The Jungle Book has been in and out of production of Kingdom Hearts since the beginning, and I don't really know if KHIII will finally be the time when it makes its debut. But I think that not only should it be in at long last, it would probably be the most poignant and thematically necessary world that you could visit for the climax of the series.
The Jungle Book is about a boy named Mowgli who lives in a jungle in India, with no knowledge of his family or the world of humans in general. But, unlike Tarzan, this doesn't bother Mowgli at all; in fact, he prefers it this way. He thrives on new interactions with other animals, and looks to understand and adapt with every creature he comes into contact with, from wolves to monkeys to elephants to vultures. It's the constant variety and promise of adventure that makes Mowgli tick. Even if the face of Shere Khan, the beast that everyone in their right mind is terrified of, he's not completely afraid. In fact, the only thing that Mowgli is afraid of is normalcy; having a life that doesn't involve constant adventure, variety, and new interactions. Throughout the film, the threat of returning him to the man village is just that: Mowgli will have to put aside everything that is fun and enjoyable and, well, lead a normal life. The jungle represents freedom, of a world that always seems to have something new, while the man village represents the docile, tamed life. It's safe, it's secure, but that kind of domesticated world is the thing that Mowgli fears the most: for after you settle down, what else is there to do but settle?
The themes of Mowgli are almost exactly the themes of Sora. Sora has been under the sea, in the Underworld, to the End of the World, and the workshop of Santa himself, but never once has he ever balked, commented on how strange things are, or expressed any kind of doubt or fears about the constant oddities that surround him. Because encountering these diverse people and worlds and seeing how they work is what he loves. Just like Mowgli trying to march with the elephant patrol, Sora is trying to blend in with everyone he comes into contact with. He wants to go to new and strange places; he wants to try and fit in with other cultures and experiences. Mowgli and Sora both share the joy of discovery and adventure: it's the reason that Sora wanted to leave Destiny Islands in the first place, and its the reason why, aside from a brief aside at the end of KHII, we have yet to see him return there for any great length of time. He doesn't want to settle down either.
Which sort of brings us to the interesting part: Just like how Mowgli is afraid of the man village for the threat of normalcy, does Sora share the same anxieties about having to return home, putting up his keyblade, and stop adventuring? Throughout his time, he comments on how he wants to find his friends, but never does he seem to be overly concerned about the state of his home, or the world around it. Indeed, he seems almost more worried about the fate of other worlds. If other worlds exist, it means he can keep exploring; he can stay in the jungle, as it were. But with the Destiny Islands, although he does wish for its safety and the safety of the people within it, there never seems to be a great inclination for Sora to return home. I believe that, like Mowgli, part of Sora doesn't want to return to the village. If he does, it would mean that he wouldn't get to meet new people, or find new places to explore. It would be safe, but it would be stagnant. In many ways, the man village and Destiny Islands both seem to represent an end to childhood and the beginning of adulthood, and I think there's part of Sora that fears that a great deal.
Which is why I think this is a theme that needs to be recognized in KHIII. For all intents and purposes, this is the end. Yes, there will probably be other games after this, and I don't doubt that Sora will be back, but with the end of Xehanort on its way, I think there needs to be some kind of reconciliation with Sora: what do you do when your adventure is over? When you've saved the world, and have to go back home, how do you cope with the idea of being in one place for an extended period of time? There's going to have to come a moment when Sora can't just up and leave his dinner behind and fly to other worlds, and when that time comes, how will he handle it? What happens when you have to leave the jungle behind?
At the end of the Jungle Book, Mowgli discovers that living with other humans is really just another form of learning, which is something he's always enjoyed anyways. In spite of his fears, he finds himself somewhat more willing to adapt, and maybe the man village, with its tamed way of life, isn't as frightening as he thought.
One wonders how Sora will cope when the time comes for him to leave the jungle and live with the other humans.
The Jungle Book has been in and out of production of Kingdom Hearts since the beginning, and I don't really know if KHIII will finally be the time when it makes its debut. But I think that not only should it be in at long last, it would probably be the most poignant and thematically necessary world that you could visit for the climax of the series.
The Jungle Book is about a boy named Mowgli who lives in a jungle in India, with no knowledge of his family or the world of humans in general. But, unlike Tarzan, this doesn't bother Mowgli at all; in fact, he prefers it this way. He thrives on new interactions with other animals, and looks to understand and adapt with every creature he comes into contact with, from wolves to monkeys to elephants to vultures. It's the constant variety and promise of adventure that makes Mowgli tick. Even if the face of Shere Khan, the beast that everyone in their right mind is terrified of, he's not completely afraid. In fact, the only thing that Mowgli is afraid of is normalcy; having a life that doesn't involve constant adventure, variety, and new interactions. Throughout the film, the threat of returning him to the man village is just that: Mowgli will have to put aside everything that is fun and enjoyable and, well, lead a normal life. The jungle represents freedom, of a world that always seems to have something new, while the man village represents the docile, tamed life. It's safe, it's secure, but that kind of domesticated world is the thing that Mowgli fears the most: for after you settle down, what else is there to do but settle?
The themes of Mowgli are almost exactly the themes of Sora. Sora has been under the sea, in the Underworld, to the End of the World, and the workshop of Santa himself, but never once has he ever balked, commented on how strange things are, or expressed any kind of doubt or fears about the constant oddities that surround him. Because encountering these diverse people and worlds and seeing how they work is what he loves. Just like Mowgli trying to march with the elephant patrol, Sora is trying to blend in with everyone he comes into contact with. He wants to go to new and strange places; he wants to try and fit in with other cultures and experiences. Mowgli and Sora both share the joy of discovery and adventure: it's the reason that Sora wanted to leave Destiny Islands in the first place, and its the reason why, aside from a brief aside at the end of KHII, we have yet to see him return there for any great length of time. He doesn't want to settle down either.
Which sort of brings us to the interesting part: Just like how Mowgli is afraid of the man village for the threat of normalcy, does Sora share the same anxieties about having to return home, putting up his keyblade, and stop adventuring? Throughout his time, he comments on how he wants to find his friends, but never does he seem to be overly concerned about the state of his home, or the world around it. Indeed, he seems almost more worried about the fate of other worlds. If other worlds exist, it means he can keep exploring; he can stay in the jungle, as it were. But with the Destiny Islands, although he does wish for its safety and the safety of the people within it, there never seems to be a great inclination for Sora to return home. I believe that, like Mowgli, part of Sora doesn't want to return to the village. If he does, it would mean that he wouldn't get to meet new people, or find new places to explore. It would be safe, but it would be stagnant. In many ways, the man village and Destiny Islands both seem to represent an end to childhood and the beginning of adulthood, and I think there's part of Sora that fears that a great deal.
Which is why I think this is a theme that needs to be recognized in KHIII. For all intents and purposes, this is the end. Yes, there will probably be other games after this, and I don't doubt that Sora will be back, but with the end of Xehanort on its way, I think there needs to be some kind of reconciliation with Sora: what do you do when your adventure is over? When you've saved the world, and have to go back home, how do you cope with the idea of being in one place for an extended period of time? There's going to have to come a moment when Sora can't just up and leave his dinner behind and fly to other worlds, and when that time comes, how will he handle it? What happens when you have to leave the jungle behind?
At the end of the Jungle Book, Mowgli discovers that living with other humans is really just another form of learning, which is something he's always enjoyed anyways. In spite of his fears, he finds himself somewhat more willing to adapt, and maybe the man village, with its tamed way of life, isn't as frightening as he thought.
One wonders how Sora will cope when the time comes for him to leave the jungle and live with the other humans.