Kimba the White Lion - The King is Dead, All Hail the King (Vol. 1) [VHS]

Four episodes per tape.

1. "Go, White Lion"
Caesar, like all fathers, wanted Kimba to live in a world where all lived in harmony and to rule justly when the time came to succeed him. Sadly, before his tiny lion son had a chance to be a child, hunters descended on the village and destroyed the family. Only little Kimba survived... and now he must assume the throne and its tremendous responsibilities!

2. "Jungle Thief"
In the wilds, the first concern is usually food. Never was that more true than now, as the reserves are quickly being consumed and the harmony that Kimba has striven toward is threatened. Only a miracle can save them!

3. "Dangerous Journey"
Plague has fallen upon the jungle! An outbreak of Stony Mountain Speckled Fever has stricken most of Kimba's friends! There is a cure, known to only one ancient sheep... but the task to retrieve the antidote is one filled with danger!

4. "Great Caesar's Ghost"
Samson does not agree with Kimba's lofty idea that all animals should live in harmony and work toward the common good. In fact, he thinks it might be better if he was the one making the rules... starting with which animals should be tonight's dinner!

Osamu Tezuka based Kimba on his popular comic strip, "Jungle Emperor." It was the first color Japanese series to air in the U.S. when it debuted in 1966.

Kimba is born on a ship taking his mother to a European zoo. When the ship sinks, Kimba swims back to Africa, where he's hailed as the successor to his father, Caesar. With the help of his friends Dan'l Baboon and Pauley Cracker, a loudmouth parrot, Kimba protects all the animals. He insists on fair play, honesty, and trying one's best, sometimes to the point of priggishness. Kimba--who is, improbably, a vegetarian--organizes the planting of a communal garden to provide food during droughts in "Jungle Thief." Samson the Cape buffalo challenges Kimba's democratic ideas in "Great Caesar's Ghost." Dan'l and Pauley put on the rug made out of Caesar's skin and pose as his ghost in this very odd episode.

The animation is extremely limited, even by the undemanding standards of '60s TV cartoons. Kimba's oversized round head, large eyes, and huge ears look cute rather than feline, and may appeal to very small children. Kids over 8 will quickly grow impatient with the slow pacing and lack of action. For ages 3 and up; animals occasionally engage in mild cartoon fights. --Charles Solomon