Jungle Cubs
A prequel to The Jungle Book focusing on the animal characters' youth.
Jungle Cubs is an American animated series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation for ABC in 1996, serving as a prequel to the 1967 film The Jungle Book. The show focuses on the youth of the animal characters before the events of the film. It ran for two seasons on ABC from 1996 to 1998 and later aired in syndication on the Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and Disney Jr.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Animated series
- Adventure
- Children's television series
- Comedy
- Based on
- The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
- The Jungle Book, Larry Clemmons
- Ralph Wright
- Ken Anderson
- Vance Gerry
- Bill Peet
- Creator
- Mark S. Bernthal
- Theme music
- Lou Rawls
- Opening theme
- "Bare Necessities"
- End theme
- "Bare Necessities" (instrumental)
- Composer
- Stephen James Taylor
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Characters
Baloo, voiced by Pamela Adlon, is a fun-loving sloth bear who enjoys playing with friends and sometimes pranks Bagheera to loosen his uptight attitude. Bagheera, voiced by Elizabeth Daily in Season 1 and Dee Bradley Baker in Season 2, is a sensible, level-headed panther who avoids trouble and is obsessed with personal hygiene; he is called "Baggy" or "Bags" and is the youngest of the group, speaking with an American accent unlike his film counterpart. Louie, voiced by Jason Marsden in Season 1 and Cree Summer in Season 2, is a physically active orangutan who spends much time in trees eating bananas, aspires to be king of the jungle, and shows immediate interest in man-made objects. Shere Khan, voiced by Jason Marsden, is an arrogant, hot-tempered Bengal tiger who tries to intimidate others but loses confidence when facing real problems; he is called "Khannie" by Baloo and Louie and speaks with an American accent. Kaa, voiced by Jim Cummings, is a young Indian python whose hypnosis skills are unpredictable. Hathi, voiced by Rob Paulsen in Season 1 and Stephen Furst in Season 2, is an elephant who tries to keep order but stammers when stressed, has a crush on Winifred, and is called "Little Peanut" by Baloo; he speaks with an American accent. Cecil, voiced by Michael McKean, and Arthur, voiced by David Lander, are two vultures who constantly hope one of the cubs will die so they can eat them, though they are never seen as a threat. Mahra, voiced by Tress MacNeille, is a ruthless baboon living in Pinnacle Rock in the wasteland; she and her three incompetent sons often antagonize the Jungle Cubs, as when she returns from a long journey wanting a new animal skin blanket after her old one is destroyed. Her sons are Ned (voiced by Charlie Adler), Jed (voiced by Jim Cummings, the leader), and Fred (voiced by Jim Cummings, the largest and most dull-witted).
Home media
The series had two VHS releases in the United States, each containing six episodes. In Australia and New Zealand, three VHS releases held eleven episodes total, and the first of those also came out in the United Kingdom before getting a DVD re-release. These international versions featured new animated wraparound segments set during the original film, where a young Mowgli, voiced by Tyler Mullen, talks with the adult characters as they remember their childhood. Ed Gilbert voiced Baloo, Jim Cummings voiced Bagheera, Hathi, Kaa, and Louie, and Tony Jay voiced Shere Khan—all reprising their roles from TaleSpin. On September 8, 2003, a single DVD with three episodes was released in the UK. On September 12, 2003, three DVDs containing eleven episodes came out in Australia and New Zealand. In 2016, the full series became available for digital purchase in the United States on Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, and Google Play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Jungle Cubs?
Jungle Cubs was created by Mark S. Bernthal.
When did Jungle Cubs first air?
Jungle Cubs first aired on 5 October 1996.
When did Jungle Cubs end?
Jungle Cubs last aired on 10 January 1998.
More in Television Series by Disney Television Animation
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