George of the Jungle (2007 TV series)
George of the Jungle is a Canadian–American animated television series. It is the reboot of the 1967 animated series of the same name, using Flash animation. It is produced in Canada, airing there on Teletoon. 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 12-minute episodes. This is unlike the original cartoon, which featured other stories such as Tom Slick and Super Chicken.
The original series aired from June 29, 2007 until January 11, 2008. The original series premiered on Teletoon on January 11, 2009 and on Cartoon Network in the United States exactly a year prior.
The series returned 8 years after the original first season with a second season on September 10, 2016. The revival season concluded on February 18, 2017.
Characters
Main
- George – A friendly, yet dim-witted, strong man in a loincloth, he lives in a jungle in Africa. 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. He also acts immature and refers to himself in the third person. In the second season of the series, he now has muscles to resemble his design in the original series.
- Ape – A sarcastic and 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. Every time he hears the sound of Mitch's bongos, he dances uncontrollably, which results in mass insanity and the destruction of their tree house. He also dances on his fingers when George uses a leaf as a kazoo as revealed in "Ape Goes Ape". In season 2 Ape now has a British accent to match his intelligence.
- Ursula – A tomboyish city girl who came to live in the jungle with George and his friends along with her father Dr. Scott. 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, she often tries to educate her new friends to the marvels of modern city life, 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, and so she still has much to learn. In season 2, her name is now Magnolia and ventures the land without her father. She is hoping to win some kind of reward when her research is complete
- Magnolia – A native of the jungle and valley girl figure, she is one of George's closest friends since she came to the jungle. Despite her dressing in jungle attire as well as fits of hyperactivity, she originally appeared 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. She is the daughter of the Witch Doctor, and therefore a Witch Doctor in training. In season 2, her name is now Ursula and this time speaks almost like a primitive caveman and acts as George's opposite wrecking mayhem through out the jungle.
Supporting
- 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.
- Dr. Scott – The modern doctor now living in the jungle with his daughter. He has formed a somewhat friendly rivalry with the local Witch Doctor, continuously trying to disprove his barbaric medicine and shaman skills with modern science. In season 2 his name is now "Dr. Chicago" who is not a father. Sometimes he will be a Dentist or Villains, his plans will mostly be about dentistry or conquest for the jungle, but they will be easily defeated by George and his Friends.
- Witch Doctor – A very compact, diminutive character who believes his shaman skills are the solution to all problems. He often competed with Dr. Scott and his modern medicine to see who can solve a problem first, although neither usually provides the solution to whatever problem they tackle. Reasons unknown, he is no longer on the show in season 2.
- Big Mitch – A conniving golden marmoset and frequent pest to the jungle community. He lives in an ancient temple full of riches and booby traps, and has a pair of bongos with him.
- Shep – George's elephant friend who actually acts like a dog. He travels with George on most of his adventures, only rivaled by the Tookie-Tookie bird. He is very untrained, and can often be seen destroying sections of the jungle. Shep disher 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 say his own name.
- Howie - A howler monkey who runs a juice bar.
Others
- 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-like gorilla that made a promise to beat the living daylights out of anyone who would mess with George or Ape and the other gorillas.
- Edward Madmun – The creator of Madmun Island. He has an associate who helped him climb to the top of Mount Everest and swim Madmun across the English Channel. George, Ape and the others often accidentally say "Madman" for his name, but someone always reminds them "It's MadMUN!".
- Lion – A lion who was defeated by George in his childhood.
- Tiger – A hungry predator who likes to feast on small defenseless creatures and appears randomly in cameos.
Voice cast
- Lee Tockar and Cory Doran as George, Tookie-Tookie Bird
- Paul Dobson and Rob Tinkler as a gorilla named Ape
- Britt Irvin and Bridget Wareham as Ursula
- Tabitha St. Germain and Linda Ballantyne as Magnolia
- Mark Oliver as Dr. Towel Scott
- Brian Drummond as Witch Doctor
- Doron Bell as Big Mitch
- Peter Kelamis as Cousin Larry
- Michael Daingerfield and Jeff Lumby as Narrator
Episodes