Movie Review: The Jungle Bunch – Out Now

I have to admit it’s been a while since I just sat down to watch a kid’s animated movie, I seem to be watching less and less of them over the years, so when the chance popped up to check out The Jungle Bunch, I thought, “OK, let’s check this out“.

The Jungle Bunch follows a gang of misfit animals on a mission to protect their jungle home. In their first big screen adventure, the Jungle Bunch’s tiger-striped Kung Fu penguin leader Maurice and his comrades – a goldfish, tarsier and gorilla – fight to protect the jungle from a gang of silly baboons lead by Igor the evil Koala.

The Jungle Bunch

First off the animation in The Jungle Bunch is nicely done and it’s a very colourful looking movie, it is certainly a movie that is aimed at the smaller kids, but not too young, they will be the ones that will probably appreciate the look and feel of The Jungle Bunch, with the older kids appreciating the jokes a little more.

The opening of the movie is certainly action packed and will have the kids jumping up and supporting the heroes on the screen and when Maurice, the rather cute baby penguin, is introduced there certainly is that “awwwww” moment, but although he may be a penguin, after being looked after tigress, Natacha, the little guy becomes a tiger at heart, so much so that he paints himself to look like a tiger-penguin!

The Jungle Bunch

When Maurice grows up, he forms his own team of animal crime-fighting do-gooders and the gang consisting of a silly gorilla Miguel, wise primate Gilbert, she-bat Batricia and a pair of rather bonkers toads named Al and Bob, together they attempt to stop whatever crimes are happening on their little island and also try to defeat their greatest nemesis, a Koala with a twist of evil, Igor.

The Jungle Bunch is a rather crazy movie, but it does have its moments, such as some nice nods to several movies such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, may be added to keep the adults watching the film with the kids entertained.

The Jungle Bunch

Don’t expect a film that is like Madagascar, The Jungle Bunch is a film that is fast paced to keep the action going, but it does lack the imagination and comedy that the Madagascar movies are renowned for. But then again the movie does stand on its own, for its animation style, music and the fact that the movie cost a fraction of the cost of the big animation movie companies to make.

The Jungle Bunch is certainly a movie that will keep the little ones quiet for the duration of its running time.

The Jungle Bunch is out now on DVD and also available to download from iTunes.

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