You are probably already familiar with Babar, King of the Elephants, in some aspect. He first appeared in the French children’s books by Jean de Brunhoff in 1931, before they were translated into English in 1933 and pretty much every other language around the world after that. Babar is an elephant who is educated in proper manners and other important values by an old woman, known only as Madame, in the big city. After being trained as such in how to be a proper gentleman, he returns to the jungle kingdom where he was born and passes on these values to the other creatures, including his own children.
The character oozes morality and lovability, and sets a great example for children. No wonder the books were adapted into an equally cute animated series in 1989, which ran through the early Nineties before being briefly resurrected in 2000 (there is currently a computer-animated series chronicling Babar’s adventures, but this style of animation better suits the classic nature of these tales). Episodes of this series are now available on DVD, grouped into categories titled "School Days” and “Best Friends Forever.” With messages encouraging youngsters to be themselves, treat others fairly, and other valuable lessons, Babar is a solid, albeit very old-fashioned program. The animation style is the flat, hand-drawn quality of television in the late Eighties, though the animal characters are still charming and expressive, and the musical score is tinkly and retro-European. I feel as though kids today might be underwhelmed by it, but their nostalgic parents will definitely want to give it a whirl and introduce them to the wonderful world of Babar.
To add to the old-fashioned fun, the only special features included with the DVD are small coloring books—nothing on the DVDs themselves.
"Babar the Classic Series: Best Friends Forever & School Days" is on sale September 6, 2011 and is not rated. Animation, Children & Family. Directed by Dale Schott, Larry Jacobs, Laura Shepherd. Written by J.D. Smith, Mary Crawford, Alan Templeton. Starring Dawn Greenhalgh, Elizabeth Hanna, Gordon Pinsent.
