Customer Reviews

Jungle Emperor Leo

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I could not ask for a better DVD of this movie, short of an anamorphic transfer. AnimeWorks has done very well with the film, providing subtitles that are very faithful to the Japanese dialog, and an English-dubbed track that is well performed and also true to the original. This is a movie I have wanted ever since it was released to video in Japan, and AnimeWorks' US release of it is great.

This is hardly a movie for kiddies. The ending leaves adults traumatized, especially if they've been lifelong fans of Kimba The White Lion--this movie supposedly tells the second half of Dr. Osamu Tezuka's epic fable. But it digresses considerably from the original published story, and thoroughly ignores the universe created in the original Kimba TV series, perhaps in an effort to stand on its own and lose the "second half" stigma.

What it achieves, however, is to reinforce the impression created by Dr. Tezuka himself when he created his second (sequel) series to Kimba back in 1966: that he really is only interested in writing for the young hero starting out in life. The sequel TV series, which covered most of the same story elements included in this movie, became the story not of the hero Kimba as an adult, but of the maturing of his cub Rune. Here, in Jungle Emperor Leo, the title character is mostly just a part of the background for Rune's story. Rune gets the interesting imagery, the engaging character, the hope and promise for the future.

Not that Rune's story is a bad one, not at all, it's just that one wonders why the movie isn't titled "The Next Jungle Emperor, Rune".

I said that Rune's story isn't bad at all, but it is a shame that they changed it so radically from what Dr. Tezuka wrote and published. They lost the deeper significance and lasting value of it.

Really, if you want to know Dr. Tezuka's white lion epic, watch the Kimba The White Lion TV series (which, contrary to what "anime historians" want to tell us, is not very different in spirit from Tezuka's original story) and then track down the second season of the TV show, which is called Leo the Lion -- it is available in two versions: one is uncut and complete and the other has a lot cut out. Caveat emptor.

This movie is probably better appreciated by those who don't know its roots.

The production itself is superb. Isao Tomita provides the symphonic score, as he did for both original TV series, and again it is sweeping and powerful. The opening title sequence is an expansion of his original Jungle Emperor TV theme, and it produces goosebumps. The animation is for the most part lovely. CG and traditional animation are mixed, usually with great success. All the characters are done in conventional cel animation, very satisfyingly. I find myself wanting more time with the main characters; the movie seems to rush to the end.

Don't expect a typical happy Disney-style fantasy with JUNGLE EMPEROR LEO: although lush and gorgeous and overflowing with cuddly animal characters, this is actually a more sophisticated story charged with dramatic twists and packed with one-two-three emotional punches. Osamu Tezuka crafted this tale more than fifty years ago, and its impact still seems to be in effect to this day. The story was adapted into two television series-the first of which chronicles the opening years of Leo the white lion and his destiny to become king (shades of THE LION KING here, huh?), and the second involving Leo's adulthood. The second TV show was eventually remade into this feature film by Tezuka Productions, released eight years after Tezuka's death in 1989. The purpose of Tezuka Productions is to provide new incarnations of his work through animation, and this film (in addition to another, METROPOLIS) is no exception.

JUNGLE EMPEROR LEO has only one major thing going against it, and that is a somewhat split plotline. On one hand, you have Leo the white lion, trying to deal with a greedy treasure hunter destroying his jungle as well as a deadly virus threatening many of the animals' lives. On another, you have one of his two cubs, Lune, curious about the humans after discovering a music box in a wrecked airplane, swept away from his home and sold to a circus, discovering just how complex humans can be. Then we have a long, perilous journey to a snowy mountain where some supposedly powerful "Moonlight Stones" can save the world from an energy crisis. While these stories are well told and leave the viewer with something to think about, they never intertwine and occasionally come off as a bit forced. In fact, it sometimes feels as though this movie is trying to do too much in 99 minutes, leaving little time for character development. Minor characters such as a bullying little elephant and his intimidating father, a gazelle, a mynah bird, a baboon, and even a woolly mammoth have rather small screentime and never really emerge as fully defined personalities, making their presence a tad superfluous. This is only a minor quibble, however, as this movie nonetheless is very engrossing and appealing not just for children, but for grownups too.

The animation is lush and amazing to look at, and Isao Tomita's music is simply breathtaking. (And to think that I knew him as the man responsible for the trippy yet innovative TOMITA PLANETS!) The movie isn't for very young children, however, for the sight of animals shot mercilessly (including a warthog and a rhino!) may be disturbing. But the real emotional gutwrenchers of the movie are seeing the animals suffer from the effects of the jungle plague and the climactic finale, which involves a very moving yet heartbreaking sacrifice which will leave youngsters in tears as much as it left me. Such sequences, however shocking they may be, only help make the strong messages this movie carries very clear, and they do that with a huge touch of pathos.

One thing I forgot to mention was the dub, recorded by NYAV Post. It is probably one of the most underrated, less talked about English tracks of Anime from 2003, which is unfortunate, because this adaptation deserves better recognition. Directed by Michael Sinterniklaas (whose biggest dream was always to dub a Tezuka production into English), this dub features not only a very commendable script adaptation (by Sinterniklaas himself, who also voices Tommy the gazelle in the dub) and vocal performances which breathe life and emotion to the characters. Dan Green voices the title character with resonance and regality, and Tara Jayne (best known as Filia from THE SLAYERS TRY) does an amazing job accentuating Lune's spunkiness. Veronica Taylor has a small part as Lune's wife, Queen Lyre, but she makes the use of it... there's one scene where she'll make you cry. The best voices belong to the greedy hunter Ham Egg, voiced, interestingly, by Etoh himself from RECORD OF LODOSS WAR, Ed Paul, and especially Mike Pollock as the kindly Dr. Moustache. I never would have guessed that his performance was just a "quick and dirty" affair; he does an absolutely bang-up job delivering just the right amount of gentle comic relief, sternness, and later, emotional pathos. When I met Sinterniklaas at the ANIME NEXT 2004 convention, he told me that it meant so much to him that I really enjoyed this dub; I found it so hard to believe that he had a short period of time to record it. He told me that he has plans to get the dub revamped for a theatrical release. Whether it happens or not, I nonetheless rate this dub very, very highly as one of the best around. (If you're reading this, Mike, I hope you know that I haven't changed my thoughts on this dub since the first time I heard it. Keep up the good work!)

Unfortunately, the DVD release by Media Blasters isn't really anything special; the transfer is good and the audio is brilliant, but the only extra is the Japanese trailer. A gem like this deserves better. Nonetheless, this is a very beautiful, emotionally charged jungle adventure, and I recommend it heartily, despite its flaws.

Anime fans have accused Disney of using this work by Tezuka as a source of inspiration for THE LION KING. I don't know whether this is true or not, but my appeal for JUNGLE EMPEROR LEO does not diminish my admiration for the Disney movie of the same title. Both are excellent jungle stories in their own right.

This is just a great piece of animation. Its the conclusion of Osamu Tezuka's Jungle Emperor Leo (Kimba the White Lion is the americanized name) story as told in his manga. You can't deny Lion King is copied from Leo, even the monkey wiseman and motor mouthed parrot are present in the manga that outdates Lion King by about 44 years. Typically, Disney is still in complete denial about the truth of this matter. However, unlike that knock-off, this film doesn't pull its punches so it can transcribe the greatest story posible. The themes presented here a very powerfull (much more so than the Lion King). The film is quite touching, and I believe much can be learned from morals of this story. Osamu Tezuka was truely a visionary. Perhaps one of the greatest authors of the of the 20th century, even if he drew his stories instead of only using written word. The animation is also quite wonderfull, coming from one of anime's greatest studios, Mad House. I highly suggest giving this one example of Tezuka's work a chance. I also wish more of this series would be released on DVD. They could perhaps start with 1989's Jungle Emperor Leo tv series. However, the ending to that show was altered because of sponsors concern for the children's emotions. This film is the true conclusion of the Leo saga transcribed to film for the first time.

It seems that some people have trouble dealing with this movie. It is based on the same manga that gave us Kimba the White Lion and, a step removed (and oft denied), The Lion King. It is not the same type of story, however. Kimba gave us light and hope for a new kind of future. Jungle Emperor Leo is more along the lines of what actually happens as man storms through nature with greed as the driving force. If you can look at the entire picture, however... look at young Lune's story, you will see the hope is still there. Another generation has to pass, though. Overall, it is sad, but so is the actual relationship of man to nature. Where Kimba depicted the hope for a new future, perhaps the tragedy in this film can inspire change in a different way.

I first saw this at Christmas, because I got it as a Christmas present. I watched it and I was amazed, it's the greatest anime ever made yet. Unico is still a close second, another great anime, also by the same person, Osamu Tezuka - he's an amazing person!
I think the voices fitted the characters perfectly, and the animation and pictures were beautiful. There are some cels sold sometimes on ebay from this movie, and elsewhere. It's not a very recent anime, about 1997 but all the same, go check it out.
I've also seen the Kimba the white lion series (the 1966 one) every single episode and it's been really good. I have a lot of favourite characters! There were some funny parts like when Lune and Lukio discover the music box, when Tomy gets this stuff put on his tail to stop it from burning:
"YEAAAAAAAAAAAOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" he screams then he jumps around the place shouting, "OW!! OW! OW! IT BURNS!" in a really funny tone.
They all scream and hide from the music box because it makes the chimey sound.
The movie is a little sad too, and it lives up to Osamu Tezuka's manga too (although I've never read it, I've seen some pictures from it on the internet, but that's it.)
Well, here's my little review, all in all, it's a perfect anime movie. It's really good and you won't regret it if you buy it.

This film is a true achievement in animation history. Jungle Emperor Leo is Osamu Tezuka's life's work and even after his death in 1989, his work continues to inspire us all. The only flaw in this new edition to the Jungle Emperor Leo(Kimba the White Lion) saga is a bit of unbalanced story telling. This film was based on the second manga story from Tezuka and the story is a bit too much to be just a film. Although it's great to watch the whole story unfold in this beautiful film, there might have been a bit too much story to squeeze into 100 minutes. We have cases where it seems like part of the story is being ignored while another part of the story is going too fast. Reguardless I still highly recomend this.

NOW LET'S GET TO THE FUN STUFF!! I know that some of you may be wondering why I titled this "The Real Lion King". For those who don't know The Lion King was blatenly ripped off from Jungle Emoeror Leo(Kimba the White Lion). Every last aspect from the Lion King all the way from the stampede, to the pink birds in the opening sequence was ripped from Osamu Tezuka's masterpiece. It's kind of obvious which came first. The original Jungle Emperor Leo manga was writted in the 50's and animated in the early 60's. The Lion King was released in 1994. Do yourself a favor and check out the real story. You will be pleased. Just make sure you have a box of tissues with you, it's a bit more serious than you would expect.

This movie is sad but cute at the same time. What I like about this movie is that it's an anime film but is in english. Little kids 5 and under should really not watch it though.

Jungle Emperor Leo has been a childhood memory that we have had the pleasure of revisiting with our children. This is a great story and a wonderful way to spend a rainy day at home.
Thank you.

(Warning Spoilers)
They fit a lot of story in a short amount of time. Every few minutes the scene changes to a new location. Even after watching it a few times it still feels like a long time has past. Most movies have a slow pace and when watched a second time feel a lot shorter. Jungle Emperor Leo holds your attention and each part feels like an entire movie in itself. For this reason alone it was worth buying. The story and animation is also vary good. My only problem with the animation is a scene at the beginning when a heard of zebra are running. They used a mixture of cell and computer animation which often does not work well. The end result being that the zebra do not look like they are part of the environment they are running in. Other then that the only other part that I didn't like was the way that Hamegg dies. I just thought it was a poor choice.(if you decide to watch it you will see what I mean.) I still enjoyed the movie and think that most people will like this regardless of what type of movie they like.

I met someone who thought this was a rip-off of the Lion King, I said "No, this is 20 or 30 years older, & you're probably thingking of Kimba the White Lion."
Concidering when this was made, the animation quality looks very high-budget. The snow is VERY realistic, the colors are devine, & the movements feel natural. The cubs look SO cute, but the humans look hideous (typical shounen 60s design)
If your kid asked you a bunch of annoying questions or cried when Bambi's mother was shot, by the end of this movie, almost EVERYONE dies.
This movie has bad stuff like burning trees, shooting endangered species for fun, murder, suicide, & orphaning, so keep this one away from the kids. Aside from all that, the show is pleasent, mellow, & not really that violent at all. (no blood or bodies)