The 1966 film about a brave white lion was based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka and later inspired Disney’s Lion King (1994).
The story of the little white lion Kimba (meaning ‘brave’) begins when his father Panju is killed and his pregnant mother captured by poachers. The white cub with black marks on his ears is born on the ship that is taking his mother to a Japanese zoo, but the lioness pushes him out of the cage so that he can live through many adventures, return home, re-establish peace between humans and animals, and become the emperor of the jungle, just like his father.
Osamu Tezuka’s Jungle Emperor was first published in Manga Shōnen from 1950 to 1954. Author of over 500 manga (including Astroboy and Metropolis), Tezuka is also believed to be the creator of several popular manga and the first mangaka to have used cinematographic narrative in manga. According to Tezuka, his use of montage was inspired by the work of Walt Disney.
Kimba’s story was adapted into the first ever color anime series shown on Japanese television. The success of the show, which started in 1965, led to the creation of the feature film that will be screened at Garage. Over the last seventy-five years Kimba’s story has inspired several adaptations, however, Eiichi Yamamoto made his animated characters in collaboration with Tezuka, which has allowed him to preserve the style, kindness, and cheerfulness of the original manga. Many Kimba fans believe that Jungle Emperor has also inspired Disney’s famous Lion King released in 1994.
Kimba the White Lion (Jungle Emperor)
Directed by Eiichi Yamamoto. Japan, 1966. 75 min.
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