Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1975)

I never saw this until today. I remember reading the book & enjoying it greatly. Like another viewer, I felt sorry for the mamma snake, she just wanted to protect her babies. But, She also wanted to kill the whole family. I sort of got a view of it in real life. My cat, Orbs, brought home a baby rattlesnake & was playing Rikki-Tikki-Tavi with IT. I managed to grab her & my dad killed it & buried it. I felt sorry for that one too. He was just minding his own business when my crazy cat abducted him.

Thinking back this was one of my favorite movies as a kid, after seeing it for the first time, I remember dragging my mom to every movie rental store in the town, but could never find it. I have seen it maybe 3 or 4 times in my life, but when ever it would come on, I was instantly glued to the TV. It is a story about a mongoose, who is swept out of his den, by a flash flood, and is then adopted by a caring family, who drys him, cleans him, and fattens him up with bananas. In return for the kindness they have shown to him, he saves the family from 2 evil cobras living in their gardens. I would recommend this movie to any Chuck Jones fan, or anyone who loves classic cartoons, and also to check out his other classic 'The White Seal'.

When I was growing up, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was one of those films the teachers and teacher's aides at my elementary school would pull out of the AV room and spool around on film projectors during inclement weather. I can still here the clacking of the film spools wind around even when I watch on my DVD. By middle school and high school, I had all but forgotten about Rikki-Tikki-Tavi until I saw it for sale on DVD. Now that I'm an adult (or something close to resembling one), I can appreciate the stylization Chuck Jones put into crafting Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. This animated short has chills, thrills, spills, and it has enough for the adults that won't make them sick viewing after viewing, which is why I think the teachers would pull Rikki-Tikki-Tavi out of the closet every time the weather was bad and needed to keep us indoors. I saw this film first in the early '80s, and I was somewhat astonished that it was made in the mid-70s, but that makes sense seeing as to how my elementary school was built in the late-70s. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi holds up well and looks as though it could be shown on Cartoon Network next to today's kids cartoons. It's a must see for anyone with a kid or has been one!

Technically, yes, this is a dark tale. And it can be a little frightful to some children. But I wouldn't worry. There is a happy ending. I remember watching this when I was a child. Not in 75, more like '90 or '91. Sorry, just wanted to make that clear. :D But I loved this cartoon. It was so interesting to me. Sometimes it scared me a little. But even when I was a kid, I loved scary stories. So, I would highly recommend for adults and kids. But if the kids scare easy, you might want to warn them. But also read the book. Yes, even though I am adult now, I still enjoy these classic cartoons. It's a great one.10/10