I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

Long before Elizabeth Taylor took an unwanted stroll with these gentle giants in "Elephant Walk", there was Sabu as the "Elephant Boy". This adorable adolescent who went on to play many delightfully mischievous free spirits obviously had that rare ability to cavort with nature unlike any other human. In this British made adventure drama from the Korda brothers, Sabu is an Indian boy who comes from a long line of ancestors who have emotional ties with these pachyderms. Yes, even as a beast of burden, the elephant can sense that their master has passed on to that great elephant graveyard in the sky, and they cry out in grief before going crazy. Only Sabu can stop the elephant (who was mourning his father, the leader of a hunt for wild elephants to be used as beasts of burden) and now he must find a way to prove his worth to take his father's place. The kindly British commander of this expedition (Walter Hudd) takes a shine to little Sabu who has become the target of jealous hatred by others in the quest. This will lead to the test that Sabu must pass in order to continue his family's legacy.A magnificently filmed adventure drama with dollops of humor and a memorable debut by a young boy who hadn't set out to become a child star makes this a must. Other films with certain animals show their love for humans (in spite of what some humans do to the animal kingdom) and these elephants are no exception. The scene of Sabu being picked up by his beloved elephant is warmhearted, as if the elephant considered him one of her own. Of course, the shots of the baby elephants are just adorable, and like the humorous scene in "Hatari" (1962) with a baby elephant falling for the pretty Elsa Martinelli, you can't help but go, "Ah.....". But like in all elephant movies (even "Dumbo"), you know that elephants deep down are wild creatures, and once man does their worst to them, it will not be a quiet payback. Scenes of a few other jungle animals (Bengal tigers, some cute little spider monkeys) add to the nature of the film. The movie also speaks to the innocence of children when it comes to their love for the animal kingdom and the world they are learning about, as well as the cynicism of the adults and how sometimes it is the child (or child-like quality in grownups) which brings peace to the world.

In his first film, young Sabu introduces himself as "Toomai of the Elephants" before leading an expedition to find a herd of elephants in the jungles of India. Though this is based on an adventure story by Rudyard Kipling, it runs more like a documentary. There is much time spent on filming Sabu cavorting with his elephant "Kala Nag" and others. Sabu relies on acting natural and hasn't perfected his English; people found him highly appealing, but he's sometimes more of a liability, herein. Sabu and the Korda productions got better. "Elephant Boy" is for viewers who really, really like Sabu and/or a lot of elephants on screen.**** Elephant Boy (4/5/37) Robert Flaherty ~ Sabu, Walter Hudd, Allan Jeayes, W.E. Holloway

A young ELEPHANT BOY dreams of becoming a hunter like his father, grandfather & great-grandfather.Rudyard Kipling's short story Toomai of the Elephants comes to life in this exciting little movie from Sir Alexander Korda's London Films. The original material has been embroidered upon, but the changes from Kipling, who had died in 1936, actually give the slight tale more punch without destroying its integrity. Location shooting, personally granted by the Maharaja of Mysore on his private lands, gives a veracity to the film which no studio back lot could equal.In the title role, young Sabu is utterly natural & authentic in his film debut. As equally at home in front of the lens as he is on the back of Kala Nag, the wise old elephant, Sabu is never anything less than completely convincing, whether he's scurrying up trees, bathing his pachyderm, or showing complete confidence in interacting around scores of the great beasts.Walter Hudd is persuasive as Petersen sahib, the hunter sent to round-up elephants for the Government. Allan Jeayes shows authority as Machua Appa, the elderly head tracker. Genial Wilfred Hyde-White, one of Britain's finest character actors, has a single scene as the local commissioner.The sequences dealing with the elephant herds, the lives of the mahouts, and the building of the stockade are all fascinating and give an almost documentary quality to the film at times.*************************Born Sabu Dastagir in 1924, Sabu was employed in the Maharaja of Mysore's stables when he was discovered by Korda's company and set before the cameras. His first four films (ELEPHANT BOY-1937, THE DRUM-1938, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD-1940, JUNGLE BOOK-1942) were his best and he found himself working out of Hollywood when they were completed. After distinguished military service in World War II he resumed his film career, but he became endlessly confined for years playing ethnic roles in undistinguished minor films, BLACK NARCISSUS (1947) being the one great exception. His final movie, Walt Disney's A TIGER WALKS (1964) was an improvement, but it was too late. Sabu had died of a heart attack in late 1963, only 39 years of age.

Wonderful little film adapted from Rudyard Kipling's story Toomai of the Elephants. Kipling's work always makes fine films, even if his British colonialism makes it somewhat dated. This particular film features an unpleasant master-servant relationship between the white man, Petersen (Walter Hudd), and the Indians. But, if you can get past that, and I think most mature people should be able to see the class system in its proper historical light, the movie is very enjoyable. Robert Flaherty discovered Sabu, later to star in such great films as The Thief of Bagdad, The Jungle Book, and Black Narcissus. Sabu is very good, though his English is sometimes difficult to understand. This was Flaherty's only narrative film - I expect that he directed the nature parts of the film and Zoltan Korda directed the actors. The best moments feel just like Flaherty's masterpieces, including a wonderful opening bit (discounting the unnecessary prologue) where Sabu, his elephant, and a monkey echo each other's movements as they all wake up in the morning. The cinematography is quite beautiful, as is the musical score. 8/10.