The Iron Giant (1999) — PICK

The Jungle Book (2016) — PICK

Two rollicking boy-focused adventures — one from the 1990s and one from this spring — are among recent Blu-ray releases.

Disney’s live-action re-imagining of The Jungle Book, directed by Jon Favreau, is the kind of film they don’t make anymore — except maybe with the soulful Pete’s Dragon (now in theaters, and you should definitely go catch it) and last year’s lovely Cinderella, Disney has started making them again.

Even in that company, The Jungle Book is unique among recent family films: a swashbuckling adventure blending elements of the 1967 cartoon with new narrative strands from Kipling and a Raiders of the Lost Ark cliffhanger vibe.

As sheer spectacle, the film is an immersive, exhilarating experience. The filmmakers whip up a lavish storybook vision of India that is heightened and intensified, utterly persuasive in rich detail, yet also dream-like.

Brad Bird has directed only three animated films, but every one of them is a gem, starting with his directorial debut, The Iron Giant.

A nostalgic fantasy in the spirit of E.T., it’s a story about a young boy (Eli Marienthal) growing up in a fatherless house.

His unusual friendship with a being from outer space — here a giant robot (Vin Diesel) with a penchant for eating metal — has to be hidden from his mom (Jennifer Aniston) and the federal government.