Kuala Lumpur: Sabah's ecotourism credentials may soar along with arrivals when moveigoers worldwide discover some of the scenes in the blockbuster movie Jungle Book were actually inspired by the State's forests.Thanks to Visual Effects artist Helen Brownell who spent time in Sabah doing work as a Raleigh International volunteer 10 years ago, the work by the State Government in making Sabah's forests among the best conserved in the nation and region have not been in vain.Brownell was so inspired by her visit that she included Sabah's forest in some of the scenes in the movie.
ADVERTISEMENT
She had spent about 10 weeks in pristine areas such as the Imbak Canyon, Mount Kinabalu and the Crocker Range.she works in The Moving Picture Company and since 2014, has been involved in Disney Pictures' live-action retelling of the adventures of Mowgli and his animal friends.
"Nothing can compare to the real experience of being in the jungle. But having the challenge of recreating such an amazing environment in computer generated imagery was a real joy," she said in a blog posting on raleighinternational.org."So many things during the project would spark up memories of my Borneo adventure.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I was excited to re-create some of the beautiful environments from my trip and let my adventure influence a lot of the work I did towards the jungle in the film," she added."I hope that when you see the film, you really get a sense of the jungle coming to life," she said.
ADVERTISEMENT
"There are hundreds of species of plants and trees and animals reflecting the rich variety of life," said Brownell, adding that she hoped to return to Sabah and experience its jungles again.State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said he was not surprised that Sabah's jungle had been an inspiration for Brownell, adding that the state's "conservation records speak for themselves."Sabah Forestry Department director Datuk Sam Mannan said the jungle and parks that Brownell had experienced during her visit are still there, adding that the State Government was in fact enlarging the totally protected areas.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
"To me, the forest in the movie really looks like the jungle of Sabah instead of those in India where it was supposed to be," said Mannan, pointing out that the state's lowland dipterocarp trees were among the tallest in the world.He said the fact that Sabah's jungle had been the inspiration for the movie makers was a pleasant surprise.
