This page was updated on 4 June 2008. Note: News relating to this site can now be found here.
Kimba News
New and Current
New Book by Fred Ladd, Executive Producer of Kimba
Scheduled to be published November 30, 2008 is the brand-new book, ASTRO BOY AND ANIME COME TO THE AMERICAS: An Insider's View of the Birth of a Pop Culture Phenomenon, by Fred Ladd and Harvey Deneroff. The book is Fred Ladd’s story of his involvement in producing the English-language versions of Kimba the White Lion, Astro Boy, Gigantor, and other pioneering anime series, and his dealings with Osamu Tezuka and others. It is his personal history of the beginnings of anime for the US. The links in this paragraph will allow you to pre-order the book from Amazon.com, with Amazon's low-price guarantee (if they have any sales between the time you pre-order and the day the book is published, you will only pay the lowest price). (June 3, 2008)
Tezuka Moderno PVC Figures Available in US
CollectionDX reports that Organic Hobby will be releasing four PVC figures from the Tezuka Moderno Labo series for the US market. In addition to the figure of Kimba, pictured at the left, there will be Princess Sapphire (Princess Knight), Dr. Elefun (Dr. Ochanomizu), and Three-Eyed One (Sharaku) figures. (April 12, 2008)
Kimba En Español
New: A DVD with 3 "Kimba El León Blanco" episodes from the 1960s. This is NOT the same DVD that is frequently offered on ebay. These Spanish Kimba shows were produced by the same company that produced Kimba The White Lion originally in the 1960s for the US. They have top-notch voice acting (one of the actors sounds to me like one of the English actors; maybe he was multi-lingual) and all the original music by Isao Tomita. All episodes are complete, with nothing cut out, just like when they were first shown. Plus they have a very cool Spanish theme, sung to the tune of the classic English Kimba theme (preview it below). These films are very rare, and it's great to have them available again.
With the end of separate-fee SkyAngel satellite service, the KTV channel moves to the free "public information" package for all Dish Network subscribers. (The KTV web site says something else, but it is wrong.) KTV (channel 264 on Dish) has Kimba at 10:30 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and at 7:30 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Spanish-dubbed episodes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 am. (All times ET.) These are all the 1993 versions, with Yvonne Murray as Kimba in the English episodes.
In addition to being part of the free PI pack (Dish Network equipment required), KTV is available to Dish Network subscribers who have the Family Pack or any of the America's Top Channels packs.
(April 11, 2008)
It's now available! The most often-asked question about this set is: Does it contain the ORIGINAL 1966 episodes with Billie Lou Watt as Kimba?
And the answer is YES!
From Right Stuf head Shawne Kleckner: "This will contain all 52 episodes of the series. The video quality is ABSOLUTELY IMPECCABLE. Everything is remastered and the video quality has NEVER been this good before. The opening and closing are redone, with corrected closing credits that fix the spelling of Dr. Tezuka's name (the original is included as an extra). I think fans will be pleased, the video quality is much better than any previous release."
The DVD box set contains 11 discs. All 52 episodes are included in their original (Japanese) broadcast order. Some of the artwork for the individual boxes in the set can be seen here.
Extras are:
Original Japanese Episode 1 (with English subtitles)
Interview with Fred Ladd
"How Kimba Came to Be" booklet written by Fred Patten and Robin Leyden
You can find links to order your own box set here.
From Australia:
Kimba is also on DVD in a Region 4 release that is the same as the American DVD release--All 52 episodes plus the disc of bonus features (if you get the box set)! (September 21, 2005)
The lost version of the first Kimba episode is available.
The first Kimba episode exists in two versions, both with the original actors we know and love, including Billie Lou Watt as Kimba. One version was recorded on November 10, 1965, the second on August 29, 1966. It is the first version that has been lost until now. There are some fascinating differences in the dialog, different accents for some of the characters... they were whole different productions. The restoration effort for this lost version has been completed. Click here to read about it and get your own copy.
ORIGINAL Leo the Lion Restored on DVD
A project to restore the Leo The Lion TV series is now complete. This series is called by some "Kimba: Season 2", and it is the sequel that Osamu Tezuka made in 1966, showing Kimba as an adult. All 26 episodes are now available on DVD, in English, completely uncut for the first time and looking and sounding great. (Previous DVDs of this series have had rotten picture and sound.) Click here for full info.
Kimba on TV in the US!
Updated 4 June 2008.
Please note that all current showings of Kimba use the 1993 version of Kimba, with Yvonne Murray playing Kimba, not Billie Lou Watt.
The Spanish-language television network La Familia is currently showing Kimba (in Spanish, of course) Monday through Frday at 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM (ET). Thanks to Martin Camacho for the tip.
Kimba The White Lion is also being shown on iLifeTV, an inspirational family channel. The current schedule is Monday at 6:30 am (ET), Thursday at 8 am, and Friday at 6:30 am. Check your local cable TV and satellite TV services to find out if you can get this channel where you live.
For those of you with C-Band satellite dishes, iLifeTV is carried on the satellite "Galaxy 4R" (at 99.0°W) as a part of the "HITS" package (frequency and polarization is 12140 vertical), and on "Intelsat
Americas 7" (at 129.0°W) as a part of the "OlympuSat" package (frequency and polarization is 4100 vertical). [Thanks to CroKimba for that info!]
The Sky Angel IPTV service also carries the KTV channel which is showing Kimba. IPTV requires a subscription and a special set-top box connected both to your TV and to a high-speed internet service.
Subtitled Jungle Emperor (Kimba) DVDs from China-- Any good?
Many fans have been eager to get closer to the original Kimba, hoping for a subtitled-in-English version of the original Japanese shows. A new set of DVDs has appeared from China, claiming to offer just that. It doesn't live up to expectations, though. Click here for a detailed review.
Jungle Emperor Leo
I've seen AnimeWorks' new DVD of the 1997 Jungle Emperor Leo movie, and it is great. I couldn't ask for more--you get to choose between watching it with the original Japanese soundtrack, with well-written and faithful subtitles, or in an English-dubbed version that is also faithful to the original, and well produced. Not one frame has been cut or re-sequenced, and the video quality is great. This DVD was released on October 28, 2003 by AnimeWorks, a brand of Media Blasters. Click this link to order your copy. (October 23, 2003--link updated May 8, 2007)
Even More Kimba
There are other Kimba shows, such as Leo the Lion and the New Adventures of Kimba, available on home video. Click here for a page with information on every Kimba series other than the original 1966 series. (Info on the original series can be found by clicking the "About Kimba" button in the menu frame at the left.)
Past Events
Free showing of Jungle Emperor Leo in Washington DC
The Japanese Embassy, Otakorp, Inc., and the Smithsonian Institution present the Sixth Annual Cherry Blossom Anime Marathon, including a free showing of Jungle Emperor Leo on April 5, 2008. The marathon begins at 11:00 am and Jungle Emperor Leo is the first film on the program. The other films are: Atagoal: Cat's Magical Forest, 5 Centimeters Per Second, and Appleseed: Ex Machina. Jungle Emperor Leo will be shown dubbed into English; the other films will be in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are required; free tickets for all films (limit 2 per person per film) will be distributed beginning at 10:30 am.
The location is the Freer Gallery of Art - 12th & Jefferson Dr SW, Washington, DC. Tips on how to get there can be found at:
www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org. Details on the program can be found at: http://www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp and http://www.asia.si.edu/cherryblossom.htm. (March 23, 2008)
Osamu Tezuka Manga Exhibition in San Francisco
"Tezuka, the Marvel of Manga," a traveling exhibition of the work of
manga god Osamu Tezuka, was at the Asian Art Museum in San
Francisco from June 2 - September 9, 2007. This exhibition contained
original drawings, manga covers, posters, etc., and represented the
first time Tezuka's originals had been seen outside Japan. The exhibit
was produced in coordination with Tezuka Productions.
Tezuka drew more than 150,000 pages of manga, and created more than 500
manga titles and 70 anime titles. Tezuka's images first appeared in
print in 1946. He devised many of manga's most distinctive forms and
images, and is sometimes credited with almost single-handedly creating
the manga and related anime industries. His prolific manga work is often
categorized in two ways: manga 'comic pictures' for a young audience,
including Kimba, Astro Boy, and Princess Knight; and gekiga 'drama
pictures' - more seriously-toned, adult oriented narratives such as Song
of Apollo and Ludwig B, that stress realistic effect and emotional
impact. This exhibition features both aspects of his work.
ImaginAsian TV is bringing the "Hit Asian Film Festival" to Time Warner Cable's national
Movies On Demand service, where it will be carried on all Time Warner Cable systems including key markets such as New York, Los Angeles,
Houston and Hawaii. Jungle Emperor Leo is among the "14 outstanding Pan Asian films" that will be made
available during the film festival to Time Warner Cable digital subscribers beginning May 6. This, I think, does not bode well for an American theatrical release. More info as I learn it.
Do you have some Kimba news? Or is there something you would like to see included on this page? Let me know!
Scheduled to be published November 30, 2008 is the brand-new book, ASTRO BOY AND ANIME COME TO THE AMERICAS: An Insider's View of the Birth of a Pop Culture Phenomenon
CollectionDX reports that Organic Hobby will be releasing four PVC figures from the Tezuka Moderno Labo series for the US market. In addition to the figure of Kimba, pictured at the left, there will be Princess Sapphire (Princess Knight), Dr. Elefun (Dr. Ochanomizu), and Three-Eyed One (Sharaku) figures. (April 12, 2008)
New: A DVD with 3 "Kimba El León Blanco" episodes from the 1960s. This is NOT the same DVD that is frequently offered on ebay. These Spanish Kimba shows were produced by the same company that produced Kimba The White Lion originally in the 1960s for the US. They have top-notch voice acting (one of the actors sounds to me like one of the English actors; maybe he was multi-lingual) and all the original music by Isao Tomita. All episodes are complete, with nothing cut out, just like when they were first shown. Plus they have a very cool Spanish theme, sung to the tune of the classic English Kimba theme (preview it below). These films are very rare, and it's great to have them available again.
With the end of separate-fee SkyAngel satellite service, the KTV channel moves to the free "public information" package for all Dish Network subscribers. (The KTV web site says something else, but it is wrong.) KTV (channel 264 on Dish) has Kimba at 10:30 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and at 7:30 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Spanish-dubbed episodes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 am. (All times ET.) These are all the 1993 versions, with Yvonne Murray as Kimba in the English episodes. 
The original Kimba series (original 1966 version) soon will be unavailable on VHS tapes. Check them out and order what's left of them here.
It's now available! The most often-asked question about this set is: Does it contain the ORIGINAL 1966 episodes with Billie Lou Watt as Kimba?
The first Kimba episode exists in two versions, both with the original actors we know and love, including Billie Lou Watt as Kimba. One version was recorded on November 10, 1965, the second on August 29, 1966. It is the first version that has been lost until now. There are some fascinating differences in the dialog, different accents for some of the characters... they were whole different productions. The restoration effort for this lost version has been completed. Click here to read about it and get your own copy.
A project to restore the Leo The Lion TV series is now complete. This series is called by some "Kimba: Season 2", and it is the sequel that Osamu Tezuka made in 1966, showing Kimba as an adult. All 26 episodes are now available on DVD, in English, completely uncut for the first time and looking and sounding great. (Previous DVDs of this series have had rotten picture and sound.) Click here for full info.