Animated film Return of the Jungle opens in Hyderabad with three out of five rating

The Hindi animated film Return of the Jungle, directed by Emmy-nominated animation filmmaker Vaibhav Kumaresh, has arrived in Hyderabad cinemas following its theatrical release on May 29, 2026. The film, which relies on traditional animation techniques, has garnered a rating of three out of five stars as a family-friendly film primarily geared toward children.

Produced by Vaibhav Kumaresh and Suranjana Kumaresh, the movie features a voice cast that includes Jaden Mascarenhas and Izaan Mirza voicing the lead character Mihir. Pichai Rangaswamy voices the grandfather character, Thatha. Other voice actors include Rohan Yadav, Aariel Narvekar, and Arav Bhatia as Ali, alongside Jhanvi Patro and Sagarika Chandrakanth as Sweety. Devansh Doshi voices the antagonist, Rahul Malhotra.

The plot revolves around a group of school-going friends—Mihir Verma, Ali, Rohan, Harpreet, Sweety, and Dhondoo—who study at Kendriya Vidyalaya. When Mihir registers for a fancy dress competition, he faces intimidation and bullying from an older student, Rahul Malhotra. To help Mihir overcome his fears, his grandfather, Thatha, narrates modernised Panchatantra fables that teach the children how to handle difficult situations, leading up to a final confrontation during a cricket match.

The film integrates two specific fables narrated by Thatha. These stories are designed to help Mihir tackle both his fears regarding the fancy dress competition and his team's performance against Rahul's team in the cricket match. The animation presents these moral lessons while maintaining an entertaining tone for children.

Unlike many modern films that utilize artificial intelligence, Return of the Jungle has been highlighted for its reliance on traditional animation. The film features a vibrant color palette and a background score composed by Ashish Shah (also known as Roto Shah) and Advait Nemlekar. The editing for the film was handled by Saikat Ray and Prakash Kurup.

Reviewers have described the film as a decent animated ride for children, praising its ability to modernise traditional Indian fables for a contemporary young audience. The film features creative adaptations of animal characters, such as a bear eating chocolate, a rabbit wearing glasses, and a mouse using a landline phone. While the simple and predictable storyline may offer less engagement for adult viewers, the movie successfully delivers educational lessons through entertaining sequences, including a musical number where forest animals sing in praise of a disguised fox.