Donkey Kong Country (TV series)

Donkey Kong Country (TV series)
Company type	Animated television program
Industry	Animation, Television
Founded	September 4, 1996; 30 years ago
Headquarters	Canada, France
Area served	International
Products	Animated TV series

Donkey Kong Country is an animated television program inspired by the Nintendo and Rare video game Donkey Kong Country. It was jointly produced by Nelvana Limited, Medialab Studio L.A. (for Season 1), and Hong Guang Animation (for Season 2), in collaboration with WIC Entertainment and Teletoon. The first season was co-produced alongside France 2, Canal+, and Valar 4.

The series premiered in France on September 4, 1996, as part of a hybrid live-action and motion-capture segment called La Planète de Donkey Kong. Following this, it evolved into a full-fledged series broadcasted from August 15, 1997, through July 7, 2000.

Notably, Donkey Kong Country was the pioneering television show to utilize motion capture technology as its main animation method. Certain elements from the series, such as the Crystal Coconut, were later integrated into video games like Donkey Kong 64. For its second season, a Taiwanese CGI firm named CGCG took over production, introducing revamped 3D character models along with improved lighting effects and keyframe animation rather than motion capture. This continuation was officially announced in May 1999.

Plot

The narrative unfolds on Kongo Bongo Island, where the protagonist, Donkey Kong, has been chosen by the mystical Crystal Coconut—connected to the sacred Inka Dinka Doo temple—as the island’s future leader. To earn his rightful place, Donkey Kong must defend the Crystal Coconut against adversaries, chiefly King K. Rool, who seeks to capture it and claim dominion over the island. Alongside companions such as his faithful sidekick Diddy Kong and wise mentor Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong juggles his responsibilities as protector with his personal relationships, including his romance with Candy Kong.

Each episode features two musical numbers performed by the characters.

Cast and characters

In Season 1 of the French version, recordings were primarily done in Quebec; however, the French voices for Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Funky Kong were provided by actors from France. The French dub for Season 2 was released years later on DVD featuring mostly new voice talents, with only Donkey Kong and Funky Kong’s original actors reprising their roles. Hervé Grull, who voiced Diddy Kong in Season 1, was replaced by Lucile Boulanger due to voice changes from puberty.

Game characters

Donkey Kong: Voiced by: Franck Capillery (French); Richard Yearwood (English); Sterling Jarvis (English singing); The powerful future leader tasked with protecting the Crystal Coconut. Known for his battle cry "Banana Slamma".
Diddy Kong: Voiced by: Hervé Grull (French, S1); Lucile Boulanger (French, S2); Donald Reignoux (French singing, S2); Andrew Sabiston (English); Donkey Kong’s dependable companion and voice of reason.
Cranky Kong: Voiced by: Yves Massicotte (French, S1); Yves Barsacq (French, S2); Aron Tager (English); Serves as mentor to Donkey Kong and Diddy while safeguarding the Crystal Coconut within his treehouse globe.
Funky Kong: Voiced by: Emmanuel Curtil (French); Damon D'Oliveira (English); An eccentric friend who operates Funky's Flights, enabling transportation across the island.
Candy Kong: Voiced by: Camille Cyr-Desmarais (French, S1); Odile Schmitt (French, S2); Joy Tanner (English); Donkey Kong’s determined girlfriend working at Barrelworks factory; often provides encouragement.
Dixie Kong: Voiced by: Violette Chauveau (French, S1); Annie Barclay (French, S2); Stevie Vallance (English); Diddy’s affectionate but somewhat naive girlfriend and friend to Candy.
King K. Rool: Voiced by: Éric Gaudry (French, S1); Daniel Beretta (French, S2); Benedict Campbell (English); The leader of the Kremling forces striving to seize the Crystal Coconut and dominate Kongo Bongo Island.
Krusha: Voiced by: Pierre Auger (French, S1); Daniel Beretta (French, S2); Len Carlson (English); Acts as King K. Rool’s personal bodyguard.
General Klump: Voiced by: Jean Brousseau (French, S1); Jacques Bouanich (French, S2); Adrian Truss (English); The general commanding King K. Rool’s Kremling army.
Kritters: Voiced by: Michel Tugot-Doris (French, S2); Lawrence Bayne (English); Foot soldiers serving under King K. Rool.
Klap Traps: Small crocodilian creatures that damage wooden structures and are launched using Klap-Blasters operated by Kritters.

Original Characters

Bluster Kong: Voiced by: Daniel Lesourd (French, Season 1); Patrice Dozier (French, Season 2); Donald Burda (English); The affluent and ethically questionable owner of the Barrelworks factory, often envious of Donkey Kong and repeatedly failing to win over his employee Candy. Despite his inflated self-importance, he is timid and frequently relies on his disapproving mother—who is set to inherit the factory—to rescue him from difficult situations.
Kaptain Skurvy: Voiced by: Ron Rubin (English); A pirate leader and the estranged brother of Klump, relentlessly pursuing the Crystal Coconut under claims of ancestral entitlement.
Kutlass and Green Kroc: Voiced by: John Stocker and Richard Newman (English); Subordinates of Skurvy; Green Kroc is a Kritter, while Kutlass resembles King K. Rool but with lighter scales.
Polly Roger: Voiced by: Rick Jones (English); The parrot companion of Kaptain Skurvy.
Jr. Klap Trap: Voiced by: Ron Rubin (English); A sizable Klaptrap whose false teeth are frequently stolen; he offers services in exchange for their return.
Eddie the Mean Old Yeti: Voiced by: Patrice Dozier (French, Season 2); Damon D'Oliveira (English); A yeti inhabiting the snowy peaks of Kongo Bongo Island's White Mountains.
Kong Fu: Voiced by: Richard Newman (English); A kung fu martial artist employed by King K. Rool to defeat Donkey Kong.
Baby Kong: Voiced by: Bryn McAuley (English); The nephew of Donkey Kong.
Inka Dinka Doo: Voiced by: Lawrence Bayne (English); A spiritual temple idol that selected Donkey Kong as the future ruler, appearing as a stone pillar with changing facial expressions.

Production

More than 70% of the character animation for the series utilized performance capture technology. Each character was animated by two performers—one handling body movements and another managing facial expressions. Due to technical constraints, some actions such as interacting with objects were created through traditional keyframing. This combined approach shortened the animation process per episode to approximately two weeks, a significant reduction from the six to eight weeks typically required with conventional keyframe animation.

Broadcast and Home Media

Donkey Kong Country premiered in France on September 4, 1996, airing on France 2's La Planète de Donkey Kong. The French-language version later launched in Canada on Télétoon on September 8, 1997, as part of the channel's initial programming lineup; its English counterpart debuted on Télétoon's English channel on October 17. In the United States, it was among the inaugural shows broadcast on Fox Family (now Freeform) from August 15, 1998, until 2000. The series also had a brief run on Fox Kids between 1998 and 1999. A total of 40 episodes were produced. In Japan, it aired dubbed on TV Tokyo from October 1, 1999, through June 30, 2000.

The series has been widely distributed on VHS and DVD globally, with thirteen DVDs featuring English audio tracks. In North America, four episodes starring Kaptain Skurvy were compiled into a VHS release titled Donkey Kong Country: The Legend of the Crystal Coconut, presented as a feature-length compilation. This version was released in Canada around 1999 with both English and French dubs distributed by Seville Pictures and Nelvana; the U.S. release was handled by Paramount Home Video on November 9, 1999—the only VHS release for the series in the United States. France received this compilation under the name Donkey Kong Le Film!

In PAL territories, DVDs such as Donkey Kong Country Vol. 1 (Australia) and Donkey Kong Country - Bad Hair Day (United Kingdom) were issued. Additional Australian DVDs contained individual episodes. Following a gap exceeding three years without new English DVD releases, the episode I Spy With My Hairy Eye was issued in the U.K. in 2008.

In 2013, Canadian firm Phase 4 Films secured licensing rights for Region 1 DVD distribution in partnership with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing episodes beginning with He Came, He Saw, He Kong-quered on August 20. The Complete First Season DVD was subsequently released on May 12, 2015.

By 2017, Pidax Film obtained German distribution rights for all fourteen Season 2 episodes on DVD, featuring both English and German audio options.

As of 2023, streaming availability includes platforms such as Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, and Amazon Video with advertisements. In early 2024, it started airing on Kartoon Studio's Video Game Heroes channel via the FAST service Samsung TV Plus.

Episodes can also be accessed through subscription services like iTunes and Amazon Prime's Ameba channel. Nelvana's Retro Rerun YouTube channel hosts thirty-nine out of forty episodes.

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Legacy

In Japan, the series inspired an extensive range of merchandise, which encompassed a manga adaptation, playsets, and a collectible card game showcasing character illustrations—some of which depicted figures never featured in the show. This card game was subsequently modified to align with Donkey Kong 64.

The track "Pirate's Scorn," originating from the episode "Booty and the Beast," was interpreted by the Scottish heavy metal group Alestorm on their album Curse of the Crystal Coconut. This rendition also appeared in DKC: Curse of the Crystal Coconut, an animated fan-made homage to the series. The album's cover art contains multiple nods to the Donkey Kong video game franchise.

Original English voice actors Benedict Campbell, Adrian Truss, Ron Rubin, and Richard Yearwood—who portrayed King K. Rool, General Klump, Kaptain Skurvy, and Donkey Kong respectively—came together once again to voice their characters in DKC: Return to Krocodile Isle, a fan-created animated short film.

Within the Nintendo Switch edition of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, when playing as Funky Kong, Donkey Kong’s iconic phrase "Banana Slamma" is incorporated into the dialogue as a tribute to the animated series.

External links

Title	Release Date	Number of Episodes	Region	Notes
The Legend of the Crystal Coconut (English) Donkey Kong Country: La Légende de la noix de coco en cristal (French)	1999 (Canada) November 9, 1999 (USA)	4	VHS	Episodes edited into feature-length format; French dub also available in Canada.
Donkey Kong Le Film!	TBA	4	VHS	French-dubbed version of Legend of the Crystal Coconut, released in France.
ドンキーコング Vol. 1 (Donkey Kong Vol. 1)	June 21, 2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes 1-3.
ドンキーコング Vol.2 (Donkey Kong Vol.2)	June 21, 2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes 4-6.
ドンキーコング Vol.3 (Donkey Kong Vol.3)	June 21, 2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes7-9.
ドンキーコング Vol.4 (Donkey Kong Vol.4)	August19,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes10-12.
ドンキーコング Vol.5 (Donkey Kong Vol.5)	August19,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes13-15.
ドンキーコング Vol.6 (Donkey Kong Vol.6)	August19,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes16-18.
ドンキーコング Vol.7 (Donkey Kong Vol.7)	October21,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes19-21.
ドンキーコング Vol.8 (Donkey Kong Vol.8)	October21,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes22-24.
ドンキーコング Vol.9 (Donkey Kong Vol.9)	October21,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes25-27.
ドンキーコング Vol.10 (Donkey Kong Vol.10)	December21,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes28-30.
ドンキーコング Vol.11 (Donkey Kong Vol.11)	December21,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes31-33.
ドンキーコング Vol.12 (Donkey Kong Vol.12)	December21,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes34-36.
ドンキーコング Vol.13 (Donkey Kong Vol.13)	December21,2000	3	VHS	Japanese-dubbed Episodes37-39.