Mowgli and the beasts: ‘The Jungle Book’ goes on Disney’s small screen

Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities, this week on the Disney Channel. The release of the animated feature “The Jungle Book” this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.

With great catchy tunes such as “The Bare Necessities,” “I Wanna Be Like You” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” the film tells the Rudyard Kipling tale--more or less--about Mowgli, a young Indian boy raised by wolves.

The story begins when Mowgli’s wolf elders learn of the return of the dangerous tiger Shere Khan to the jungle. The wolves decide that Mowgli must return to the village to live with other humans, and they send him on his way with a panther guide. Along the way the two meet up with various characters, including Baloo the laid-back bear and Shere Khan himself.

Sebastian Cabot, Phil Harris and Sterling Holloway lend their voices to the film, which was the last animated feature in which Walt Disney was personally involved.

“The Jungle Book,” Sunday 7-9 p.m. Disney Channel. For all ages.

MORE KIDS’ SHOWS

A Southern woman is suspected of hiding runaway slaves during the Civil War in the Wonderworks presentation “A Stranger in My House” (Sunday 11 a.m.-noon KCET). For ages 8 and up.

Chris Makepeace and Adam Baldwin star in the 1980 comedy My Bodyguard (Sunday 3:30-5 p.m. KCBS), about a high-school student who hires another student to protect him from the class bully. For ages 10 and up.

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd play lots of different roles in Back to the Future Part II (Sunday 9-11:30 p.m. ABC), the continuation of Robert Zemeckis’ trilogy of movies. This one sends Marty forward in time. For ages 8 and up.

College students from across the country compete in a two-week tournament on Jeopardy! (Weekdays 7:30-8 p.m. KCBS). For ages 14 and up.

The normally level-headed Blossom falls in love and runs away on the season finale of her show (Monday 8:30-9 p.m. NBC). For ages 8 and up.

Back-to-back episodes of The Wonderful World of Disney (Tuesday 8-10 p.m. KTTV) take an interesting look at nature. “The Living Desert” offers footage of desert flora and fauna; “Jungle Cat” looks at the South American jaguar in its natural habitat. For all ages.

MTV’s Doctore Dre and Ed Lover appear on an episode of The Royal Family (Wednesday 8-8:30 p.m. CBS). For ages 11 and up.

The Karate Kid (Wednesday 8-10 p.m. KTTV) is a 1984 movie about another picked-on teen and his solution to stopping a bully. For ages 9 and up.

A special episode of In Living Color (Thursday 8:30-9 p.m. Fox) parodies popular performers from Paula Abdul to Hammer. For ages 13 and up.

Beverly Hills, 90210 has its season finale (Thursday 9-10 p.m. Fox). For ages 11 and up.

The 1988 movie The Pistol: Birth of a Legend (Friday 7-9 p.m. Family Channel), based on the life of 1970s basketball star Pete Maravich, is set during Maravich’s 13th year, when his father inspired him to be the best. For ages 10 and up.