# Kimba the White Lion (1965)

> A young lion cub must grow up fast and claim the jungle throne after a human hunter kills his father.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/8198

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 78
- Episode runtime: 20 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, family
- Network: Fuji TV
- Cast: Gorō Naya, Yoshiko Ohta, Asao Koike, Hajime Akashi, Hisashi Katsuta, Junji Chiba, Kazuyuki Sogabe, Yoshiko Matsuo
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058817/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: gentle, earnest, adventurous, hopeful, wistful

## Synopsis

Kimba the White Lion (1965-1967) is a Japanese animated family adventure series produced by Mushi Production and Tezuka Productions, with its original broadcast on Fuji TV. The story follows Leo, a young white lion cub whose father, the previous king of the jungle, is killed by a human hunter, leaving the cub to rise as the new king. Voiced by Yoshiko Ohta as Leo, the young lion faces a jungle full of dangers, rivals, and hunters, and the principal supporting cast includes Gorō Naya as Clave, Hajime Akashi as Tommy, and Asao Koike as Panja. The series runs for two seasons across seventy-eight episodes of about twenty minutes each, structured as episodic adventures within a continuing arc of a young animal learning to lead. Its pastoral, hand drawn jungle worlds and gentle moral lessons about courage and responsibility give it a warm, earnest register. Fans of early Tezuka anime, Astro Boy, and The Lion King will find resonance in its blend of animal fable, heroic growth, and family-friendly adventure, all rendered in the look of 1960s Japanese television animation.

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