Behind the Scenes of 'The Jungle Book' -- See How the Realistic World Was Created

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The Jungle Book is getting an upgrade this spring from nostalgic animated classic to live-action heart-pounder, and ET is taking you behind the scenes of the highly anticipated movie.

The reimagining of the film based on Rudyard Kipling's collection of stories follows Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who's been raised by a family of wolves. Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle, however, when the fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba), sees him as a threat.

WATCH: The Stunning First Trailer for the Live-Action 'The Jungle Book' Is Absolutely Terrifying

While everything on-screen looks real, Mowgli is actually the only live-action character in the film, with the rest the result of a lot of digital magic. With more than 70 creatures and a set that includes earth, fire, water and 100,000,000 different leaves, it took more than 800 graphic artists more than a year to create.

Even with all the special effects, the heart of the movie comes from its dynamic performances.

"As with all of my films, I always have to have the right cast," director Jon Favreau says.

Along with Elba and Sethi, that cast includes Sir Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Scarlett Johansson (Kaa), Christopher Walken (King Louie), Bill Murray (Baloo), Lupita Nyong'o (Raksha) and Giancarlo Esposito (Akela).

Disney
Disney
Disney
Disney
Disney
Disney

The Jungle Book swings into theaters April 15.