George of the Jungle (2007 TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = George of the Jungle


caption = A picture depicting George in the new series
format = Animated
camera =
picture_format =
audio_format =
runtime = 22 minutes
creator =
developer =
producer =
executive_producer =
starring =
narrated =
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = CAN
language =
network = Teletoon Canada (Canada)
Cartoon Network (USA, Russia, Germany, pan-European)
NickToons (UK)
Nickelodeon (Sweden) Disney Channel (Australia, Spain, Asia, Latin America, Brazil)

first_aired = December 21, 2007
last_aired = present
num_episodes = 26
num_seasons = 2 (3rd upcoming)
list_episodes = List of George of the Jungle episodes
chronology =
preceded_by = George of the Jungle (1967)
followed_by =
website =
imdb_id = 1050880
tv_com_id =

Infobox TV ratings
show_name = George of the Jungle (2007)
usa_tv = TV-Y7
can_tv = G

George of the Jungle is a Canadian television series. It is the remake of the 1967 "George of the Jungle" animated series, using Adobe Flash animation. It is produced in Canada and airs there on Teletoon, and more recently in the US on Cartoon Network, premiering with the Christmas special and episodes much later. In Latin America, it is aired on Disney Channel. The remake mostly stays true to the original production, with a few key differences existing between the two. One episode of the show typically consists of two 10-minute stories. Unlike the original cartoon, which featured other stories such as Tom Slick and Super Chicken, George of the Jungle is a solitary show.

Characters

Main characters

*George: A friendly, strong, yet dim-witted vine-swinging man in a lioncloth, George lives in a jungle in Africa, acting as the "king of the jungle" in a Tarzan-ish role. Possessing incredible strength, bravery and a penchant for repeatedly crashing into trees while vine-swinging, George acts as the protector of all the jungle's inhabitants.
*Ape: A very strong, yet unusually intelligent gorilla that lives with George in the jungle. He functions as George's surrogate brother, parental-figure and best friend, although his attempts to educate George have a long history of repeated failures. He also tends to serve as the voice of reason most of the time. In "George's Birthday Present", it is revealed Ape is 5 years old in ape years.
*Ursula ScottFact|date=July 2008: A city girl who came to live in the jungle with George and his friends along with her father. She quickly forms a bond with Magnolia, causing the two to be frequently seen together. Young, reckless and eager to introduce modern culture into the jungle, Ursula often tries to educate her new friends to the marvels of modern city life (such as Christmas or traffic systems), only to usually have her attempts backfire. Regardless, she does her best to assist her friends when necessary. She is still adjusting to jungle life, although she still has much to learn.
*Magnolia: A native of the jungle, valley girl figure and also Carl's crush, Magnolia (also called Maggie) is one of George's closest friends, and has become Ursula's best friend since she came to the jungle. Despite her dressing in jungle attire (such as loincloths and sticks) as well as fits of hyperactivity, she appears to be very well educated in both human and jungle knowledge, often helping to bridge the gap between Ursula's city life and jungle life. She speaks with a Southern accent, and can appear somewhat dimwitted at times, but has a warm and loving heart. Her father is the local jungle Witch Doctor.

econdary characters

*Narrator: The narrator of each George of the jungle episode. In comparison to the narrator of the original cartoon, he speaks in a documentary-style fashion, often beginning each episode claiming "To survive in the jungle..." often followed by a situation in complete contrast to the first impression of his introduction.
*Shep: George's elephant friend who actually acts like a dog. He travels with George on most of his adventures, only rivaled by Tookie-Tookie. He is very untrained, and can often be seen destroying sections of the jungle. Shep likes to play with George a lot, often playing with him when he should be helping people throughout the jungle.
*Tookie Tookie Bird: George's second pet, a parrot-like bird that can only say his own name. Also known as Tookarus Birdoozi.
*Witch Doctor: Magnolia's fatherFact|date=July 2008, a very compact, diminutive character who believes his shaman skills are the solution to all problems. He often competes with Ursula's father and his modern medicine to see who can solve a problem first, although neither usually provides the solution to whatever problem they tackle. He carries a stick which he uses to mix his spells.
*Dr. Towel Scott: Ursula's fatherFact|date=July 2008, a modern doctor now living in the jungle with his daughter. He has formed a somewhat friendly (and often hostile) rivalry with the local Witch Doctor, continuously trying to disprove his barbaric medicine and shaman skills with modern science (often with equally unsuccessful results).
*Big Mitch: A conniving marmoset.

Other characters

*Carl: Carl is a baboon who constantly makes a fool out of George and Ape.
*Cousin Larry: George's arrogant human cousin, who does his best to win at everything, no matter the cost. He was eventually revealed to be a cheater in all his victories and was ousted from the jungle.
*Cousin Papaya: George and Ape’s cousin, a King Kong gorilla that made a promise to beat the living day lights out of anyone who would mess with George or Ape.

Cast

*Lee Tockar - George
*Paul Dobson - Ape
*Tabitha St. Germain - Magnolia/Tookie
*Britt Irvin - Ursula
*Michael Dangerfield - Narrator
*Doron Bell Jr. - Big Mitch
*Brian Drummond - Witch Doctor
*Peter Kelamis - Cousin Larry
*Mark Oliver - Dr. Scott

Episodes

The series first aired on December 21, 2007, there were over 26 episodes produced in two seasons.

Differences from previous incarnations

*Unlike most of the returning characters from the original show, Ursula was completely redesigned for the new incarnation. Originally, Ursula was an adult redheaded woman with a Southern accent who, despite showing above-average intellect (at least in contrast to George), displayed an adept handle on jungle life. These traits have primarily passed to Magnolia. She was also George's wife in the original show, although George needed constant reminders of the fact they were married (and that she was a woman, calling her "fella" most of the time). For the new show, Ursula was redesigned as a young, dark-skinned teenager heavily reliant on city-life for survival. She does not show an interest in George beyond friendship in this version, but romantic feelings for him are hinted occasionally.
*Although Ape came off as an educated, well-mannered and upstanding gorilla in the original cartoon, he has been considerably relaxed for the new incarnation. His British-accent was dropped in favor of a more casual voice, and his sense of maturity was somewhat lessened, causing him to sometimes join George on his less-intelligent agendas (though he is still smarter than George). He also tends to serve as foil for Ursula and Magnolia's frequent sense of female dominance.
*Although possessing identical roles, George was somewhat redesigned for the show's new incarnation. Although retaining his powerful strength, he no longer appears as a hulking bodybuilder figure, but rather slim and svelte in comparison. George also no longer speaks in broken English, the only noticeable discrepancy in his dialogue and similarity with the original version being he often refers to himself in the third-person. He is also (slightly) smarter than he originally was, though a great deal more immature and self-centered.
*Magnolia was not present in the original George of the Jungle cartoon (though she resembles the original Ursula in appearance), and the opening theme was altered slightly to introduce her alongside Ursula. The original theme stated "While Fella and Ursula stay in step" while the new one states "While Maggie and Ursula stay in step". ]

DVD Release

In Region 1 DVD a season released of George of the jungle was released called "George of the Jungle: The swinngin' first season"

Video Game

The George of the Jungle game has been released as of March 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.tv.com/george-of-the-jungle/show/74573/summary.html?q=george%20of%20the%20jungle&tag=search_results;title;1/ George Of The Jungle at TV.com]