  We study analytically the Mott transition of the N-orbital Hubbard model
using dynamical mean-field theory and a low-energy projection onto an effective
Kondo model. It is demonstrated that the critical interaction at which the
insulator appears (Uc1) and the one at which the metal becomes unstable (Uc2)
have different dependence on the number of orbitals as the latter becomes
large: Uc1 ~ \sqrt{N} while Uc2 ~ N. An exact analytical determination of the
critical coupling Uc2/N is obtained in the large-N limit. The metallic solution
close to this critical coupling has many similarities at low-energy with the
results of slave boson approximations, to which a comparison is made. We also
discuss how the critical temperature associated with the Mott critical endpoint
depends on the number of orbitals.
