Customer Reviews

Leo the Lion:Map of Danger [VHS]

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This is an episode of the second "Jungle Emperor Leo" animated series, the first of which ran on U.S. television in 1966 as "Kimba the White Lion." Both series were produced by pioneer Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka and based on his own long-running comic book. Here, Kimba has grown up to be an adult lion, Leo, who rules the jungle benevolently, but firmly. The series had harsh elements that made it more dramatic and realistic than most cartoon series of the 1960s, but also made it unacceptable for American TV, at least in the eyes of NBC executives at the time. Nearly two decades later, it played on the Christian Broadcasting Network with the violence, ironically, pretty much intact.

"The Blue Lion" tells the story of Zamba, a blue-skinned lion who invades Leo's jungle with his own pride of lion followers and tries to topple Leo from his throne. It's a particularly violent episode, with lots of brutal lion-to-lion combat as Leo and Zamba bite, scratch and grapple at close quarters. Zamba and his lions are also seen attacking, killing and eating some of the animals in Leo's charge, especially giraffes and zebras. When Zamba's aging uncle saves Leo and tells him the story of how Zamba was persecuted as a cub because he looked different, Leo resolves not to fight him anymore. Leo recalls how he was treated as a cub: "My name was Little Coward or, in the language of animals, Kimba." After one final confrontation with Leo, Zamba's closing lines are utterly heart-breaking.

It's a powerful story, beautifully told with stark, dramatic imagery, backed up by a moving orchestral score by Isao Tomita. The English dubbing is pretty awful on most of these tapes, but it's a little more tolerable here. The one thing I would take issue with is Leo's recollection of being called a little coward and his claim about the meaning of Kimba, the only direct reference to the original Kimba series I've heard in any of the Leo the Lion tapes. As I recall, Kimba was never a coward but was always a feisty, spunky, quick-to-fight little lion. There may have been times when he refused to fight an opponent and was accused of cowardice, but that's not the same as being called "Little Coward" throughout childhood as the English dubbing on this tape implies.

This is an early episode of the second "Jungle Emperor Leo" animated series, the first of which ran on U.S. television as "Kimba the White Lion." Both series were produced by pioneer Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka and based on his own long-running comic book. Since the original Kimba series was subjected to quite a bit of alteration by NBC, this tape represents a rare opportunity to see an example of Tezuka's animation in pretty much the form it was originally intended. The story has harsh elements that make it more dramatic and more realistic than most cartoon series of the 1960s, but also made it unacceptable for American TV, at least in the eyes of NBC executives at the time. So the series was not aired in the U.S. until the Christian Broadcasting Network picked up a few episodes and dubbed them into English in 1984.

This particular episode focuses on Leo (Kimba), the grown white lion-and king of the jungle--as he becomes a father and puts his baby son through a tough-love regimen by sending him out into the wild to learn how to fend for himself. The original animation is quite beautiful, although a couple of minutes have been cut. The original music score is intact. However, the English-language voice-acting is poorly done (by a completely different crew than did the original Kimba series). However, since there is comparatively little dialogue, it's not that much of a handicap here. Other recommended titles in the Leo the Lion series are "The Blue Lion" and "The Golden Bow."

Leo the Lion: Blue Lion is vol. 3 from the Palm Beach Entertainment series Leo the Lion King of the Jungle. Leo follows the series Kimba the White Lion as the next generation of white lion kings adventures on. I loved this video it contains excellent animation being a mid-80's style of Anime or Japanese animation and the characters are very endearing and colorful. The video also presents a moral lesson in life for it's viewers as well as enough action and plot to still entertain. My only critizations would be that the picture quality could be better with questionable filming quality. Also the ending of the video is not a typical "Happy Ending" and may not be suitible for all younger viewers. Otherwise though a must for any cartoon buff or Anime buff and one of the better animated series out there I feel. Don't take my word for it though, it's worth checking out!

"Leo the Lion and the Golden Bow" is volume 6 of an on going VHS series about a rare white lion king named Leo and his adventures and trails through out his jungle kingdom. Leo the Lion and the Golden Bow may be watched independently containing one complete episode. "What do I think of Leo the Lion and the Golden Bow?" All I can say is I'm captivated time and time again as I watch and rewatch this video! The animation is an early 1980's form of "Anime" or Japanese animation, a style that has become so popular of late amoung cartoon fans of all ages. As for the storyline it is unique and colorful, with a healthy blend of action and endearing characters guarenteed to enertain. "So looking for something exciting and different in an animated video selection, follow along with Leo into jungle thrills and adventure!

This movie was a hit with me when I was about 3, but now I cannot seem to take it anymore. The theme song goes on forever, the words are scratchy, and you seem to get lost in the plot.By the end, I was asleep. I think this movie is excellent for young viewers, but definitely not for me.

As Amazon's database becomes more and more scrambled, this review may appear on the wrong page. I am reviewing the tape "Leo the Lion: Leo Becomes a Father", featuring Leo the white lion -- this is NOT about the Goodtimes cheapie movie.

This is one of the best episodes from the TV series that was produced in 1966 as a sequel to the classic Kimba the White Lion. In this show Kimba is an adult (now given his original Japanese name, "Leo") and is the proud father of two cubs. His son seems to need an attitude adjustment, so Leo gives the cub a view of the world somewhat similar to that which Leo had to face as a cub. It's a strong story, and I'm surprised that some adults react poorly to it. It's a shame that this tape has nearly 4 minutes cut out of the story.

This video tape was manufactured by a small company with variable quality. You may get an SP copy, you may get an EP copy. You may get a HiFi soundtrack, you may not. Video quality is decent.

This episode's scene of celebration over the birth of the cubs was expanded with a big animation budget into the opening sequence of the Jungle Emperor Leo movie, now available on DVD.

As Amazon's database becomes more and more scrambled, this review may appear on the wrong page. I am reviewing the tape "Leo the Lion: Map of Danger", featuring Leo the white lion -- NOT the cheapie movie on GoodTimes home video.

The history of this show is that Kimba the White Lion was such a success the Japanese producers went ahead with a sequel series showing Kimba as an adult lion. But they didn't have a contract to export the show, so an English-language version had to wait 18 years. Leo The Lion (Leo was the Japanese name for Kimba) was dubbed in English in 1984, by an entirely different cast than that who worked on Kimba. Some script changes were added to distance the Leo The Lion shows from Kimba.

This episode, The Map of Danger, is not one of the strongest in the series. The story is that if the animals will get together and report dangerous areas, then all can avoid those areas. It's not a bad story, but doesn't advance the overall epic story of Kimba/Leo.

This video tape was produced by a small company with varible quality. You may get an SP copy, you may get an EP copy. You may get a HiFi soundtrack, you may not. Video quality is decent. 3 minutes have been removed from the episode for no apparent reason.

This is an episode of the second "Jungle Emperor Leo" animated series, the first of which ran on U.S. television in 1966 as "Kimba the White Lion." Both series were produced by pioneer Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka and based on his own long-running comic book. Here, Kimba has grown up to be an adult lion, Leo, who rules the jungle benevolently, but firmly. The story was more dramatic and realistic than most cartoon series of the 1960s, too much so for American TV, at least in the eyes of NBC executives at the time. Nearly two decades later, it played on the Christian Broadcasting Network with the violence, ironically, left pretty much intact.

"The Golden Bow" tells the story of an African man, Banda, and his son, Batsu, the last members of the Luqua tribe, and their flight from rival warriors dressed in leopard skins who seek to take from Banda his tribe's legendary golden bow. When Leo suspects humans of killing animals in his jungle, he looks for the nearest humans and finds Banda. When Banda is cleared of suspicions, he tells Leo the story of his lost tribe, and Leo decides to help him fight off the leopard warriors.

It's a grimly serious story, with tragic elements, well-told and filled with the stark, dramatic, almost abstract imagery that distinguished the best episodes of this series. It's all enhanced by a full-bodied orchestral score (with some African motifs) by series composer Isao Tomita, who peppers the score with a beautifully plaintive trumpet lament. The English dubbing is pretty horrible, with two or three actors, seemingly, doing all of the voices, but at least the artwork and the music take up the slack. The depiction of the African natives is dignified and respectful, especially when compared to the racial caricatures employed in another Leo the Lion episode, "The Case of the Moonlight Stone," which featured a fat, stereotypical tribal chief and a white woman character in blackface.

"Leo the Lion, Vol. 8: The Sabertooth Tiger" is an episode of the second "Jungle Emperor Leo" animated series, the first of which ran on U.S. television in 1966 as "Kimba the White Lion." Both series were produced by pioneer Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka and based on his own long-running comic book. For fans of Japanese animation, the most significant element in this episode is the dramatic production design employed to tell a story of Leo, the white lion and king of the jungle, as he ventures to the hidden, majestic Mount Moon to protect the frozen carcass of a woolly mammoth as a still-living sabertooth tiger seeks to extract it from the ice. The tiger, aided by a band of Triceratops-like dinosaurs, puts up quite a fight against Leo, going so far as to take Leo's son, Runi, hostage. It is only when nature, in the form of hailstorms and an avalanche, enters the fray that Leo gets some help. The storms and avalanche are magnificently done and backed by a full-bodied orchestral score by Isao Tomita. While the story may be a little simpler than others in the series, the spectacular visuals go a long way to reminding us just how instrumental Osamu Tezuka was in influencing the look and direction of Japanese animation.