Jungle Cubs

Disney's Jungle Cubs is an American animated series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation for ABC in 1996 and based on the 1967 film The Jungle Book, but set in the youth of the animal characters.[1] The show was a hit, running for two seasons in syndication before its re-runs to the Disney Channel. The show was broadcast on Toon Disney, but was taken off the schedule in 2001. Re-runs aired on Disney Junior in the US from 2012 to 2013. The show also aired in the United Kingdom on Disney Cinemagic and in Latin America.

Disney's Jungle Cubs
Disney's Jungle Cubs title card from Season 1
Also known asJungle Cubs
Genre
Created byMark S. Bernthal
Based onThe Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
Larry Clemmons
Ralph Wright
Ken Anderson
Vance Gerry
Bill Peet
Written by
  • Sam Graham
  • Chris Hubbell
  • Tedd Anasti
  • Patsy Cameron
  • Lesa Kite
  • Roger Reitzel
  • Peter K. Hirsch
  • David Weimers
  • Scott Gray
Directed by
  • Chris Bartleman
  • Joe Horne
  • Kenny Thompkins
  • Blair Peters
  • Mircea Mantta
Voices of
Theme music composerLou Rawls
Opening theme"The Bare Necessities"
Ending theme"The Bare Necessities" (instrumental)
ComposerStephen James Taylor
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes21 (34 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Tedd Anasti
  • Patsy Cameron
Producers
  • Chris Bartleman
  • Kenny Thompkins
  • Blair Peters
  • Mircea Mantta
Editors
  • Peter Lonsdale
  • Robert S. Birchard
  • Carol Lewis
  • John Royer
Running time22 minutes (11 minutes per segment)
Production companies
DistributorBuena Vista Television
Release
Original networkABC
Picture format480i (SDTV)
Audio formatDolby Surround
Original releaseOctober 5, 1996 (1996-10-05) –
January 10, 1998 (1998-01-10)

The show's theme song is a hip-hop version of the song, "The Bare Necessities" performed by Lou Rawls. Jungle Cubs was animated by Walt Disney Television Animation (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd., Thai Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd., Toon City Animation, Inc., and Sunmin Image Pictures Co., Ltd., with Studio B Productions, as the animation pre-production studio of the series.

Characters
The Jungle Cubs kids: Shere Khan, Kaa, Bagheera, Baloo, Hathi, and Louie.
  • Baloo (voiced by Pamela Adlon): A laid-back sloth bear. He likes to play with his friends and sometimes plays pranks on Bagheera in order to snap the latter out of his uptight attitude. He is the unofficial leader of the friends.
  • Bagheera (voiced by Elizabeth Daily in Season 1 and then Dee Bradley Baker in Season 2): He is a sensible and level-headed panther who rarely gets into trouble. He has an obsession with maintaining good personal hygiene. Bagheera is affectionately known as "Baggy" or "Bags" and is the youngest of the group. Despite having a Home Counties English accent in the original film, Bagheera speaks with an American accent in the series. Bagheera is usually second in command of the group.
  • Louie (voiced by Jason Marsden in Season 1 and then Cree Summer in Season 2): An orangutan. He is very physically active, spending a great deal of his time in trees and eating bananas, and wants to become king of the jungle one day, and when any man made objects turn up he immediately shows great interest.
  • Shere Khan (voiced by Jason Marsden): An arrogant and hot-tempered Bengal tiger. He often tries to intimidate the other animals, but his flair suffers when faced with actual problems. He is often called "Khannie" by Baloo and Louie. Despite having a well-spoken English accent in the original film, Shere Khan speaks with an American accent in the series.
  • Kaa (voiced by Jim Cummings): A young Indian python who wants to hypnotize other animals, but his skills at hypnosis are currently erratic at best.
  • Hathi (voiced by Rob Paulsen in Season 1, Stephen Furst in Season 2): An elephant who attempts to keep the group in order but is known to stammer when stressed. He is also very stubborn. Later, he develops a huge crush on Winifred, who is his wife in The Jungle Book. He is often called "Little Peanut" by Baloo. Despite having a strong southern English accent in the original film, Hathi speaks with an American accent in the series.
  • Cecil and Arthur (voiced by Michael McKean and David Lander) - Two vultures who are constantly hoping for one of the cubs to die so that they can eat them. However, they are never seen as a threat.
  • Mahra (voiced by Tress MacNeille) - A ruthless baboon that lives in Pinnacle Rock within the wasteland. She and her dim-witted sons have often antagonized the Jungle Cubs when they enter the wasteland. One particular instance is when she and her sons return from a long journey and she wants a new animal skin blanket after her old one is destroyed.
    • Ned (voiced by Charlie Adler) - One of Mahra's sons.
    • Jed (voiced by Jim Cummings) - One of Mahra's sons.
    • Fred (voiced by Jim Cummings) - One of Mahra's sons.

Locations
  • The Cub House, a small temple that the gang and friends use as a club house.
  • The Wasteland, a huge area surrounding the jungle. Not many animals live out here, except for birds of prey, insects, porcupines and baboons, such as Mahra and her three sons, who live there. It is also where an evil dictator turtle lives.
  • Pinnacle Rock, a tall pinnacle-shaped rock in The Wasteland. This large rock is the lair of Mahra and her sons.
  • The River, a large river that is where a lot of animals drink at and live at. Arthur & Cecil's nest and cliff are near here.
  • The Man Village, a large village inhabited by humans.
  • Wangjanga Gorge or The Honey Cliffs, an enormous gorge with a stream running through it. It is also called "The Honey Cliffs" because a lot of bees nest on the gorge's cliffs. It appears to have a bad reputation, since it is mentioned by Louie that no one had been down here and lived to tell the tale, but during the red dog invasion, Baloo and Kaa managed to survive when they were chased by the resident bees.
  • The Middle Jungle, a deeply hidden area with only one entrance, the throne in The Cub House. Once the snake-like lever has been pulled, the throne moves to reveal a hidden doorway going underground. Once one has travelled down the underground river, they emerge from a large crack in the ground which is in The Middle Jungle. There are the ruins of an old city up ahead and that is where the treasure is hidden, but it is being guarded by a giant white cobra named Whitehood.
  • The Quicksand Bog is mentioned in Fool Me Once....
  • Creepy Deepy Swamp, a dark and scary looking swamp near the heart of the jungle. A sarus crane lives here.
  • The Mountains, tall, high, snowy mountains that provide the river with water. It is also where a female bighorn sheep lives.
  • The Western Jungle, the west side of the jungle. This is where a sloth and his woodpecker friends live.
  • Baboon Lagoon, a lagoon where some baboons live. These particular baboons are friends with the water buffalo.
  • The Great Lost Temple, an old temple that is used as a music concert.

Episodes

Series overview
SeasonSegmentsEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
13913October 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)December 28, 1996 (1996-12-28)
2148October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11)January 10, 1998 (1998-01-10)

Season 1 (1996)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
11"A Night In The Wasteland"October 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)

Attempting to prove his courage after a joke by Louie and Baloo, Shere Khan vows to travel to Pinnacle Rock in the wasteland unaware that the ruthless baboon Mahra and her sons Ned, Jed, and Fred have returned and Mahra wants a new fur blanket.

Note: This episode features the song, "Take Your Sweet Sweet Time".
22"How The Panther Lost His Roar / The Humans Must Be Crazy"October 12, 1996 (1996-10-12)

"How The Panther Lost His Roar": Bagheera's feelings of inadequacy when compared to Khan are worsened when he loses his voice.

"The Humans Must Be Crazy": Bagheera becomes convinced that an old pocket-watch will make him a great hunter.
33"Hathi Meets His Match / Buffaloed"October 19, 1996 (1996-10-19)

"Hathi Meets His Match": A young female elephant named Winifred is separated from her family – owned by humans – after a fire in their village, and runs into Hathi.

"Buffaloed": Khan is tricked into fighting against an elderly water buffalo by Cecil and Arthur. When he finds out, he gets help from Baloo to get even with the vultures.
44"Mondo Mungo / Bare Necessities"October 26, 1996 (1996-10-26)

"Mondo Mungo": Kaa befriends a young mongoose named "Mungo" and the pair strike up a friendship despite being natural enemies.

"Bare Necessities": The Cub's attempts to prepare for the monsoon season are hampered by Baloo's laziness, but he soon becomes their only hope when they are trapped in a cave as the monsoons begin.
55"Who Wants To Be A Baboon?"November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)
After being the victim of one too many jokes, Louie leaves the Cubs and becomes Mahra's assistant.
66"Red Dogs"November 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)

Louie tricks Kaa into believing that Baloo's sleepwalking is the result of his attempts at hypnosis, sending Kaa out after Baloo just as the lethal red dogs return to The Jungle, with only Baloo to save the day.

Note: This episode was inspired by "Red Dog", a chapter from Rudyard Kipling's The Second Jungle Book.
77"The Great Kaadini"November 16, 1996 (1996-11-16)

Kaa accidentally hypnotizes the vultures, turning them into competent hunters totally obedient to his commands.

Note: This episode features the song, "Kaa's Song".
88"Hulla Baloo / Shere Bliss"November 23, 1996 (1996-11-23)

"Hulla Baloo": Louie becomes jealous when Baloo begins to spend more time with another bear after he saved his life.

"Shere Bliss": When Khan becomes a more fun-loving cat after a bump on the head, the Cubs find themselves trying to bring him back to normal.
99"Treasure of The Middle Jungle"November 30, 1996 (1996-11-30)

When a shrew tells the animals about the long-lost 'Treasure of the Middle Jungle', the group - minus Bagheera and Hathi - set out to find it, only to come face-to-face with the massive Cobra Whitehood.

Note: This episode was inspired by "The King's Ankus". a chapter from Rudyard Kipling's The Second Jungle Book. This episode features the song, "When We Find Our Treasure".
1010"Feather Brains"
"Benny & Clyde"		December 7, 1996 (1996-12-07)

"Feather Brains": Cecil falls in love with a female vulture named Clarice and kicks Arthur out of the nest. Arthur then, unsuccessfully, tries to bond with Khan.

"Benny & Clyde": Louie is forced to look after his younger cousins.
1111"Splendor In The Mud"December 14, 1996 (1996-12-14)
When the boys play a few pranks, Winifred's uncle gets very upset and tells Hathi that he will never see her again. After her uncle gets hurt by a mother rhinoceros he feels very ill, and he wants to find the red clay in the wasteland for him to recover, the cubs become his only hope. Includes the song "Jungle Cub Love"
1212"Trouble On The Waterfront"
"Fool Me Once..."		December 21, 1996 (1996-12-21)

"Trouble On The Waterfront": The Cubs break out into violent arguments when a drought destroys almost their entire water supply.

"Fool Me Once...": After a particularly harsh prank by Baloo and Louie, a sad and depressed Bagheera fakes his death to get even.

Note: The first segment was inspired by "How Fear Came", a chapter from Rudyard Kipling's The Second Jungle Book, in which there is a drought in the jungle and a limited water supply.
1313"The Coming of The Wolves"December 28, 1996 (1996-12-28)
The cubs find themselves caught between two runaway wolves: Akela and his pregnant mate Leah who hide at the temple to evade their pack led by villainous alpha wolf Cain.

Season 2 (1997–98)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
141"The Ape Who Would Be King"October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11)

The Cubs learn of a prophecy that states that Louie will some day be king of the jungle, but Khan wants the role for himself.

Note: Includes the song "Everything's Gonna Be Right with the World."
152"Trunks For The Memories / Kasaba Ball"October 18, 1997 (1997-10-18)

"Trunks For The Memories": Hathi's best friend Johar may have to part ways with him when the elephant herd breaks in two due to a food shortage.

" Kasaba Ball": The Cubs divide into teams- Louie, Bagheera, and Baloo against Khan, a monkey, and the inappropriately-named rhinoceros 'Tiny'- in a game of 'Kasaba Ball' (the jungle's equivalent of football).
163"Hathi's Makeover / Curse of The Magnificent Melon"October 25, 1997 (1997-10-25)

"Hathi's Makeover": Hathi tries to become a different kind of animal after he becomes ashamed of being an elephant.

" Curse of The Magnificent Melon": After stealing Hathi's prized melon, Baloo finds himself apparently followed by a mass of frogs accusing him of the crime.
174"The Five Bananas / Birthday Snake"November 1, 1997 (1997-11-01)

"The Five Bananas": The cubs form a band for an upcoming talent show, but split before the show starts because each of them believes they are the most important instrument in the band.

" Birthday Snake": Kaa resorts to hypnosis when he thinks that the others have forgotten his birthday.
185"Old Green Teeth / The Elephant Who Couldn't Say No"November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)

"Old Green Teeth": Louie suffers a crisis of confidence when the Five Bananas are invited to perform for an old idol of his.

"The Elephant Who Couldn't Say No": Hathi's inability to say 'no' to anyone results in him having to abandon a game of shadow puppets with Winifred and forced to take care of a basket full of crazy woodpeckers that was passed from a sloth to a bighorn sheep to a crane to a warthog and into Hathi's possession
196"Hair Ball / A Tale of Two Tails"November 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)

"Hair Ball": Bagheera runs away from the jungle in embarrassment after coughing up a hairball in front of the entire jungle, resulting in him joining the 'Embarrassment Club', consisting of various animals who unintentionally humiliated themselves in public.

" A Tale of Two Tails": Kaa and Khan take advantage of Louie's kindness after they sustain "injuries" to their tails while saving him.
207"Waiting For Baloo / Tree For Two"November 22, 1997 (1997-11-22)

"Waiting For Baloo": Baloo is entrusted with delivering a bunch of bananas to the baboons and the Buffaloes.

"Tree For Two": Bagheera and Louie have difficulty getting along when they are forced to live together after a storm destroys their old homes.
218"Nice Tiger / Sleepless In The Jungle"January 10, 1998 (1998-01-10)

"Nice Tiger": Khan tries to convince the other cubs that there's nothing nice about him, but they all think differently.

"Sleepless In The Jungle": Baloo has difficulty sleeping due to his concerns about the potential water shortage.

Note: This is the first and only episode to have "The Bare Necessities" sung, outside of the opening sequence.

Voice cast

Additional voices

Crew
  • Lou Rawls - Singer
  • Jamie Thomason - Voice Casting & Dialogue Director

Home media

US releases

Two VHS releases containing 6 episodes of the series were released in the United States.

VHS nameEpisode titlesRelease date
Cub House Fun"Hathi Meets His Match"
"A Night in the Wasteland"
"Mondo Mungo"		June 12, 1996 (1996-06-12)
Crazy Congo Capers"The Great Kaadini"
"How the Panther Lost His Roar"
"Who Wants to be a Baboon?"		April 13, 1997 (1997-04-13)

UK, Australia and New Zealand releases

Three VHS releases containing 11 episodes of the series were released in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. These international releases included newly-animated wraparounds with Mowgli (voiced by Tyler Mullen) interacting with the characters as adults, as they recall events from their childhood through the series' episodes. In these segments, Baloo is voiced by Ed Gilbert, Bagheera is voiced by Bob Joles, Hathi, Kaa and Louie are voiced by Jim Cummings and Shere Khan is voiced by Tony Jay. Gilbert, Cummings and Jay reprised their roles from TaleSpin.

VHS NameEpisode TitlesRelease Date
Jungle Cubs (Volume 1): Born to be Wild"A Night in the Wasteland"
"How the Panther Lost His Roar"
"Red Dogs"		August 15, 1997 (1997-08-15)
Jungle Cubs (Volume 2): Once Upon a Vine"Who Wants to be a Baboon?"
"The Humans Must Be Crazy"
"Hathi Meets His Match"
"Mondo Mungo"
"The Treasure of the Middle Jungle"		February 27, 1998 (1998-02-27)
Jungle Cubs (Volume 3): Monkey Business"The Great Kaadini"
"Benny & Clyde"
"The Coming of the Wolves"		May 15, 1998 (1998-05-15)

DVD releases

On September 8, 2003, one DVD containing three episodes of the series was released in the United Kingdom.[2]

DVD NameEpisode TitlesRelease Date
Born to Be Wild"A Night in the Wasteland"
"How the Panther Lost His Roar"
"Red Dogs"		September 8, 2003 (2003-09-08)

Australian and New Zealand releases

On September 12, 2003, three DVDs containing eleven episodes of the series was released.

DVD NameEpisode TitlesRelease Date
Born to be Wild"A Night in the Wasteland"
"How the Panther Lost His Roar"
"Red Dogs"		September 12, 2003 (2003-09-12)
Once Upon a Vine"Who Wants to be a Baboon?"
"The Humans Must Be Crazy"
"Hathi Meets His Match"
"Mondo Mungo"
"The Treasure of the Middle Jungle"		September 12, 2003 (2003-09-12)
Monkey Business"The Great Kaadini"
"Benny & Clyde"
"The Coming of the Wolves"		September 12, 2003 (2003-09-12)

Digital releases

In 2016, the entire series was made available for purchase on digital in the United States through Amazon Instant Video, ITunes, and Google Play.

In other languages
  • Italian: Cuccioli della giungla
  • Svenska: Lilla Djungelboken

Notes

      References
      1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 327. ISBN 978-1538103739.
      2. "Jungle Cubs [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
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