Donkey Kong Country (TV series)
A performance-capture animated series based on the Donkey Kong video games.
Donkey Kong Country is a 1997 animated television series co-produced by Nelvana Limited and others, based on the Nintendo and Rare video game of the same name. It is notable as the first television series to be primarily animated using performance capture technology. The show originally aired in France in 1996 before becoming a full series that broadcast from 1997 to 2000.
Quick Facts
- Based on
- Donkey Kong by Nintendo; Donkey Kong Country by Nintendo and Rare
- Developer
- Jacques Goldstein; Philippe Percebois
- Director
- Mike Fallows
- Theme music
- Pure West
- Opening theme
- "Donkey Kong Country"
- End theme
- "Donkey Kong Country" (instrumental)
- Country
- Canada
- France (season 1)
- Taiwan (season 2)
- Language
- English; French
Facts from the source article.
Cast and characters
Donkey Kong, voiced by Franck Capillery in French and Richard Yearwood in English (with Sterling Jarvis as his English singing voice), is the strong future ruler of Kongo Bongo Island who guards the Crystal Coconut and uses the catchphrase "Banana Slamma" when fighting. His sidekick Diddy Kong is voiced by Hervé Grull in French for Season 1 and Lucile Boulanger for Season 2, with Donald Reignoux providing his French singing voice in Season 2; Andrew Sabiston voices him in English. Cranky Kong, the wise mentor, is voiced by Yves Massicotte (French, Season 1), Yves Barsacq (French, Season 2), and Aron Tager (English); he keeps the Crystal Coconut in a globe inside his tree house. Funky Kong, the eccentric surfer who runs Funky's Flights, is voiced by Emmanuel Curtil in French and Damon D'Oliveira in English. Candy Kong, Donkey Kong's headstrong girlfriend who works at Barrelworks, is voiced by Camille Cyr-Desmarais (French, Season 1), Odile Schmitt (French, Season 2), and Joy Tanner (English). Dixie Kong, Diddy's sweet girlfriend, is voiced by Violette Chauveau (French, Season 1), Annie Barclay (French, Season 2), and Stevie Vallance (English). King K. Rool, leader of the Kremling army, is voiced by Éric Gaudry (French, Season 1), Daniel Beretta (French, Season 2), and Benedict Campbell (English); he lives in a cave shaped like a reptilian skull. Krusha, his bodyguard, is voiced by Pierre Auger (French, Season 1), Daniel Beretta (French, Season 2), and Len Carlson (English). Season 1 of the French version was recorded in Quebec except for the voices of Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Funky Kong, who are from France. Season 2 lacked a French version until its DVD release, which used a mostly new cast except for Donkey Kong and Funky Kong's actors; Hervé Grull did not return as Diddy Kong due to puberty and was replaced by Lucile Boulanger.
Production
Medialab acquired rights from Nintendo to produce the series. Thirteen episodes were initially written, but the original scripts contained jokes considered inappropriate, leading Medialab to fire the writers and seek Nelvana's help. Since storyboards for ten scripts were already done, Nelvana wrote new stories based on those boards to save money. Artist Phil Mendez created concept sketches with simple, geometric designs for easier 3D conversion. Modelers grouped Kong and Kremling characters into families and built models in Alias/Wavefront, also constructing skeletons. Clay maquettes of heads were digitized. Writer Erika Strobel enjoyed writing for Funky Kong, King K. Rool, General Klump, and Kaptain Skurvy, but disliked Candy Kong's design, calling it like a "burn victim". Actions like picking up objects required keyframing. Producer Maia Tubiana noted that making models required "experimentation, discipline, and the ability to live with a few compromises", such as shortening King K. Rool's cape. This method allowed one episode's animation to be completed in two weeks versus six to eight weeks for keyframing. Background music and songs were by Pure West Music (Paul Koffman and Timothy Foy). Former Rare developer Steve Mayles said the game team was not involved in production; developer Kevin Bayliss called Donkey Kong's design "hideous".
Telecast and home media
The series first appeared in France on September 4, 1996, on France 2 within a block called La Planète de Donkey Kong. The French version premiered in Canada on Télétoon on September 8, 1997, as one of the channel's launch programs, while the English version debuted on its English counterpart on October 17, also as a launch program. In the U.S., it aired on Fox Family from August 15, 1998, until 2000, and briefly on Fox Kids in 1998–1999. In Japan, a dubbed version aired on TV Tokyo from October 1, 1999, to June 30, 2000. Forty episodes were produced. Home media releases include 13 DVDs worldwide with English audio. In North America, four episodes featuring Kaptain Skurvy were compiled into a VHS titled Donkey Kong Country: The Legend of the Crystal Coconut, marketed as a feature-length film; the episodes are not in chronological order. This VHS was released in Canada around 1999 by Seville Pictures and Nelvana, and in the U.S. on November 9, 1999, by Paramount Home Video. France also released it as Donkey Kong Le Film! In PAL regions, DVDs include Donkey Kong Country Vol. 1 (Australia), Donkey Kong Country - Bad Hair Day (UK), and two single-episode Australian DVDs: Hooray for Holly Kongo Bongo and The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights. After a gap, I Spy With My Hairy Eye was released in the UK in 2008.
Legacy
The show generated extensive merchandise in Japan, including a manga, playsets, and a collectible card game featuring characters not in the series; the card game was later adapted for Donkey Kong 64. The song "Pirate's Scorn" from the episode "Booty and the Beast" was covered by Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm on their album Curse of the Crystal Coconut, whose artwork contains nods to the Donkey Kong franchise; this cover also appeared in a fan tribute. Benedict Campbell, Adrian Truss, Ron Rubin, and Richard Yearwood reprised their roles as King K. Rool, General Klump, Kaptain Skurvy, and Donkey Kong in the fan-made short DKC: Return to Krocodile Isle. In the Nintendo Switch version of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Donkey Kong's catchphrase "Banana Slamma" is used in a line by Tawks when visiting Funky's Fly 'n Buy as Funky Kong.
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