Average Rating: 
Rating: - An excellent movie for children and mongoose fans.
One of my favorite animated cartoons as a child. The animation by Chuck Jones is soem of his better independent work; the characters are all well-drawn and interesting, and the voice talent and music is well-done. They keep quite close to Rudyard Kipling's original story, and the songs are based closely from Kipling's. It's a very watchable film, kids up to 12 or so will enjoy it plenty, and parents won't be nauseated at it as with a Barney video.
Rating:  - Courageous mongoose antics
Chuck Jones' best work, the animation has his style stamped all over it, a starry eyed mongoose that is saved by a family and in turn he saves each one of them by his cobra-killing heroics. The animation is of course beautifully done, and oddly does not look dated to these eyes. I rented it again (after not seeing it for over a decade) when it was re-released and the magic captured me all over again. Kipling's classic is faithfully told with the moving pictures of animation, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the mongoose is a determined creature who's only motives are to protect the ones he loves and who cared for him in his time of need, with very little t hought at the cost he could personally pay.. but of course this is a children's movie so it does have a happy ending, but the depth of the story should win over many fans despite its short running time.
Rating: - still as great as when I was a child
I first saw this movie when I was eight years old and it captured my fancy so strongly that I just had to have it when I realized it was available on video. I wasn't disappointed at all -- it was still as great to me as it was twenty-seven years ago. In watching it now, I realize that it's a movie that will appeal to both children and their parents. If you sometimes dread sitting through children's videos with your little ones, get a copy of this video (and the White Seal!) and you'll enjoy watching it as much as the kids.Rikki is a mongoose who is rescued by a British family living in India after the rodent nearly dies. They nurse him back to health and in gratitude, he becomes their house mongoose, saving all their lives on more than one occasion. While most children these days are jaded by violence, be careful about showing this movie to very young children or sensitive children who are prone to nightmares because the snakes are portrayed as pure evil. There is no gore or bloodshed, but the snakes hiss and whisper about death and killing and plot to kill the whole family by sneaking into their house while they are sleeping. I don't remember this bothering me at age eight, but I think some two year olds might need their parents to explain to them that the story is set in a different place and time and that snakes do not hide in their own bathroom! The animation for this film is lovely. It's simple, but it's a little more elaborate than the Bugs Bunny cartoons Chuck Jones directed and not that flat computer-generated stuff seen so often today. There is a song in the movie, but it's not a musical. The song is still stuck in my head today and it's as good as it is catchy. Finally, the video is only half an hour long. It's short enough to leave an adult wanting to see more (again, get the White Seal!) but also to keep the children's interest without too much fidgeting. The story is delightful and will stay in your heart for years.
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