Editing Donkey Kong Country (television series)

|prodcompany=[[Nelvana]]<br/>[[Medialab]] (season 1-2)<br/> Hong Guang Animation (season 3) <br/>Western International Communications

|firstair={{release|France|September 4, 1996|Canada|October 17, 1997|USA|August 15, 1998|Japan|October 1, 1999}}

|lastair={{release|Japan|June 30, 2000|USA|July 7, 2000|Canada|July 7, 2000}}

'''''Donkey Kong Country''''' is a computer-animated musical television series based upon the [[Donkey Kong Country (series)|video game trilogy of the same name]]. The program first debuted in France on September 4, 1996, on France 2, and then premiered in Canada on Télétoon on September 8, 1997 as a launch programme. The English version made its worldwide debut in Canada on Télétoon's English counterpart Teletoon on October 17, 1997, once again as a launch programme. The show then aired in United States on the Fox Family Channel on August 15, 1998 (occasionally airing on Fox Kids), and the original run finished on July 7, 2000. In Japan, the series aired with a Japanese dub on TV Tokyo on October 1, 1999, and finished its run on June 30, 2000.{{ref needed}}

 

''Donkey Kong Country'' was one of the earliest television series to be entirely computer-animated, matching the artistic style of the video games. The CG animation style of the series was met with critical acclaim in France and Japan, but with mixed reception elsewhere. Despite this, the show has managed to gain a cult following, and even Nintendo itself has acknowledged its existence.

 

Some elements of the series appeared in later ''Donkey Kong'' video games such as ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'', which was released a year after the show had started airing on ABC Family (Fox Family). There was even [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEtPo0_ccP0 a commercial] for the Game Boy Color remake of the original ''Donkey Kong Country'' video game that featured Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Rambi the Rhino (despite the fact that no Animal Friends actually appear in the show) fighting [[General Klump]] and [[Krusha (character)|Krusha]] over a giant version of the portable gaming system, all depicted with retooled versions of their designs from the show's third season.

The show portrays Donkey Kong, an anthropomorphic ape living in the jungle who happens to stumble upon a magic orb called the [[Crystal Coconut]] in the temple of [[Inka Dinka Doo]]. After finding the coconut, Donkey Kong is named the future ruler of [[Donkey Kong Island|Kongo Bongo Island]]. As he and his friends wait for the day when the Crystal Coconut will proclaim him the ruler of the island, they have to keep the relic safe from the clutches of King K. Rool and his minions, who desire the coconut so that their leader may rule the island using its power instead.

The series features almost all of the [[Kong]]s from ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'' and ''[[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest]]'', the exceptions being [[Swanky Kong]] and [[Wrinkly Kong]]. However, the show also features several characters exclusive to the TV series, such as [[Eddie the Mean Old Yeti]], [[Kaptain Skurvy]] and his crew, and [[Bluster Kong]].

 

===English===

**{{wp|Sterling Jarvis}} &mdash; [[Donkey Kong]] (singing voice)

*[[Joy Tanner]] &mdash; [[Candy Kong]]; [[Baby Kong]]; [[Candy Clone]]

*{{wp|Len Carlson}} &mdash; [[Krusha (character)|Krusha]]

*[[Damon D'Oliveira]] &mdash; [[Funky Kong]]; [[Eddie the Mean Old Yeti]]

*Lawrence Bayne &mdash; [[Inka Dinka Doo]]

*{{wp|Rick Jones (voice actor)|Rick Jones}} &mdash; [[Polly Roger]]

*{{wp|Ron Rubin (voice actor)|Ron Rubin}}<ref>https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/3fdfac_72b9d6c25c3940f8b3244bdea8528dd5.pdf</ref> &mdash; [[Kaptain Skurvy]]; [[Jr. Klap Trap]]

*{{wp|Richard Newman (actor)|Richard Newman}} &mdash;  [[Green Kroc]]; [[Kong Fu (character)|Kong Fu]]

===Japanese===

*Keiichi Sonobe — [[Klump (character)|Klump]]; [[Inka Dinka Doo]]

*Tomohisa Asô — [[Krusha (character)|Krusha]]

Two conflicting season numbering schemes exist for the show; [[Nelvana]] considers the show to have three "cycles" (13x13x14)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060328013320/http://www.nelvana.com/shows/episodes_template.asp?sid=16 "Episodes : Donkey Kong Country" on Nelvana's official website circa 2006]. Retrieved Sunday, June 26, 2021</ref>, and this the numbering used for the show's release on services such as {{wp|iTunes}}<ref>https://itunes.apple.com/ca/tv-season/donkey-kong-country-vol-1/id760744886</ref> and {{wp|Tubi}}. The show's official DVDs, however, identify two seasons, the first being made up of the 26 [[Medialab]]-produced episodes and the second being made up of the 14 Hong Guang-produced episodes. The Super Mario Wiki follows the former scheme.  

Note that the episodes are listed in production order,<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Donkey-Kong-Country/dp/B00G4E0CBS/ Donkey Kong Country on Amazon Video]</ref> which differs from that of the original North American air dates.<ref>http://epguides.com/DonkeyKongCountry/</ref>  

In addition to the animated series, Donkey Kong hosted on {{wp|France 2}} '''''Donkey Kong Planet''''' (also known as '''''La planète de Donkey Kong''''', '''''DKTV''''' and '''''DKTV.cool'''''), which was a mix of children programming and original content featuring part of the ''Donkey Kong Country'' TV cast. The original segments featured Donkey, Diddy, Funky, and Candy doing musical numbers, parodies of current movies and television shows, and comedic sketches. It debuted on September 4, 1996, the same day the ''Donkey Kong Country'' TV series premiered, and the block continued its run on the channel until September 1, 2001.

''Donkey Kong Country'' was the first full-length television series to be entirely animated using motion capture<ref>Ron Fischer, [http://www.motioncapturesociety.com/resources/industry-history The History and Current State of motion capture]. ''Motion Capture Society''. Retrieved October 8, 2015</ref>, using [[Medialab]]'s proprietary technology which allowed the animators to see the performance play out in real time<ref>Legrand, Fabienne (November 11, 2011). ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rcNu8rrLXg L'aventure Donkey Kong chez Medialab]''. Youtube. Retrieved January 25, 2016</ref>. This caused controversy when the show was rejected for an {{wp|Emmy Award}} nomination, the reasoning being that the TV academy did not consider the then-new motion capture technique to be a form of animation<ref>Solomon, Charles (June 1, 1999). [http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jun/01/entertainment/ca-42903 An Emmy Awards Debate: What Makes 'Donkey Kong' Run?]. ''L.A. Times. Retrieved January 25, 2015</ref>. This technique, however, came with many challenges: writer Simon Racioppa explained that due to the format's limitation, the series bible heavily discouraged new locations and characters, and characters could not be animated picking up objects (although them holding objects was possible). Animating water was also considered "next to impossible"<ref>Matt Paprocki (June 5, 2020) [https://www.polygon.com/features/2020/6/5/21280650/nintendo-movies-based-on-mario-pokemon-donkey-kong-the-wizard-detective-pikachu Inside Nintendo’s weird attempts at making movies and TV shows]. ''Polygon''. Retrieved June 7, 2020.</ref>.

According to a post on a fan page by [[Nelvana]] writer [[Erika Strobel]], Medialab had originally obtained the rights to create an animated series from [[Nintendo]]. After thirteen episodes were written, Medialab asked Nelvana for assistance after firing the original writers (who, according to Strobel, had produced scripts "with racist/sexist jokes and just sooo bad for a kiddie show")<ref name="Retrojunk">[http://web.archive.org/web/20081227060342/http://www.retrojunk.com/details_tvshows/430-donkey-kong-country/ Retrojunk page for Donkey Kong Country] (August 5, 2008). Erika Strobel's comment is under the username "canuckgirl1966" (Retrieved April 24, 2016)</ref>. As storyboards had already been produced for ten of the original scripts, Nelvana decided to write new stories around these storyboards to save money.<ref name="Retrojunk"/> The songs, however, were included at the request of Medialab; all of the show's songs, as well as the title theme, were written by Pure West Music.<ref name="Retrojunk"/><ref>[http://purewestmusic.com/ Pure West Music's website] (information is under the "Credits" tab). Retrieved April 24, 2016.</ref> Nelvana purchased the rights to the show after Medialab's license lapsed.<ref name="Retrojunk"/>

Alongside the opening theme, most episodes in the series feature two unique songs each, performed by one or more characters to illustrate certain points in the story.

 

Heeeeyyyyyy, oh! Look out down below!<br>Here he comes, banana slamma'!<br>

Heeeeyyyyyy, oh! Look out down below!<br>Here he comes, banana slamma'!<br>Kongo Bongo's hero!<br>

Heeeeyyyyyy, oh! Donkey Kong, let's go, let's go!<br>Here he comes, banana slamma'!<br>Hooooo, HAH!''</i></blockquote>

{| class="wikitable"

! Tracks

! Composer(s)

! Albums

| rowspan="19" |Paul Koffman<br>Timothy Foy

|''NLV 115 - Sunny Day Sounds Vol. 2''

| rowspan="2" |''NLV 126 - Music for Silly Moments''

| rowspan="6" |''NLV 169 - Spy vs Spy''

''Donkey Kong Country'' was produced by Nelvana, and co-produced with [[Medialab]] for the first season, and Hong Guang Animation for the second season. The first season was animated by Medialab and the second by an uncredited CGCG Inc.<ref>[http://www.cgcg.com.tw/profile_history.html CGCG Production History]. ''CGCG Inc.''. Retrieved July 01, 2016.</ref>. The soundtrack of the series was composed by the music production company Pure West.

Four episodes were released in North America on a single VHS cassette titled, ''Donkey Kong Country: The Legend of the Crystal Coconut''. Said episodes were edited together to make them seem like one continuous storyline. However, these episodes were not put together in the proper order; for example, a flashback shown in the third episode actually happened in the fourth episode of the tape. The American version of the tape was distributed by Paramount Pictures, Nintendo, and Nelvana. Advertisements and even the videotape's packaging neglected to mention the actual TV series the episodes originated from, and was instead marketed as a standalone film (leading to some confusion among newer viewers of certain content, such as [[Eddie the Mean Old Yeti]]'s brief appearance in ''[[Ape-Nesia]]'').

The show is also available on iTunes.

The DVDs ''Donkey Kong Country Vol.1'' (Released in Australia) and ''Donkey Kong Country - Bad Hair Day'' (Released in the United Kingdom) feature several episodes. The other two Australian DVDs, ''Donkey Kong Country: Hooray for Holly Kongo Bongo'' and ''Donkey Kong Country: The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights'', however, only feature one episode. Three years after the release of the previous DVDs, a new DVD titled ''I Spy With My Hairy Eye'' was released in England. There have been over 30 ''Donkey Kong Country'' DVD releases. Starting in 2013, Phase 4 Films began releasing the show on DVD in North America. On May 12, 2015, the company released the first season of 26 episodes in a 3-disc set. Nelvana once had the entire series available for free streaming on its official YouTube channel, until it was turned into the official [[wikipedia:Wayside (TV Series)|Wayside]] channel.

 

The show had a large line of merchandise in Japan, including a [[Gallery:Donkey Kong Country (television series) trading cards|collectible card game]] by Nintendo and [[Ahomaro Games]]. A subsequent release of the card series featured characters and gimmicks based on ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]''. The television series took over the TV Tokyo Friday 6:30 P.M. timeslot from ''{{wp|Gokudo}}'', and was later replaced with ''{{wp|Hamtaro}}''. As with most programs in Japan, the show has received home releases through rental tapes.

*''[[Super Mario-Kun]]'': One volume features appearances by Bluster Kong and the show's version of Candy Kong.

*''[[Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku]]'': The Japanese opening and ending themes of the show are featured as part of the track list.

*''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D]]'': For the game's marketing campaign, Nintendo UK's {{wp|Facebook}} page posted {{media link|DKC Returns 3D DKC cartoon reference.jpeg|an image}} titled "What is your Donkey Kong name?". Two of the names listed are "Bluster" and "Eddie", in a clear reference to the show.

*''[[Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch)|Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze]]'': In the [[Nintendo Switch]] version of the game, [[Tawks]] will sometimes tell the player to "give 'em the old banana slamma, dude,"<ref>Nintendo Life (April 25, 2018). [https://youtu.be/K_yaJjLiS_8 Weird Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Switch TV Show Easter Egg]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved April 25, 2018.</ref> which is a reference to Donkey Kong's catchphrase from this show.

*A running gag throughout the show involves Donkey Kong (sometimes with Diddy Kong) constantly crashing into trees.

*The villains in the show are never referred to as Kremlings, only as "lizards," "gators," and similar terms. However, enemies like [[Kritter]]s and [[Klaptrap]]s are still referred to by their video game names.

*All non-Kremling enemies from the first game ([[Zinger]]s, [[Gnawty|Gnawties]], [[Manky Kong]]s, etc.) are omitted, and the Kremling Krew's military force is mostly simplified to the aforementioned Kritters and Klaptraps (the latter of which is considered ammunition for weapons instead of proper troops). [[Rock Kroc]]s additionally do not appear, nor do any of the [[Animal Friends]]. In fact, the only character to neither be a Kong nor a Kremling to have a model in the show is [[Polly Roger]], while [[Inka Dinka Doo]] is part of the scenery.

*In multiple episodes, Donkey Kong admits to being a fan of King Kong; this is ironic, considering that {{wp|Universal Studios}} attempted to sue Nintendo for a copyright dispute over the two Kongs in the past.

*It is the most recent ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' franchise television series, not counting ''Donkey Kong Planet''.

*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBZNlAa1UKF6GYKmHuyuMktX3nVwuw_aE All full episodes of the show in English] officially uploaded on YouTube, courtesy of [[Nelvana]]'s [https://nelvana.fandom.com/wiki/Retro_Rerun Retro Rerun] channel.