Captain Balu and his daring crew

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Television series
German title Captain Balu and his daring crew
Original title TaleSpin
Country of production United States
original language English
Year (s) 1990-1991
Production
company		 Disney Television Animation
length 22 minutes
Episodes 65 in 1 season
genre Animated series , adventure , comedy , fantasy
Theme music Michael & Patty Silversher (Text & Music)
idea Jymn Magon, Mark Zaslove
production Jymn Magon
music Christopher L. Stone
First broadcast Sep 9, 1990 on Disney
German-language
first broadcast		 April 4, 1992 on Das Erste

Captain Balu and his daring crew (in the original TaleSpin from English tale 'story' , homophonic to tailspin ' spiral fall ') is an animated series with anthropomorphic animals, the 65 episodes of which were first broadcast between 1990 and 1991 as part of the Disney afternoons . As before in this coat range , established Disney characters were adapted, here from the jungle book . Balu the Bear is now on an adventure as a pilot using many set pieces from classic Hollywood productions of the 1930s and 40s.

content

The setting is the tropical port city of Cape Suzette (orig. Cape Suzette , a reference to Crêpe Suzette ) surrounded by huge cliffs that only leave a small gorge open to the sea. An artillery with anti-aircraft guns is posted there to protect against marauding air pirates. At the beginning, high debts force the rental pilot Balu to sell his freight service to the young businesswoman Rebecca Cunningham, who from now on runs it under the name Höher und Höher (orig. Higher for Hire ). Kit Wolkenflitzer, an orphan boy and former air pirate, shoots himself as a navigator. Together with Balu it forms the crew of the aircraft single company, a yellow amphibian type Conwing L-16 with the name Seegans (orig. Sea Duck ).

In the course of their assignments, they repeatedly meet the air pirates under the theatrical leader Don Kanaille or clash with the warthogs from Overland ( Thembria ), an impoverished military dictatorship as a parody of Stalin - Russia . Not only does the population there suffer from poor supplies, the military is also forced to save: the protagonists can often escape dangerous situations because military equipment over there is either limited or not at all operational. At home in Cape Suzette, on the other hand, they have to deal with the opaque businessman Shir Khan several times. This shows up as a tough figure of power, but also as a fair opponent.

The action takes place two decades after the “ Great War ” (episode 64 The Treasure in the Ice ) and the Art Deco architecture and technology are also located at the end of the 1930s - the radio still serves as the main medium here . In addition, the series based on the stories of this era as the classic adventure - serial - or comics (. Eg Tailspin Tommy ). Louie's nightclub and motel, on the other hand, refers directly to Rick's Café Américain from Casablanca (1942) as a “stateless” meeting point . And the teasing relationship between Balu and Rebecca is based on the screwball comedies popular at the time : Although the fundamentally different minds clash quickly and verbatim, they still cherish a deep, mutual appreciation.

characters

Role name English speaker German speaker
Baloo Ed Gilbert Tom Deininger
Kit Wolkenflitzer
(original kit Cloudkicker ) 		RJ Williams
Alan Roberts 		Tobias Müller
Rebecca "Becky" Cunningham Sally Struthers Marijam Agisheva
Molly Cunningham Janna Michaels Daniela Reidies
Louie Jim Cummings Dieter Kursawe
Wildcat (orig. Wildcat ) Pat Fraley Frank Lenart
Don Kanaille
( orig.Don Karnage ) 		Jim Cummings Klaus-Dieter Klebsch
Brutus (orig. Mad Dog ) Charlie Adler Gerry Jochum
Scrap heap
(original dump truck ) 		Chuck McCann
Jacques (original jock ) Tony Jay
Colonel Kübel
(original Colonel Ivanod Spigot ) 		Michael Gough Frank Lenart
Feldwebel Dumpfbacke
(original Sergeant Dunder ) 		Lorenzo Music
Maximum Marshal
(orig. High Marshall ) 		Jack Angel
Shir Khan (orig. Shere Khan ) Tony Jay Michael Telloke
Baloo
is based on the bear from the jungle book and, as an excellent pilot, always wears an aviator's cap and a khaki pilot's shirt. On the one hand lazy and unreliable, he is also capable of the most daring flight maneuvers - especially when others need his help. He is often stubborn towards Rebecca, but stands up for her when it matters. His carefree behavior repeatedly gets him into trouble.
Cloud speedster kit
is an adolescent brown bear orphan and a former member of the Luftpiraten. His costume consists of a blue baseball cap with a red rim and a green sweater. He is a master at cloud surfing, sees Balu as a substitute for father ("Papa Bear") and supports him as a navigator on the sea ​​goose . Left on his own for a long time, Kit sometimes pursues his dream of his own aircraft without authorization, but always returns to his “surrogate family” - especially for Molly he shows himself to be a big brother.
Rebecca Cunningham
The single she- bear has long, brown hair and usually wears flared trousers and a white turtleneck under a pink blazer . As a shrewd businesswoman (6 years of business studies ), "Becky" Balus took over the flight service including the aircraft and hired Balu as a pilot, although she considers him too irresponsible. Their temperament often leads to short-circuit reactions. While she usually poses as a rational guardian, her high-flying and risky plans repeatedly end up in dangerous situations for companies and employees.
Molly Cunningham
Like her mother, Rebecca's daughter is not afraid to always give her opinion. She has a gold-colored fur and likes to dress up as the queen of power from her favorite show. The bright child uses every opportunity to accompany Kit and Balu on their adventures.
Louie
operates Louie’s nightclub and motel just outside of Cape Suzette’s control . The cheerful orangutan in a Hawaiian shirt and straw hat is Balu's closest friend, with whom he nevertheless competes every now and then in business and private. Like Balu, the figure comes from Disney's jungle book .
Wildcat
works as a mechanic at Höher und Höher . The haphazard, sometimes childish appearance of this lisping lion stands in contrast to his talent in dealing with any kind of technology. This enables him to repair destroyed telephones in seconds. Wildkatz also proves to be a capable pilot on various occasions.
Don Kanaille
The eccentric, saber-armored red wolf leads the air pirates on the giant airship Eisengeier (orig. Iron Vulture ). As a sign of his oversized ego , he always appears in a blue Napoleon coat with a golden lining on his high collar and golden buttons. This overconfidence regularly gets in the way of his sly plans. In the German dubbing, he speaks with a Spanish accent , while Kanaille even switches back and forth between nine different European accents in the original. In addition to many twisting words, you can often hear from him “You have made Don Karnage - which is me - very unhappy!”, “Yes-no?” or “He cannot make a fruit salad out of me! Follow him! ”. Speaker Jim Cummings based his portrayal partly on one of comedian Billy Crystals imitations, partly on Desi Arnaz from the sitcom I Love Lucy .
Brutus
serves as Canailles first mate. The drought dachshund with a long Fu Manchu - mustache and aviator glasses is something sly, but not much is compared to his usual cronies scrap heap.
Junk pile
The mastiff is the second in the iron vulture's hierarchy of command since Kanaille temporarily appointed him captain. He speaks with a Dutch accent and wears a top hat. Pile of junk is one of the most ruthless, but also one of the most stupid of pirates.
Jacques
is the pilot and chief technician of the iron vulture . Kanaille can't remember his name, which is why he usually simply refers to him as "Scottie", much to Jacques' displeasure. The Scottish Terrier originally comes from Lady and the Tramp .
Colonel Bucket
commands the air force over there, although he cannot fly himself. He compensates for his size with a Napoleon complex : Usually the extremely small warthog is flanked by huge soldiers who are also violent on command. In his high-pitched, lisping voice, he often introduces himself with “I'm Colonel Kübel! ... Maybe you already know about me? "
Sergeant Dull-cheek
accompanies Colonel Kübel almost everywhere as an adjutant. The somewhat stupid dull cheek doesn't think much of the unscrupulous plans of Kübel and the government, but rarely expresses them. As a loyal soldier, he dutifully takes the blame for all defeats.
High Marshal
the highest military in Overland, always appears as the "hero of the nation". He is sullen, humorless and despises Kübel's incompetence. Although he is considered the leader of the parties in Overland, he himself receives instructions from the government.
Shir Khan
is the undisputed leader of the Khan concern , the dominant economic power in Cape Suzette . Extreme wealth has made the King Tiger ruthless and slightly arrogant, his primary interest is his own profit. Nevertheless, he has grim respect for Baloo's flying skills. His company is active worldwide in shipping and air freight and has to fight off hijackers even own combat aircraft and warship - fleets . In emergencies, Khan also uses this armada to protect Cape Suzette . Shir Khan was also taken from the jungle book .

production

Based on the DuckTales , The Disney Afternoon was successfully established as a platform for ambitious animation series. The syndication as a two-hour program block now regularly required new, half-hour formats and so Disney Television Animation gave the authors Jymn Magon and Mark Zaslove a free hand. They chose Balu from the jungle book as the main character because of his relaxed attitude. After a few wrong turns, Magon expanded the concept to include an air freight service - an idea that was never implemented for Quack, the breakaway pilot from DuckTales . From then on, the basic structure was created in just three days: Kit took over Mowgli's role as foster son from the movie and the dynamic between Sam and Rebecca from the then popular sitcom Cheers inspired the character of Becky.

For the series style, Magon and Zazlove used an ongoing 1930s retro wave that was largely triggered by the Indiana Jones films. In Hayao Miyazaki's manga Hikōtei Jidai and in the television series The Heavenly Dogs of Boragora, there were suggestions for pilot adventures against a tropical backdrop. Many elements, however, also emerged directly with reference to contemporary black and white films such as the Casablanca -like nightclub, for which Louis was chosen as the obvious owner - again from the jungle book . There, too, they found in Shir Khan the ideal cast for a seedy large entrepreneur based on the film noir .

Magon and Zazlove took on the dubbing directors of the first episodes and initially hired Balu's original speaker Phil Harris . At the age of 85, however, he no longer had the necessary timing and so the role was changed to Ed Gilbert . Sally Struthers ' appearances in All in the Family made her the first choice for Becky. It took about a year and a half from the idea to the finished pilot film . Disney set a total of 65 episodes at around $ 500,000 each, for which four creative teams under Ed Ghertner, Larry Latham, Jamie Mitchell and Robert Taylor were responsible without a break in production. The animation was carried out by Walt Disney Animation in France and Japan, Sun Woo Animation and Wang Film Productions. As with the gummy bears , the theme song was written by Michael and Patty Silversher and recorded by the experienced session singer Jim Gilstrap .

Publication & reception

Individual episodes of Käpt'n Balu and his daring crew ran in advance on the Disney Channel between May 5 and July 15, 1990 , while The Jungle Book was being shown again in US cinemas at the same time . The real broadcast then began with the pilot film Donner, Blitz und Don Kanaille (orig. Plunder and Lightning ) on September 7, 1990 and was continued from October 9 in The Disney Afternoon in Syndication . The film was cut into four individual episodes for reruns. The final episode aired in the US on August 8, 1991. In Germany, Das Erste first showed the series in the Disney Club from April 4, 1992 to March 27, 1993. It was later repeated on Super RTL , Disney Channel, Toon Disney and kabel eins .

Between August 29, 2006 and June 25, 2013 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the complete series in three DVD boxes in the USA. The three German DVD boxes released by May 29, 2013 are missing 15 episodes. The German DVD version was also adopted for Great Britain and Australia. The series has been available on Disney + since its US launch .

The pilot episode Donner, Blitz und Don Kanaille was nominated for an Emmy in 1991 for Outstanding Animation Show (over an hour) . The web portal IGN voted Käptn Balu at number 81 of the best animation series of all time and particularly praised the creative handling of familiar and new characters. In the course of the DVD release, the blog dvdizzy.com was impressed by the succinct character drawing and the complex and varied stories for all ages and found the series still "as entertaining and engaging as some of the brightest animation series". For insider.com , the “action-packed adventures” are a highlight in the extensive series portfolio of Disney +. The blog Retro Oasis saw Käptn Balu as the "most coherent" series from the Disney Afternoon , even if the animation quality of the DuckTales was not quite achieved.

Follow-up appearances

At Disney Comics in the USA, a four-part mini-series for the pilot was released in 1991 and a monthly comic book linked to it . The stories were written or adapted by Bobbi JG Weiss. The cancellation after seven regular issues put an end to plans to deepen the history of the series; in the final issue this started with Kit's time with the Luftpiraten. More Comics published between 1990 and 1995 in the ranks of Disney Adventures and at Marvel laid Disney Afternoon . In Germany these stories were published in the Limit and Micky Mouse Presented series (issue 13).

Three different video games were created under the name of the series. Capcom produced a shoot 'em up for NES  and Game Boy . Sega developed a jump 'n' run for its mega-drive and game gear consoles , as did NEC  for the PC engine . In addition, the characters Rebbeca, Kit, Balu, Don Kanaille and Shir Khan could be seen on the cards in Infogrames ' puzzle game Mickey's Memory Challenge ( Amiga and DOS ).

In the Darkwing Duck episode, Is Kiki a Liar? Darkwing wears the logo of Captain Balu and his daring crew under his costume in one scene . In Raw Toonage , Bonkers and Aladdin there are cameos from or allusions to Captain Balu . In the new edition of DuckTales , which has been running since 2017 , Don Kanaille and the Luftpiraten appear in several episodes. In addition, there are Cape Suzette and the Khan Group mentioned. The now grown-up Kit and Molly have also been announced for upcoming episodes.

Remarks

  • The previous Disney Afternoon serials based on the Carl Barks - Comics ( DuckTales ) and classic cinema cartoons ( Chip & Dale ).
  • Both English title components tale and spin denote narrative styles .
  • In the first part of thunder, lightning and Don Cur Kit clouds runabout called the type of aircraft the Seegans still BCR-16 and the motors Super Flight 100 .
  • The series was produced for weekday syndication on US regional channels. A total of 65 episodes enables continuous broadcasting over 13 weeks and thus the programming of exactly four series over the course of a year.
  • The episodes 6 Molly and the monster and 9 I don't want to be a polar bear! wrote Don Rosa , who with his extensively researched Dagobert Duck stories later became one of the most formative Disney comic authors .
  • Episode 12 Vowel Play tells of Baloos failed attempts to write in the sky . It was never translated into German, because the visual gags would have required extensive adaptation of the animation.
  • Two years after the premiere, Hayao Miyazaki took his manga Hikōtei Jidai himself as a template for the studio Ghibli film Porco Rosso , which then drew many comparisons with Captain Balu .
  • Up to Aladdin (1994) Jim Cummings spoke either the main character or the opponent in every Disney Afternoon pilot, here it was Don Kanaille.

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c Interview with Jymn Magon - TaleSpin. In: totalmediabridge.com. October 22, 2013, accessed on August 13, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Brian Cronin: TV Legends: What TaleSpin Originally Going to Star Launchpad McQuack? In: Comic Book Resources . March 4, 2018, accessed on August 13, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Jymn Magon: and when position involvement making Talespin? In: animationsource.org. July 22, 2009, accessed August 13, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Jymn Magon: Does Baloo have feelings for Rebecca? In: animationsource.org. July 22, 2009, accessed August 13, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Mark Zaslove: Porco Rosso likeliness? In: animationsource.org. August 15, 2009, accessed on August 13, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Jymn Magon: Voice actor decisions - Baloo and Kit. In: animationsource.org. July 23, 2009, accessed August 13, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Jymn Magon: information Production? In: animationsource.org. July 22, 2009, accessed August 13, 2020 .
  8. ^ Bill Cotter: The Wonderful World of Disney Television - A Complete History . Hyperion, 1997, p. 254, 566 f . (English).
  9. ^ Greg Ehrbar: "The Disney Afternoon" on Records - Part 1: The Music. In: Cartoon Research. September 25, 2018, accessed on August 14, 2020 .
  10. ↑ 81. TaleSpin. In: IGN . Retrieved on August 12, 2020 .
  11. ↑ TaleSpin: Volume 2 DVD Review. In: dvdizzy.com. November 13, 2007, accessed on August 14, 2020 (English): "[I'm impressed by] the rich characterizations and complex stories […] for children and adults [as well as] the series' originality."
  12. ↑ TaleSpin: Volume 1 DVD Review. In: dvdizzy.com. August 29, 2006, accessed on August 14, 2020 : "as entertaining and engaging as some of the best beacons of television animation"
  13. ↑ Phil Pirrello: The 21 best animated series you can watch on Disney Plus right now. In: Insider Inc. Axel Springer Verlag , December 23, 2019, accessed on August 13, 2020 (English).
  14. ↑ All In A Disney Afternoon Chapter 4: TaleSpin. In: Retro Oasis. April 11, 2018, retrieved on August 14, 2020 (English): "The animation isn't as up to snuff from DuckTales [but TaleSpin still] topped DuckTales from its spot [because it] remained consistent throughout [.]"
  15. ↑ Marc Snetiker: DuckTales surprises Comic-Con with Rescue Rangers, Daisy Duck, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. In: Entertainment Weekly . July 19, 2019, accessed on August 13, 2020 .