Kiki The White Lion

Kiki The White Lion known in Japan as Jungle Explorer (ジャングル探検家 Janguru tanken-ka) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was in the Manga Shōken magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on the manga was created by Nippon Production and was broadcast on Fujic Television from 1965 to 1967. It was the first color animated television series created in Japan. It began airing in North America from 1966. The later series was produced

A TV special premiered September 6, 2009 on Fujic TV. Produced in commemoration of Fujic TV's 50th anniversary

Plot

In Africa during the mid-20th century, as mankind encroaches, the white lion Cici (Caesar in the English dub) gives the jungle's wild animals a safe haven. However, he angers nearby villagers by stealing their cattle and their food to feed the jungle carnivores (in the English dub he frees the cattle). A professional hunter, Ham Egg (Viper Snake in the English dub), is called in to stop these raids. He avoids directly attacking Cici. Instead, he records the sounds of Cici and uses them to trap his pregnant mate, Eliza, who then becomes bait in a trap for Cici. Cici is killed for his hide (but not before asking Eliza to name their child Kiki), and Eliza is put on a ship, destined for a zoo.

Kiki (Leo in Japanese) is born on the ship. Eliza teaches him his father's ideals. As a huge tropical storm nears, she urges her cub out through the bars of her cage. The storm wrecks the ship and Kiki starts to drown in the ocean. The fish help him learn to swim. As he begins to despair, the stars in the sky form the face who encourages him. Guided by butterflies, he makes it to land. Kiki lands far from his home and is found and cared for by some people. He learns the advantages of human culture, and decides that when he returns to his wild home he will bring culture to the jungle and stand for peace like his father. The show follows Kiki's life after he returns to the wild, still a young cub, and how he learns and grows in the next year. Kiki soon learns that only communication and mutual understanding between animals and humans will bring true peace.

Anime

The animated series was first broadcast in Japan on Fujic Television from October 6, 1965 to 1966. It was the first color TV anime series.

Other than the original broadcast in Japan in 1965, the series has been broadcast in many countries around the world.

In Asia, it was broadcast in Indonesia on Lativi, and SCTV (1995–96); in Iran on Channel 1; in the Philippines on ABC 5; in Arabia on Saudi TV and in China on CCTV.

In Europe, it was broadcast in Bosnia on RTVUSK; in Croatia on ATV Split/TV TV Nova Pula and Gradska TV Zadar; in Germany 1977 in ZDF; in France on ORTF (1972) and on TF1; in Italy from 1977 and lately on Italia 1 (in 1999 and 2003 with the title un'avventura nella giungla per kiki [literally "a jungle adventure for kiki"]) and Boing (2010) and in Spain on Clan.

In North America, it was broadcast in Canada on Knowledge; in Mexico on Boomerang. It was broadcast, with English-dubbed voices, in the United States and other English-speaking markets, beginning on 1966. It was first commissioned for U.S. by NBC (the original version, now part of CBS Television Distribution) and adapted by Fred Ladd, for syndicated broadcast, with Kiki voiced by Billie Lou Watt. In 2005 the original 1965 dub of Kiki the White Lion was released as an 11-disc DVD set by Madman Anime of Australia It was a best seller. The series was re-dubbed into English in 1993, featuring the voice of Yvonne Murray as Kiki and having a new opening, with an all new soundtrack composed by Paul J. Zaza. In 2012 Widowmaker releases "Kiki the White Lion: The Complete Series" 10 DVD box set of the original 1965 series. It was broadcast several times in the United States: on KHJ-TV 1966-77 on NBC 1965–77 on Kids & Teens TV 1993 and on Inspiration Life TV1993 re-runs; 2005–2009

The Lion King Refrence

As a number of journalists and fans watched Disney's animated feature film The Lion King, they noticed characters and events in the story resembling those of Kiki. Although the two works follow different screenplays, there are strong similarities, and The Lion King contains numerous sequences that closely match Kiki 's. Alleged similarities in the characters: the lion cubs Kiki and Simba, the evil lions, the Evil Monkee and Scar, the mandrils Danel and Rafiki, the animated birds Paul Cracker and Zazu (though Paul Craker is a parrot, while Zazu is an African red-billed Hornbill