The Kimba The White Lion Symphonic Poem
1991, Japan
No voice actors

Actually, that 1991 date is misleading. The Symphonic Poem originated with the music Isao Tomita wrote for Jungle Emperor in 1965. He re-worked his music into a long form which tells a story by itself. (This form of music was termed "symphonic poem" or "tone poem" by composers in the late Romantic era.) So music that was written originally to enhance visual story telling became the storyteller. Tomita's symphonic poem was recorded in the mid-60s, released on LP, and recently re-released on CD for a short time.

In 1991, Tezuka Productions turned the process upside down and created new animation to illustrate the symphonic poem.

The story is basically that of the first Kimba episode. We see the peaceful animal kingdom under Panja, the coming of the hunters, Eliza's capture and Panja's death. Kimba (Leo) is born and escapes back to Africa. All this told without a single word spoken. The style of the Symphonic Poem's animation is unique. It draws heavily on the style of the 1989 TV series, but Kimba (Leo) looks different from the way he looked in any other production.

This film is available on DVD from Japan. Because of the region-based locking system built into DVD players, your player must be able to play Region 2 DVDs to play this one. If you can play Region 2 DVDs, here is a link to order the Symphonic Poem from CDJapan.

The original audio recording is currently out of print.

Page updated 8 June 2006.