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Donkey Kong Country (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Donkey Kong Country is a French
/Canadian
computer-generated
animated television series. It is based on the Nintendo
franchise Donkey Kong as portrayed in the Donkey Kong Country
video game series by Rare. Created by France 2
and Nelvana
, it was originally titled La Planète de Donkey Kong (The Planet of Donkey Kong in English translation). Donkey Kong Country first aired in France on September 4, 1996; it premiered late in the United States
on the Fox Kids
block on Fox
on August 15, 1998 but the show was not shown on the block for long, because of the impeachment of Bill Clinton
. After only two episodes, the series moved to Fox Family
. In Japan, Donkey Kong Country took over the TV Tokyo
6:30 P.M. timeslot from Gokudo
and was later replaced with Hamtaro
.
Donkey Kong Country was one of the earliest television series to be computer-animated to match an artistic style and garnered critical acclaim in France and Japan but only marginal success elsewhere. Several elements of the series like the crystal coconut, appeared in later Donkey Kong Country video games like Donkey Kong 64
, which was released a year after the show began airing on Fox
.
Four episodes of Donkey Kong Country were released in North America on a single VHS
cassette titled Donkey Kong Country: The Legend of the Crystal Coconut and was marketed as a feature length film. However, these episodes are not in chronological order, as a flashback shown in the third episode actually occurs in the fourth episode of the tape. The North American version of the tape was distributed by: Paramount Pictures
, Nintendo
, and Nelvana
.
Donkey Kong Country was released as a feature-length 88 minute movie on VHS. In the DVDs Donkey Kong Country Vol.1 (released in Australia
) and Donkey Kong Country - Bad Hair Day (released in the United Kingdom
) they also put a few episodes. The other two DVDs, Donkey Kong Country: Hooray for Holly Kongo Bongo and Donkey Kong Country: The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights (both released in Australia) only held one episode. After over three years of no new English DVD, the UK released I Spy With My Hairy Eye.
including a collectible card game featuring drawings of characters, some of which never appeared in the series. The card game was later adapted to be based on Donkey Kong 64.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
/Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
computer-generated
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
animated television series. It is based on the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
franchise Donkey Kong as portrayed in the Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platformer video game developed by Rare, featuring the character Donkey Kong. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Following an intense marketing campaign, the original SNES version sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making...
video game series by Rare. Created by France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
and Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
, it was originally titled La Planète de Donkey Kong (The Planet of Donkey Kong in English translation). Donkey Kong Country first aired in France on September 4, 1996; it premiered late in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on the Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
block on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on August 15, 1998 but the show was not shown on the block for long, because of the impeachment of Bill Clinton
Impeachment of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton, President of the United States, was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice on December 19, 1998, but acquitted by the Senate on February 12, 1999. Two other impeachment articles, a second perjury charge and a charge of abuse of...
. After only two episodes, the series moved to Fox Family
Television networks preceding ABC Family
The cable television network ABC Family has gone through several different owners during its history. Stipulations in sales terms for the network require that the network maintain the word "Family" in its name.-CBN Cable :...
. In Japan, Donkey Kong Country took over the TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
6:30 P.M. timeslot from Gokudo
Gokudo
is a light novel series created by Usagi Nakamura. The light novel was first serialized by Kadokawa Shoten in their light novel magazine Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. It was later adapted into a manga in 1995 and is released in Dengeki Daioh magazine...
and was later replaced with Hamtaro
Hamtaro
is a Japanese anime series. The main character is a hamster named Hamtaro who has a variety of adventures with other hamsters, called "Ham-Hams" . The show is based on a manga series by Ritsuko Kawai, Hamtaro Gets Lost and Other Stories, and Jealous Hamtaro and Other Stories...
.
Donkey Kong Country was one of the earliest television series to be computer-animated to match an artistic style and garnered critical acclaim in France and Japan but only marginal success elsewhere. Several elements of the series like the crystal coconut, appeared in later Donkey Kong Country video games like Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64 is a platform game, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in North America on November 24, 1999 and in Europe on December 6, 1999. The game is a follow up to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
, which was released a year after the show began airing on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
Plot
The show begins by portraying Donkey Kong, a regular, tie-wearing ape in the jungle who happens to find a magic coconut called the Crystal Coconut that summons (at Donkey's command) a pile of magic bananas. After Donkey and his friends consume the bananas, they are granted with increased intelligence and strength, enabling them to defeat enemies like K. Rool and Kaptain Skurvy, who wish to possess the Crystal Coconut for themselves. Each episode features two songs performed by the show's characters.Cast
- Richard YearwoodRichard YearwoodRichard Yearwood is an English-Canadian voice-over artist, director, producer, and character actor, who performs the voice of Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country, and other roles....
- Donkey Kong - Andrew SabistonAndrew SabistonAndrew Sabiston is a Canadian actor, theatre and television writer and lyricist. He went to St. Michaels University School in Victoria, British Columbia, graduating in 1982, the same year as classmate Leslie Hope. Both had been cast in their final year in the Paul Almond movie, Ups & Downs, which...
- Diddy Kong - Lawrence BayneLawrence BayneLawrence Bayne is a Canadian actor, born November 11, 1960 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has appeared in various movies and television series, both live action and animated, and also sings/writes with his band The Lawrence Bayne Issue....
- Kritters - Donald Burda - Bluster Kong
- Benedict Campbell - King K. Rool
- Len CarlsonLen CarlsonLen Carlson was a Canadian voice actor on many animated television series from the 1960s onward, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman during the 1970s and 1980s...
- General Klump (Season 1) - Neil RossNeil RossTheodoric Neilson "Neil" Ross is an English voice actor and announcer, born in London, England and now resident and working in Los Angeles, in the United States. He has provided voices for in many American cartoons, particularly those based on Hasbro products and Marvel Comics, and numerous...
- General Klump (Season 2) - Damon D'Oliveira - Funky Kong
- Dan HennesseyDan HennesseyDan Hennessey is a Canadian voice actor who, early on in his career, performed with a children's comedy troupe,...
- Green Kroc (uncredited) - Rick JonesRick Jones (voice actor)Rick Jones is an animation writer, director, content developer, and voice actor. Since 1983, he’s worked with Fox, Disney, Universal, Hanna-Barbera, Alphanim, Cinar and Nelvana...
- Inka Dinka Doo - Ron RubinRon Rubin (voice actor)Ron Rubin is a veteran voice actor whose voice is most easily recognized as that of Artemis from the English translation of Sailor Moon.-Career:...
- Krusha - John Stocker - Kutlass (uncredited)
- Aron TagerAron TagerAron Tager is an American actor and artist.- Background :As an artist, Tager has had numerous exhibitions of his work and has sculptures installed at the following locations: Mount Anthony Union High School, Bennington, VT; Shaftsbury Elementary School, VT; Delaware County Community College,...
- Cranky Kong - Joy TannerJoy TannerJoy Tanner is an American-born Canadian actress, who is known for her portrayal of Nora McDonald in the Canadian TV series Life with Derek.-Career:Born in Rochester, New York, Tanner has her honors B.A...
- Candy Kong - Adrian TrussAdrian TrussAdrian Truss is a British-born Canadian actor, writer and director whose more recent work is as a voice actor for animated children's TV shows and Movies.Since moving from England to Canada in 1957, he has starred in many movies, plays, and television shows...
- Eddie the Mean Old Yeti - Samuel VincentSamuel VincentSamuel Vincent is a Canadian voice actor who works with the Ocean Productions based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:...
- Dixie Kong
Awards
Donkey Kong Country won in 1999 for a (public voted) award at 7 d'Or for Best Animation and Youth Program (Meilleure émission d'animation et de jeunesse).Home video releases
Over thirty Donkey Kong Country DVDs have been released with only five being in English. Over thirteen VHS tapes of the cartoon were released in Japan.Four episodes of Donkey Kong Country were released in North America on a single VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
cassette titled Donkey Kong Country: The Legend of the Crystal Coconut and was marketed as a feature length film. However, these episodes are not in chronological order, as a flashback shown in the third episode actually occurs in the fourth episode of the tape. The North American version of the tape was distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, and Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
.
Donkey Kong Country was released as a feature-length 88 minute movie on VHS. In the DVDs Donkey Kong Country Vol.1 (released in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) and Donkey Kong Country - Bad Hair Day (released in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) they also put a few episodes. The other two DVDs, Donkey Kong Country: Hooray for Holly Kongo Bongo and Donkey Kong Country: The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights (both released in Australia) only held one episode. After over three years of no new English DVD, the UK released I Spy With My Hairy Eye.
Merchandise
The show had a large line of merchandise in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
including a collectible card game featuring drawings of characters, some of which never appeared in the series. The card game was later adapted to be based on Donkey Kong 64.
Channel details
| Country | Channel |
|---|---|
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
France 2 France 2 France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô... |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Teletoon Télétoon (Canadian TV channel) Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment... |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Fox Kids Fox Kids Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the... and Fox Family Television networks preceding ABC Family The cable television network ABC Family has gone through several different owners during its history. Stipulations in sales terms for the network require that the network maintain the word "Family" in its name.-CBN Cable :... |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Fox Kids UK Jetix (UK & Ireland) Jetix was a television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company that was aimed at children ages six to 14. Jetix was available in many countries around the world in a localized form, including the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It was previously known as Fox Kids.Jetix was available as a... and KidsCo KidsCo KidsCo is an international children's entertainment brand founded by Canadian broadcaster Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises, American-based producer DIC Entertainment, and European broadcaster Sparrowhawk Media Group in April 2007. By the end of 2007, Sparrowhawk was purchased by media... |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Network Ten Network Ten Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country... , Fox Kids, FOX8 FOX8 Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms... , KidsCo KidsCo KidsCo is an international children's entertainment brand founded by Canadian broadcaster Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises, American-based producer DIC Entertainment, and European broadcaster Sparrowhawk Media Group in April 2007. By the end of 2007, Sparrowhawk was purchased by media... |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
TV Tokyo TV Tokyo is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime... |
| Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
Yleisradio and YLE FST5 |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
Canal+ Canal+ Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted... |
| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
Fox Kids Italy Jetix (Italy) Jetix was a children's television channel brand owned by Disney-ABC Television Group broadcast in Italy. It was previously known as Fox Kids.Part of Jetix programming was also broadcast on K-2.-Disney XD rebrand:... and Italia 1 Italia 1 Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival... |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Fox Kids Germany Super RTL Super RTL is a Cologne-based German television network operated by RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG. It was the second German television channel aimed mostly at children... |
| Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
Fox Kids Spain Jetix (Spain) Jetix was a children's television programming brand owned by Disney-ABC Television Group broadcast in Spain. It was previously known as Fox Kids.Jetix became the Spanish version of Disney XD on 18 September 2009.-Disney XD rebrand:... |
| Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
Fox Kids Brazil and Rede Record Rede Record Rede Record de Televisão is a Brazilian television network, founded in 1953 by Paulo Machado de Carvalho, also founder of Rádio Record. Currently it is owned by businessman Edir Macedo, founder and bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Since 2007 it is Brazil's second largest... |
| Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
SIC and KidsCo KidsCo KidsCo is an international children's entertainment brand founded by Canadian broadcaster Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises, American-based producer DIC Entertainment, and European broadcaster Sparrowhawk Media Group in April 2007. By the end of 2007, Sparrowhawk was purchased by media... |
| Malaysia | Disney Channel Asia Disney Channel Asia Disney Channel Asia, a franchise of Disney Channel, airs in most parts of Southeast Asia.- Programming :Disney Channel Asia airs a variety of shows, aimed particularly at children and teenagers. Most of the programming is similar to the American counterpart with some shows exclusive to the Asian... |
| Latin American | ZAZ ZAZ ZAZ or Zaporizhia Automobile Building Plant is the main automobile-manufacturer of Ukraine, based in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhia. It is also known for its former mother company name, AvtoZAZ... and Disney XD (Latin America) Disney XD (Latin America) Disney XD Latin America is a cable television channel and is an edition of the The Walt Disney Company-owned Disney XD broadcasting to Latin America and the Caribbean. It was launched on November 8, 1996 as The Fox Kids Network. The network took on its current name on July 3, 2009. It is broadcast... |
| Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
Net-25 |
External links
- La Planète Donkey Kong at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
(IMDb). - Donkey Kong Country at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
(IMDb). - List of Japanese products based on the series
- Donkey Kong Country at TV.com
- Donkey Kong Country at Retro Junk