JUNGLE EMPEROR LEO(1997)
I had heard that this was a movie that The Lion King
was based on!! Not true! This is a very different movie.
Like a lot of Japanese anime, this is another nature versus
man story. In this, there are good and bad men who have
invaded the animal's jungle paradise, causing all kinds of
issues! The good men are very good, but the bad men are
even worse, killing indiscriminately, caring only about a
treasure that they think is at the end of their trek.
The story and the animation are very good, but this is
not a happily ever after story, as several of the main
characters die! Very much worth a watch, or two, or
three!
Sadly, this quits with about five minutes left of the film,
but if you re-start it, go to the chapters menu and go to
the credits, you can go back far enough to see what happens! A+
A review from IMDb.com:
If you liked the 1966 "Kimba the White Lion" you will LOVE
this movie. VERY WELL DONE, not another cheap knockoff!!!
The animation work is even better than the original.
When you see this movie, you will wonder what the TV series
would have been like with a big budget! Based loosely on some
of the 1966 story lines and some new ones.
You do miss the voices of 1966 crew but this crew did a very
good job. Again, the voice over work in this movie is much
better than any of the KIMBA KNOCK OFFS that have turned
up through the years.
If you have not seen the ORIGINAL 1966 KIMBA THE WHITE
LION TV series, this would be a good movie to introduce you
to the main characters. The names have changed but the
personalities remain much the same, and as with the original
the hero doesn't always win! - pdp-8