Babar - King Of The Elephants

Starring:Philip Williams, Wayne Robson, Ellen-Ray Hennessy, Kristin Fairlie, Chris Wiggins, Jennifer Martini, Kyle Fairlie, Elizabeth Hanna, Paul Haddad, Dan Lett, Janet-Laine Green, Amos Crawley, Allen Stewart-Coates, Kristen Bone, Cody Jones, Emmanuel Curtil, Bernard Bollet, Philippe Dumat, Alexis Pivot, Anne-Marie Haudebourg
Director: Raymond Jafelice
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The elephant king with the upright stance and smashing wardrobe finally has a movie to tell his story from the scampering days of his youth through his adventures in Paris to his days as husband, father, and king. Based on the popular HBO series--which in turn is based on the books of Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff--this 75-minute film features pleasant animation, a quasi-adult contemporary soundtrack, and adventures culled from several of the classic books, including "The Story of Babar" and "Babar and his Children." Celeste and the triplets, as well as Arthur, Cornelius, and Madame, all figure prominently. The resilient elephants face a series of mishaps, including fires, illness, and the battle with the rival rhinos. All tends to end well, except for the initial death of Babar's mother, which happens Bambi's-mother-style about 10 minutes into the movie. (Ages 2 and up) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Customer Reviews:

Kinder, gentler Babar, gorgeous, wonderful, YES for 3-4 yr. olds.......2007-01-10

I first bought Babar the King (see my scathing review) and thought I might give this one a try. What a difference! None who have seen both would ever call this violent. Granted the dream sequence is a trifle bizarre, I just fast forward as those creepy dream guys bothered me, too. HOWEVER, the rest of the movie is so gentle and so true to the spirit of Babar that I can easily overlook creepy dream guy, which sequence, btw is from the original. Not sure? Rent it from Netflix, if you don't absolutely love it and go right to Amazon to purchase it for your children, I would be really surprised. That's what I did. Great for 3.5 to 4 on up.

Babar!!!.......2006-11-07

Babar was my favorite move when I was younger. Now I watch it and still enjoy it. As for the whole mother dying, well it teaches the small ones that life is short, and dont take things for granted. Also teaches them that death is apart of life, and bad things happen for a reason like with all the bad luck towards the end of the movie. The old woman getting bitten by the snake, the fire in Cornilious house, and the crocadile in the lake. When ever I finally have kids they will watch it and learn from it.

Good for Toddlers.......2005-02-12

I agree with another reviewer that the scene where Babar's mother is killed is a little disturbing. However, it is still relatively mild compared to the more violent themes in the other Babar video ("Babar The Movie"). My 2-year old doesn't seem too bothered by it. Just watch it together with your child a few times to make sure they know that Babar is OK but don't make a big deal of it. The rest of the movie seems to be essentially from Babar books, strung together as a series of stories. The music is good--not fabulous but way more pleasant for adults than Barney or the Wiggles. All in all, I would recommend this for kids 2-4 years with no reservations.

Allright, but could have been better.......2004-10-11

This film of Babar's rise from baby to king is all right, but certainly could have been better.. I feel it does not really do justice to the story as told in the original books (which I myself enjoyed so much as a small child). The overall quality of the production is not up to the level of the television series either, which was much better (quite good actually).
The story telling lacks the charm of the originals... and there are some changes. Something that is jarring is that the characters of Babar, Celeste, and Arthur speak with their adult voices (from the series) rather early on when they are still children..
The worst thing in the film is the rather horrible music.. it may well induce brain damage. Where on earth did they find the people to do THAT? Babar deserves better.

Ultimately small children well probably enjoy it, but it could have been better. If the televsion series gets released to DVD, that will be something to look for.

Great BUT watch with younger kids.......2002-02-14

Of course in typical Disney fashion the mom has to die for the story to move on...we skip that scene of course as well as one where the animals are at "war"...overall I wouldn't have gotten this but it was a gift so hey, free is free. Not one of my son's most favorite (right now we are watching Shrek ad nasueam) but still cute.

Average customer rating:

Babar: King of the Elephants [Region 2]
Starring: Philip Williams , Wayne Robson , Ellen-Ray Hennessy , Kristin Fairlie , and Chris Wiggins
Director: Raymond Jafelice
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004VY0B

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Shadows

Holt of the Secret Service

They Got Me Covered (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Salaam Bombay! (Widescreen Special Edition)

Die Simpsons - Die Simpsons gegen den Rest der Welt