Jungle Beat (TV series)
| Jungle Beat | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Comedy Slice of life |
| Created by | Brent Dawes |
| Directed by | Brent Dawes |
| Country of origin | South Africa |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 39 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Phil Cunningham Jacqui Cunningham |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Sunrise Productions |
| Release | |
| Picture format |
4:3 PAL (576i) (2005) 16:9 HDTV (1080p) (2014-) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release | 1 October 2005 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Munki and Trunk |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Jungle Beat is a family-friendly series of CGI animated, self-contained, dialogue-free, five-minute episodes focusing on different animals and the bizarre situations they encounter in nature.[1]
Production
Jungle Beat is produced by Sunrise Productions, a CG animation studio based in Cape Town, South Africa. The first episode of Jungle Beat, "Always Take the Weather with You" was produced in Harare in 2003. Initially produced as a VFX test for fur and weather effects, the five-minute short was an unexpected success, and went on to win a number of awards, including “Best Animation” at the African Eye Animation Festival and the Audience Award at Sao Paulo’s Anima Mundi International Animation Festival in 2004[2]
This short, which follows the adventures of a monkey in extreme weather conditions, served as the pilot episode of Jungle Beat[3] and the story structure of an animal navigating its way through a quirky predicament became the format for each five-minute episode of Jungle Beat's three seasons.
Characters
The Jungle Beat series consists of standalone shorts which follow the antics and adventures of a different animal in each episode.[4] Several of the more popular characters, such as Giraffe, Elephant, Monkey, Bee and Hedgehog, feature in multiple episodes, facing a different predicament in each.
Spin-off
In 2015, Sunrise expanded the Jungle Beat universe to include The Jungle Beat Explorers, a 3D 13-episode series that broadcasts exclusively on the Sunrise YouTube channel. The non-dialogue show introduced Mirabelle, Simon, Dexter and Rita, four curious, inept safari adventurers who document the wild animals of the world[5].
The Jungle Beat franchise was then further expanded with the development of Munki and Trunk, a 52 x 7 minute series aimed at kids aged 4-7. The show takes place in the Jungle Beat universe, but reintroduces the familiar animal cast as an ensemble, with more developed characters and relationships than the original parent show. The “tree-crashing, rock smashing, water-splashing, fruit-mashing, knock-about comedy adventure” centres on two unlikely best friends: crafty Munki and caring Trunk[6].
Other Media
Sunrise Productions released Jungle Beat: The Game on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Released on the 24th of August 2015, the game was successful and had reached the top spot in the South African App Store by the 25th of August. The game features 25 levels and is aimed at children of 4-11 years of age.[7]
References
- ↑ "Turner Plays to Monster's Jungle Beat". TBI Vision. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ↑ "Sunrise Productions takes Jungle Beat forward". Media Update. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
- ↑ "Jungle Beat Season 1". The TV Database. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ↑ "Jungle Beat". Sunrise Productions. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ↑ "Youtube-exclusive series EXPLORERS from Sunrise joins the JUNGLE BEAT stable". Animationsa.
- ↑ Milligan, Mercedes. "Aardman Brings Sunrise's 'Munki and Trunk' to MIP". Animationmagazine.net.
- ↑ Hendricks, Byron. "Jungle Beat: The Game". Fortressofsolitude.co.za.