2009
One certainly gets his or her money's worth with "Kong: 5-Disc Collector's Box Set." Priced at just under $25, the steel-cased package offers 16 hours of material, including all 40 episodes of 2001's "Kong: The Animated Series," as well as its 2006 spinoff feature film, "Kong: Return to the Jungle."
And by "Kong," yes, they mean that giant gorilla King Kong, even if copyright issues prevent them from using the royal title. Although the ape is indeed big (and blue), he's not the Kong to which movie audiences are accustomed.
Of course, that makes sense for a series squarely aimed at kids, too young to have seen any of the films (and this was before Peter Jackson's remake, so they may have had zero knowledge of the monster prior). This Kong grows when he's angered "? shades of Hulk "? and communicates via a high-tech headset with Jason, the show's requisite hip, young protagonist.
Their adventures all take place on Kong Island, generally adhere to a formula, and involve some nonsense about 13 powerful, mystical stones that must be protected from greedy forces.
Animation-wise, "Kong" falls somewhere between shoddy and slick; those behind it obviously did what they could with a limited budget. But unless kids were raised on Pixar alone, they don't care about quality as much as they do simply being entertained. Odds are, the adventure-minded among them will find this show as comfort food. Adults are better off sticking to the live-action ones.
"?Rod Lott
