Director
J. Falconer
Cast
Lee Tockar………George (voice)
Paul Dobson………Ape (voice)
Brittney Irvin………Ursula (voice)
Tabitha St. Germain………Maggie (voice)
Michael Daingerfield………Announcer
The Show
George Of The Jungle has always been one of the most underappreciated animated series in cartoon history. The humor is just there and is incredibly funny if you’re willing to give it a chance and just enjoy it mindlessly. George lives in the jungle where he was raised and his best friend is a big ape. George was usually summoned by the dwellers of the jungle to come to their rescue and save them from whatever may have threatened their existence. He wasn’t the smartest of men, but knew what was right and was always around when he was needed.
The original show is a tongue-in-cheek look at Tarzan so it could be made a bit more humorous. It led to the Brendan Fraser live-action film and there was also a direct-to-video sequel. Now comes a new dawning for George and it is in the same frame of mind that Ren & Stimpy was in when it was on the air, only not nearly as offensive. The animation and comedy will entertain children of any age and even get some giggles out of the adults when they sit down to have family time. No matter what era George is in, he’ll always be king of the …jungle!
Episodes
Brother George: After George gets his a-hem, butt handed to him by some pandas, he begins to ponder what’s wrong with him. That is when a tree shrew shows up and invites him to become one of them so he can battle on their side in the GBTC (the Great Battle To Come). But when Ape finds out what George has been doing, he has George take the test to enter the brotherhood of the monkeys because it will be the apes facing off against the tree shrews in the GBTC and Ape doesn’t want George against him.
Rebel Without A Claw: The bigger prey-hunting animals of the forest are tired of getting pushed around by George when all they want to do is eat. Ursula and Maggie think the smaller animals rely too much on George for help so they offer some self defense classes. Needless to say but the natural order of life in the jungle is turned completely upside down and needs to be fixed. Seeing the rabbits and other small creatures as tough guys while the tigers and lions drink vegetable smoothies…well, it just isn’t right.
The Video
The episodes are shown in Full Screen format and look pretty good. The animation is crisp and all the colors are bright making for a good viewing experience.
The Audio
The episodes are heard in Stereo Sound and come through nicely as well. All dialogue, sound effects, and of course the music is just enough and all that’s needed for an animated series such as this.
The Inside Pulse
As I said, it really doesn’t matter what era you watch George Of The Jungle in, it’s going to be funny and enjoyable. The disc I got was a screener that only included two episodes and it would have been nice to see a couple more at least to get a full idea of how this new series is going to pan out. Still, the episodes that were included were amusing and short enough to keep my attention focused and even get a few laughs out of. It’s kind of hard to view any of the older episodes from the sixties and there were only a handful of them anyway, so why not give this version a shot. No matter what, everyone has to agree that it’s better then the live action films right?
