This new chapter to the 1967 Disney classic (based on the Rudyard Kipling tales) is an earnest follow-up. So earnest, in fact, that it is nearly identical. This time, however, the young Indian boy Mowgli (voice of Haley Joel Osment) begins his adventures in the safe haven of a village compound, but then, after a reprimand from his new family, returns to the jungle where he reunites with Baloo (John Goodman), the boisterous blue bear who raised him. There's plenty of frolicking musical numbers, and danger lurks in the form of Shere Khan (a sinister Tony Jay), the evil tiger with a score to settle. The animation, directed by Steve Trenbirth, remains affectionately loyal to the film's old-school roots, and the expansion of Shanti (Mae Whitman), the girl who coaxed Mowgli from the wilds, to a potential love interest is a favorable upgrade. Phil Collins checks in as a goofball vulture and Connor Funk voices Ranjan, Mowgli's scene-stealing little stepbrother. It's not as moving as the original, but it is a respectful rehash that should charm a new generation of kids. At the Apple Valley, Entertainment, Flagship, Holiday, Providence Place Mall 16, Showcase, and Tri-Boro cinemas.