm warning you.

(growls)

(Old Western music)

(snarls)

- Shere Khan, Mowgli,

have you already forgotten what you were told?

You break the Truce at Torpedo,

the law of the jungle must be obeyed.

(trumpets)

(growls)

- Remember, the Water Truce!

- Pipe down.

- Stop it, now.

The law forbids us to fight at the drinking place.

- The hairless brat is mine.

I've laid claim to him, Hathi.

- I tell you a human cub is no fit prey for you, Shere Kahn,

anymore than it was for your ancestor those many years ago.

We all have paid dearly for his crime.

Is that not enough?

You know how he broke the law

and you know what the consequences were for all of us,

and still you have not learned wisdom.

Have you forgotten how you got your stripes?

- My what?

What do you mean?

- Take heed.

There is no place here for those who will defile the river.

Go back to your lair.

(ground thunders)

Now, go.

(roars)

- He went.

(roars)

(suspenseful music)

- I'm still hungry.

- You can't be, we just ate.

- Not much, I want a meal, Mowgli, a decent meal.

When you spend the whole afternoon hunting

and all you get is one stringy old rabbit,

this does not constitute a decent meal.

And I was lucky to get him.

Most of the game is staying close to the river

where we can't hunt.

- They know they're safe there.

Thank you for sharing your prey with us.

- Think nothing of it, I only hope this truce ends soon.

- I have an idea, let's go for a walk by the river.

Maybe a drink of water will make us feel better.

- That's a good idea.

- Don't do anything foolish.

Remember, the truce is still on.

- Sure, we just want a drink.

- I guess it's one way to pass the time.

Hey, wait for me, I want to go with you.

- Why, are you thirsty?

- No, it's Hathi.

I want to ask what he meant

when he talked about tiger's crime.

Do you know about it?

- I'm afraid not Mowgli.

I know a great deal of jungle lore,

but I'm too young to know all the tales.

- Then why don't you come too, teacher?

Maybe we'll both learn something.

(regal music)

(Mowgli yells)

Hey, how's it going, Kaa?

- I'm surviving.

- Hathi, sir, this afternoon at the river,

you talked about Shere Kahn's ancestor

and his terrible crime.

What was it, what did he do?

Why did Shere Kahn go?

I wanted to ask, would you tell me the rest of the story,

please sir?

- Why?

Others know it as well as I.

Kaa and Akela and Baloo.

Do you mean they haven't told you, mancub?

- They've told me a lot, but nothing about that.

- Then it's time you knew.

The tale concerns elephants and tigers and man.

Perhaps it's fitting that I should tell it.

(laughs)

So you all want to hear it, do you?

Very well.

(regal music)

Free creatures of the jungle, give ear to me,

and I will tell you a tale as old as the jungle itself.

This is how it was told to me, in the beginning,

when the jungle was new, and nobody knows when that was,

all the animals were not as we are now.

In those days, we walked together in peace.

There was no drought.

Delicious flowers, fruit, and leaves

flourished on every tree.

And we ate nothing else.

There was plenty for all.

We had no fear of one another.

(cheerful music)

Even then, there was one who was master of our jungle

and of all other jungles, and her name was Tha.

She was the first of the elephants.

Now we fear humans more than anything else.

that was no so then for we knew no humans,

and what do not know, you cannot fear.

(water splashes)

- Hey!

No fair, you stole my grapes.

If you want grapes, you don't go find some for yourself?

- I don't feel like it, I wanna relax in the sun.

Anyway, why should I?

These'll do just fine.

What's the matter?

Too stingy to offer a friend a grape?

- Aw, come on, I didn't bring them for you and you know it.

You give them back.

- No, try and make me.

(tense music)

(water splashing)

- You'll be sorry. - [Big Deer] I'm gonna tell Pa

You're gonna be in big trouble.

- [Both Deer] Tha, we need your help.

- What is it?

- He stole my grapes.

- That's not true, I did not.

- [Hathi] And so the bucks began to fight over their food,

although there was enough for all.

And it wasn't just the deer.

All the animals grew lazy

and began to quarrel amongst themselves.

But Tha had other jungles to rule.

She couldn't spend all her time here settling fights.

She needed a deputy to judge in her place.

In those days, the tiger was beautiful.

His coat was soft gold with no stripes at all.

Tha made the first of the tigers the judge of this jungle

while she walked other paths,

and this was the first dispute the tiger had to settle.

- I was hungry, so I went looking for grapes,

and he grabbed them.

- So what?

You weren't gonna starve.

There were more where those came from.

- Quiet,

that's no way to come before the judge of the jungle,

so behave yourselves if you can.

(deer grunt)

You clumsy fool.

- What?

Look what you've done!

- But I..

- Help, someone save me.

Help, help, the tiger's gone crazy.

- Be quiet, let me think fool, quiet.

What'll I do?

I didn't mean to, it was an accident.

- [Animal] Hey, what's going on?

Oh no, no.

(tense music)

- There's trouble, go to the river.

- Help me look for Tha.

To the meeting place, fast.

- [Wolves] Follow us, it's an emergency.

(tense music)

- [Male Animal] They're so still.

- I can hardly believe it.

Someone has taken the lives of our friends.

- I've never seen anything like it before.

Who on earth could've done this?

- I don't know.

- What a horrible thing to happen.

- Is this true?

Speak.

So, it is as I feared.

Who is responsible for this?

- We don't know, no one saw.

- They were like that when I found them,

both lying so still.

- Oh, dear.

Will the guilty one confess?

No, I fear not.

Trees that hang low, hear me,

and all you trailing creepers of the jungle

who witnessed this foul deed, I charge you all,

when he who did it comes among you,

let down your branches and draw your fingers across his back

that I may know him.

(suspenseful music)

- And that is how trouble first came to the jungle,

the first of the tigers forgot he was a judge

and committed a crime.

- Tigers were bad even way back then?

You know, the first of the tigers

sounds exactly like Shere Kahn.

- That is how we of the jungle ceased

to be one people living in peace

and split up into tribes.

- Look who's here, it's old snooty.

Did you ever see anything so ugly?

- At least I can think, which is more than you can say.

- [Squirrels] Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah

- Sure your tail's bushier than mine

and mighty silly it looks too.

You ever thought of trimming it?

- Why don't you go climb a tree, you blockhead.

- And it grew worse.

Soon, all the animals in the jungle did nothing

but lie around all day arguing with each other

to their shame.

The first of the tigers was afraid

that his guilt would be discovered,

so he stayed quietly in his lair for a long time,

and waited to see what would happen.

At last, one day, Tha returned to the jungle.

- Silence, children of the jungle.

This anarchy must be stopped.

It's time for a law in the jungle,

a law you must obey.

Already two bucks lie still and will not move again.

For them it is too late.

But not for you who are left.

For now, you will know fear.

I do not mean the little fears

you have learned in my absence,

the fear of quarrels and of hurtful words.

I mean the great fear.

- What is the great fear?

How will we recognize it?

- Search for it and you will find it.

It is easy to recognize.

(animals murmur)

When you have found this fear,

you will know beyond doubt that it is your master.

Listen well, and I will tell you the

law that comes from fear.

- This fear that'll be our master,

what's it like, Kaa, do you know?

- Of course, be patient Mowgli, Hathi's getting there.

- Okay, but I wanna know more about the first of the tigers.

- This is the law that Tha gave

to all the people of the jungle.

- Now then, this is the law and it must be obeyed.

When you find the fear that is your master,

never, seven times never, presume to attack it.

For if you do, it will follow your trail

for the rest of your days.

Such is the law that must be obeyed.

(trumpets)

- If you attack, fear will follow your trail

for the rest of your days, and it will find you.

That was the law as Tha proclaimed it.

When she was sure they had all understood,

she left to walk other paths for a while.

Every creature in the jungle began to search for fear.

They searched day and night and high and low.

(suspenseful music)

- Hi, whatcha doing?

- Looking.

You haven't seen a fear around, have you?

- No, what's a fear look like anyway?

- You finished searching the bushes, huh?

Did you find anything?

- Not a thing, what about you, any luck?

- Nope, not yet.

Wait a minute, I have an idea.

If this fear thing is master, it must be bigger than Tha.

- That's right, so I'm just wasting my time

looking for it down rabbit holes.

- I'm going to try the other side of the ridge, see ya.

- Keep your eyes open.

- What about the riverbed?

- Nah, it looks just the same as always.

- [Animal] I found it, I found the fear.

Where is everybody?

- What?

What does that mean?

You found the fear, did you say?

Tell me, where is it and what does it look like?

- It was fear, I know it was.

Tha was right.

- Of course, where is this fear?

- Over there, at the foot of the cliff in a cave.

There isn't a single hair on its body, would you believe it?

And worse than that, it walks on its hind legs.

I tell you, I was petrified.

- So that's fear, is it?

I think I'll go over and take a look.

I'll soon straighten this out, I will.

- You can't do that.

Don't you remember?

Tha said we must never attack it.

- Tha said, Tha said, Tha's an old stick in the mud.

That's what she is.

No, I'm a master of the jungle and I'm going to conquer fear

and even then Tha will bow to me.

(growls)

- Huh?

- And so the first of the tigers set out

for the cave at the foot of the cliff.

To get there, he had to go through the forest.

The branches and the creepers

remembered Tha's command and obeyed it.

(mysterious music)

(leaves rustle)

(twigs snap)

(mysterious music)

- You, hairless one, come out and face me if you dare.

- Who's calling me?

Who do you think you are,

bothering me with your growls and your silly stripes?

- What do you mean, silly stripes?

You'll pay for that baldy.

I'll tear you limb from limb.

- You look pretty dumb.

Black and yellow just like a wasp.

- Hold your tongue, hairless one.

Just wait.

(Swipes air)

(growls)

Now I have you, hairless one.

- [Hathi] In a split second, it was all over.

(roars)

- Bow to me, all of you, for I have conquered fear.

(laughs)

- Now he's done it

- Wait 'til Tha finds out.

- Tha's gonna be really angry.

She warned us never to do that.

- What's this?

You are a fool.

Do you believe you have conquered fear?

It is not so.

All you have done is defeat one man,

and his fellows will want revenge.

Because of you, the humans will hunt us all forever.

Twice you have brought trouble to the jungle.

First the bucks and now this.

Have you anything to say in your defense?

- You're wrong.

I had nothing to do with the bucks.

- Nothing to do with the bucks?

If that is so, tell me, how came you by your stripes?

(animals laugh)

- Shut up, you fools, it's just a bit of mud.

(animals laugh)

(humans yell)

(roars)

- That is the tale of the first law of the jungle

and how it was made and why.

Shere Kahn's ancestor broke that law,

and all of us have suffered the consequences.

- That explains a lot, Hathi, thank you.

- [Hathi] The tale was long, and it's late.

Return to your lairs before the moon sets.

- Goodnight, Mowgli.

- Goodnight.

- What a story,

well, now you know why Shere Kahn hates you so much.

- That's just what I was thinking Bagheera.

It explains a lot.

I guess he thinks it's my fault he has stripes.

Hathi says jungle animals must fear humans,

but I don't think you have to fear all of them.

After all, when I was in trouble awhile ago,

it was a human who helped me out.

It's funny, he made noises with his mouth,

but I couldn't understand him.

- I wouldn't worry about it, Mowgli.

Whatever he meant, he did you no harm, did he?

Not a bit.

You're right, though, we can trust some humans.

- [Baloo] Mowgli.

- Huh?

- Oh hi, Baloo.

- You must be extra careful to stay out of Shere Kahn's way.

He's determined to catch you,

and he's not the type to give up easily.

- Okay.

All the time Hathi was telling the story,

I kept thinking about Shere Kahn.

I know he'll keep trying, but he may be in for a surprise.

I'm smarter than he is.

I'm sure I could beat him.

- [Bagheera] Maybe so, mancub, but Baloo's right,

you have a bad enemy there.

You'd better practice with your fang tomorrow.

- [Mowgli] Okay, I'd like that.