The Jungle Bunch

Cert: G; Now showing

The Jungle Bunch is a French television cartoon series of which there have been several TV movies (this is their first cinema outing). David Alaux directs this as he did the other films and it is grand. It’s low budget so the animation is less refined than we have become used to but it is aimed at younger children who are unlikely to be interested in animation technique.

The Champs, led by Natasha the tigress, have been looking after security matters in the jungle for some time. Now that they have retired, Natasha’s adoptive son Maurice, a penguin who paints stripes on his body to be like his momma, has gathered a group of animals to take their place.

They meet their mother’s old foe, Igor the psychotic koala, who, thwarted by the Champs the first time he tried to destroy the forest, is now absolutely intent on achieving his aim. Why is unclear, he just is. Natasha, in some pretty dodgy parenting is rather disparaging of her son’s ability to achieve anything, much less save the forest, so poor old Maurice battles lack of faith and a mental marsupial. The Jungle Bunch is quite derivative; there are many pieces that bring to mind other cartoons. The tone is also a little strange, it’s quite snarky at times — the humour lies in laughing at rather than laughing with.

This won’t go down as a classic of children’s cinema, however it is

short and will amuse younger children without costing too much in merchandising.