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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 5.03 - JUNE 2000
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Which Is The Real Kimba? Similarly, Pioneer's The New Adventures of Kimba the White Lion is not a sequel. It is a blend between a remake of the original TV series and a more faithful adaptation of the beginning of Tezuka's cartoon novel. Most of the supporting cast who had been added for the 1960s TV series are missing, and the remaining characters (except Kimba) retain the original names that Tezuka gave them. There is less humor and a more somber, even tragic, mood. Those curious to see how the original Kimba might have looked if Tezuka had not been constrained to tailor it to American TV standards should see this. There is also a more modern character design.
The 1990s Canadian version of Kimba the Lion Prince is actually quite compatible in quality with 1990s TV cartoon standards. (The quality of the video production, however, leaves much to be desired!) It has the misfortune to be compared with the exceptionally good original version. The animation itself, of course, is identical. But Tezuka spent extra money to impress the American TV market. The original background music is by composer Isao Tomita (better known for his serious electronic music in the 1970s and 1980s) and scored for a full symphony orchestra. The new synthesizer music in Kimba the Lion Prince may compare well against most 1990s TV cartoon scores, but not against the rich tonalities of a full orchestra. (The beautiful music in Kimba is one of its best-remembered aspects by nostalgic fans.) Whether the new scripts match the witty 1960s scripts may be a matter of taste, but NBC's producer-director, Fred Ladd, and his crew of writers and voice actors (Cliff Owens, Billie Lou Watt, Gilbert Mack and Hal Studer) were among the top veterans in the profession, producing the 1960s and '70s American versions of such fondly-remembered TV cartoons as Astro Boy and Gigantor, and animated features like The Little Norse Prince, Jack and the Witch and (Animal) Treasure Island. On the other hand, the new translations for Kimba the Lion Prince again have the virtue of retaining more of the original character names (except, obviously, for Kimba himself). But whether one happens to prefer the 1960s dubbings or the 1990s dubbings, the fact remains that the 1990s remake is not "the original lion adventure that started it all!" That is the original 1966 Kimba, the White Lion. And now, thanks to the ending of a 20-plus year bankruptcy trial in Japan and the patient waiting of The Right Stuf International, the real Kimba is available in America once again. Remember to search the Animation World Magazine Archives to find more articles on anime and related topics. Fred Patten has written on anime for fan and professional magazines since the late 1970s. |
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