The Jungle Book (2010 TV series)

The Jungle Book (TV series)
Company type	Television series
Industry	Animation, Entertainment
Founded	2009
Founder	DQ Entertainment, MoonScoop, Ellipsanime Productions, Les Cartooneurs Associés, ZDF Enterprises
Headquarters	India, France, Germany
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Tapaas Chakravarti (Chairman and CEO of DQ Entertainment)
Products	Animated television series, feature-length animated film
Parent	DQ Entertainment, MoonScoop (Seasons 1–2), Ellipsanime Productions (Season 3), Les Cartooneurs Associés (Season 3), ZDF Enterprises

The Jungle Book is a 3D CGI animated television series created through a collaboration between Indian studio DQ Entertainment, French companies MoonScoop (Seasons 1–2), Ellipsanime Productions, Les Cartooneurs Associés (Season 3), and the German broadcaster ZDF alongside its production and distribution division ZDF Enterprises. The French channel TF1 was involved in producing Seasons 1 and 2. This series draws inspiration from Rudyard Kipling's classic work, The Jungle Book.

Plot

Centered on Mowgli, a human child nurtured by Akela's wolf pack, The Jungle Book portrays his life in the Indian jungle alongside companions Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther. The storyline explores Mowgli’s adventures as he faces dangers such as the Bengal tiger Shere Khan. His inquisitive nature often places him at risk while he aids other creatures and resolves conflicts within the jungle.

Main

Mowgli (voiced by Emma Tate in Seasons 1–2 and Sarah Natochenny in Season 3) is a human boy raised by wolves Daruka and Raksha, and sibling to Lali and Bala. He wears a tiger claw pendant taken from Shere Khan. His Hindi voice actors included Vaibhav Thakkar and later Pooja Punjabi.
Bagheera (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert in Seasons 1–2 and Abe Goldfarb in Season 3) is a black panther who stands as Mowgli’s steadfast companion. Differing from other versions, Bagheera is less authoritarian but commands respect among jungle inhabitants. He frequently confronts Shere Khan to safeguard Mowgli. Rajesh Kava provided his initial Hindi voice.
Baloo (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert in Seasons 1–2 and David Wills in Season 3) is a Himalayan brown bear. Similar to his Disney portrayal, Baloo enjoys honey, singing, and storytelling. He acts as Mowgli’s wise yet occasionally stern mentor. Mayur Vyas voiced him in Hindi.
Kaa (voiced by Joseph J. Terry in Seasons 1–2 and Billy Bob Thompson in Season 3) is an Indian python, exhibiting a moody demeanor but sometimes assisting Mowgli, Bagheera, and Baloo.

Seeonee Wolf Pack

Akela (voiced by Joseph J. Terry in Seasons 1–2) serves as the elder leader of the Seeonee Wolf Pack, father to Daruka, and grandfather to Lali, Bala, and Phaona. Manish Bhawan voiced him in Hindi.
Daruka (voiced by Aaron Albertus in Seasons 1–2) is Daruka’s mate, father of Lali and Bala, and adoptive father to Mowgli.
Raksha acts as Daruka’s mate and Mowgli’s adoptive mother; she is patient yet resolute.
Lali (voiced by Emma Tate in Seasons 1–2) is the daughter of Daruka and Raksha, protective sister to Bala, and adoptive sister to Mowgli.
Bala (voiced by Teresa Gallagher in Seasons 1–2) is Daruka and Raksha’s son; courageous but competitive younger brother to Lali and adoptive brother to Mowgli. Swapnil Kumari provided his Hindi voice.

Villains

Shere Khan (voiced by David Holt in Seasons 1–2 and Marc Thompson in Season 3) is a fearsome Bengal tiger serving as the principal antagonist. His goal is to kill and consume Mowgli but he frequently fails. Notable features include a scar on his left eye and a lost claw taken by Mowgli, which Mowgli wears as a pendant.
Tabaqui (voiced by Nigel Pilkington in Seasons 1–2) is an Indian jackal, Shere Khan’s sycophantic and greedy henchman who lays traps for Mowgli.
Bandar-log are mischievous langurs inhabiting the Cold Lair temple ruins.
- Their queen is Masha (voiced by Teresa Gallagher in Seasons 1–2).
Jacala (voiced by David Holt in Seasons 1–2) is a territorial mugger crocodile with five sons; despite his gruff exterior, he cares deeply for his family.
Kala (voiced by David Holt in Seasons 1–2) is an aggressive black panther resembling Bagheera but marked with a scar over his right eye.
Phaona (voiced by Aaron Albertus in Seasons 1–2) is an Indian wolf, grandson of Akela, and one of Mowgli’s adoptive brothers. He harbors resentment toward Mowgli’s presence and plots to become pack leader, though his schemes usually do not succeed.
Harjeet/Harjit (voiced by David Holt in Seasons 1–2) is a short-tempered honey badger.
Kaloo is a crow allied with Shere Khan who competes with Tabaqui for favor.

Other creatures

Darzi (voiced by Peter Michail/Teresa Gallagher in seasons 1–2) is a small red sunbird known for courage and friendliness, yet not always dependable as a messenger.
Hathi (voiced by Phil Lollar in seasons 1–2) is a sagacious Indian elephant who leads the elephant herd in the jungle.
- Gajjini is Hathi’s spouse.
- Their two calves, Appu and Hita, are companions of Mowgli.
Rangoo is a vividly colored fruit-eating bird.
Cheel is a kite.
Ikki is an Indian crested porcupine.
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (voiced by Nigel Pilkington in seasons 1–2) is a brave Indian gray mongoose who protects Mowgli.
Thuu is an Indian cobra who occasionally commands a cobra nest.
Manny is a young langur who befriends Mowgli.
The elderly turtles Oo and Boo are part of the animal community.
Pavo is a leucistic Indian peacock with impaired vision.
Alonna is a demoiselle crane.
Hoola/Phoola serves as Pavo’s rival peacock.
Rana is a quick-tempered wild boar.
A Himalayan langur named simply Langur is among Mowgli’s friends.
The Asian fairy-bluebird couple, Ravi and Vira, are featured characters.
A Bengal tiger cub called Chota shares friendship with Mowgli.
The red panda named Ponya appears in the series.
The young sambar deer known as ChuChip/ChooChip becomes friends with Mowgli.
Bella, a female bear, initially deceives Baloo but later reforms after reconciliation.
The barasingha deer named Bara dreams of joining Santa’s flying reindeer team.
The loris called Lori expresses concern about Bara.
The Indian giant squirrel is known as Ackney.
An adult sambar deer named Chappal, father to Chuchip, also appears.
Adult Bengal tiger Chanda, mother to Chota, plays a role in the story.
A blind monkey mentor named Anupam instructs Mowgli in navigating without sight.

Production

On March 30, 2009, DQ Entertainment revealed plans for the series, which would include fifty-two episodes of 11 minutes each alongside a 60-minute feature film. Co-production partners included French channel TF1, German broadcaster ZDF, and its production division ZDF Enterprises. Distribution rights were primarily held by ZDF Enterprises except within French- and English-speaking markets, Ireland, the Middle East, and Latin America. Home video rights were acquired by Universal Pictures International Entertainment for territories including the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and select others. In May, MoonScoop joined as an additional co-producer. By November, DQ secured an agreement with Buena Vista International to exclusively broadcast the show on Disney Channel networks across twenty-nine Asian countries such as India and Japan. Further broadcasting arrangements included deals with ABC (Australia) in December 2009; CBBC (UK) and TVO (Canada) in April 2010; and JCCTV (UAE) in April 2011.

In February 2011, the series was extended for a second season through continued collaboration between DQ and ZDF Enterprises, with original broadcast partners returning. Tapaas Chakravarti, Chairman and CEO of DQ Entertainment, attributed the renewal to the first season's strong performance both domestically in India and internationally. He also announced intentions to produce a television movie special along with Christmas and Halloween-themed episodes and other spin-offs. The alliance between DQ Entertainment and ZDF was described as mutually beneficial with several projects underway.

A feature-length animated film inspired by the series premiered in 2013, produced by Tapaas Chakravarti and directed by Jun Falkenstein alongside Kevin Johnson.

In October 2015, DQ confirmed renewal for a third season. While ZDF and ZDF Enterprises continued as co-producers, MoonScoop’s involvement was replaced by Paris-based Ellipsanime Productions, which had acquired MoonScoop's assets earlier that year in January 2014. The French broadcaster role shifted from TF1 to Piwi+.

Series overview

Season		Number of episodes	Original broadcast dates
Season		Number of episodes	Premiere date	Finale date
	1	52	August 12, 2010 (2010-08-12)	September 9, 2010 (2010-09-09)
	2	52	July 11, 2016 (2016-07-11)	October 24, 2016 (2016-10-24)
	3	52	July 10, 2019 (2019-07-10)	October 10, 2020 (2020-10-10)

Season 1 (2010)

{{Episode table |total_width= |background=#006600 |overall=6 |title=30 |writer=25 |aux2=21 |aux2T=Storyboard By |airdate=19 |episodes=

Season 2 (2016)

{{Episode table |background=#00FF00 |overall=6 |title=30 |writer=25 |aux2=21 |aux2T=Storyboard By |airdate=19 |episodes=

{{Episode list |Title=Come Fly with Me |OriginalAirDate= |EpisodeNumber=60 ||ShortSummary=Mowgli aims to join the crane migration but faces rivalry from Masha and the Banderlogs. |} {{Episode list |Title=Truth Or Dare ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=61 ||WrittenBy=Peter Hymes ||Aux2=Christian Choquet ||ShortSummary=Tabaqui deceives Bala into challenging Mowgli to prove his courage by pulling one of Shere Khan's whiskers. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Banzai Bananas ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=62 ||WrittenBy=Christopher Panzner ||Aux2=Christian Choquet ||ShortSummary=Mowgli assists Rana in outwitting Masha and the Banderlogs to get revenge. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Who's Laughing Now ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=63 ||ShortSummary=Mowgli ridicules Queen Masha and ends up imprisoned; meanwhile, Kaa plots retaliation. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Home Wreckers ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=64 ||ShortSummary=Kala returns and seizes control of Cold Lair; Mowgli and Masha collaborate to drive her away. |} {{Episode list ||Title=The Sun Dance ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=65 ||ShortSummary=Hathi forgets the Sun Dance ritual; Mowgli and Bagheera recruit Oo and Boo to help revive it. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Kitty Kat Khan ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=66 ||ShortSummary=A head injury causes Shere Khan to believe he is a timid kitten. |} {{Episode list ||Title=SOS Eggs ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=67 ||ShortSummary=Mowgli must safeguard bird eggs from Kaa after accidentally crashing into their nest. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Mowgli and the Sambar Deer ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=68 ||ShortSummaryKala hunts Mowgli and ChuChip; meanwhile, Mowgli protects a deer suffering from poor eyesight. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Jackal in Wolf's Clothing ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=69 ||ShortSummary=Tabaqui rescues Mowgli and Bala, earning the wolf pack's confidence; Mowgli uncovers their conspiracy. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Trumpet Trouble ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=70 ||WrittenBy=Nathan Browne ||ShortSummary=Hita learns to use her elephant call with Mowgli's assistance before her herd's ceremony. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Panther in Distress ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=71 ||ShortSummary=Mowgli and Darzee venture into Kala's territory seeking maggots to heal Bagheera’s injury. |} {{Episode list ||Title=Blind as a Bear ||OriginalAirDate= ||EpisodeNumber=72 ||ShortSummary=Mowgli misplaces Baloo's glasses, leading Baloo into Shere Khan’s trap. |} Template:Episode list

Third Season (2019–2020)

{{Episode table |background=#FFFF00|overall=6 |title=30 |writer=25 |aux2=21 |aux2T=Storyboard By |airdate=19 |episodes=

External Resources

– official series page
– official movie page
The Jungle Book available for streaming on ZEE5