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The first DVD offering from White Lion Restorations is a lost episode of the beloved 1960s TV series, Kimba The White Lion. This episode has never been on home video, and --until now-- no surviving copy was known to exist.
WHY THIS EPISODE WAS LOST
September 2, 1966: The first episode of Kimba The White Lion was broadcast. Immediately people fell in love with the little white lion and his story of courage and love. Talented voice actors brought the story to life for American audiences, lovingly translating the cartoon from its original Japanese language.
But behind the scenes, on August 29, 1966, the same production company had finished a new, second version of the soundtrack for this first Kimba episode! The same loving care was still there, but they toned down the emotions just a bit, and left out things here and there. One gets the impression that someone somewhere decided their first version might be a little too powerful for the young audience it was thought Kimba would appeal to.
But, in 1966, films for syndicated TV shows were physically shipped to TV stations for broadcast, and with four days until that first air date, there was not enough time to replace the films that had
already been made and shipped. The first version was out there, and broadcast, and somehow managed to stay in circulation for some years even as the replacement version became the only version that
was sent to all new TV stations who signed on to broadcast Kimba.
People who saw the first version took it to heart. This is the version they remember. And they cherished their memory even as this version disappeared.
Up until now, only the "official", replacement version has survived. But people who know the first, until-now-lost version consider it to be the best. Many hours of work went into restoring this episode to bring it as close to modern standards as possible. Since the source was a vintage 16mm film, some visual problems will be noticeable, but we hope this will not detract from your enjoyment of this irreplaceable show.
So, here it is, the "Little Kimba" episode of Kimba The White Lion, the way it was originally performed for American audiences. Restoring this episode was a labor of love, done for those who love this show. This DVD represents years of searching and many hours of work to bring you an enjoyable viewing experience. I hope you do enjoy it.
--Craig Andersen
White Lion Restorations
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