Get ready for the wildest ride of your life! Maurice may look like a penguin – but he’s a real tiger inside! Raised by a tigress, he’s the clumsiest Kung-Fu master ever. Along with his friends, The Jungle Bunch, he intends to maintain order and justice in the jungle, as his mother did before him. But when Igor, an evil koala, decides to destroy the jungle once and for all with the help of his army of silly baboons, Maurice faces his biggest challenge yet! Your family will go bananas for The Jungle Bunch, a fresh and funny adventure that’s full of laughs and memorable characters! KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Will C. comments, “The Jungle Bunch is a wacky animated movie with talking animals that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but still entertains. Based on a popular French kids’ series, this film has lots of action and some laughs. My favorite part of the movie is when an exploding mushroom captures the entire Jungle Bunch. In order to get out, they throw a pebble which starts a chain reaction to set them free.” Ivey H. adds, “This is a cute film about a group of animals, called the Jungle Bunch, that protect and watch out for the jungle. They put out forest fires, fight bad guys, save animals and help the community. I really enjoyed the bright colors and scenes from the jungle.” Elle S. wraps it up with, “The film draws me in for many reasons. It’s nice to see how each animal is portrayed by voice over, characteristics and challenges. Igor, the wicked koala, is small but forceful with throwing mushroom grenades that burst into big, bright fireworks exploding across the screen. I appreciate the teamwork between the animals.” See their full reviews below.

The Jungle Bunch

By Will C., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 10

The Jungle Bunch is a wacky animated movie with talking animals that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but still entertains. Based on a popular French kids’ series, this film has lots of action and some laughs.

The Jungle Bunch begins by introducing us to a civilized nation of animals where an evil koala tries to throw mushroom bombs at everyone. The Champs are saviors of the jungle – a tiger, sloth, rhino and porcupine. The tiger raises a penguin as her own, which in turn raises a fish as his own child. Maurice the tiger-penguin joins up with a gorilla and a bat, among others, to save everyone from Igor the koala mastermind.

While the animation isn’t quite the level viewers are used to from Disney and Pixar, it’s still quite colorful and interesting to watch. The jungle setting is especially well done with convincingly animated tropical plants. The writers probably tried to squeeze too much plot into this film by including the origin story, but I was still able to follow it well enough. My favorite part of the movie is when an exploding mushroom captures the entire Jungle Bunch. In order to get out, they throw a pebble which starts a chain reaction to set them free.

The message of this film is that you should be kind and brave. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but there’s a sad ending for one character that might be upsetting for little kids. Parents should also know that there’s quite a bit of action with explosions and cartoon violence.

I rate this film 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for children ages 5 to 8. It’s available now on DVD so look for it!

The Jungle Bunch

By Ivey H., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 13

This is a cute film about a group of animals, called the Jungle Bunch, that protect and watch out for the jungle. They put out forest fires, fight bad guys, save animals and help the community. I really enjoyed the bright colors and scenes from the jungle.

The jungle bunch includes a penguin named Maurice, a gorilla named Miguel, Gilbert the Tarsier, Bat Batricia and a few other odd creatures. In this story, Maurice is the hero and leader of Jungle Bunch. He is a penguin that was raised by a tigress. He struggles with being the leader and trying to live up to the standards of his mother. The characters are well developed and funny. They make lot of contraptions and inventions to help save the jungle, including a butt cream for a bird’s bottom, which really cracked me up.

The villain in the story is the koala Igor. He wants to destroy the jungle, because he feels excluded from the bunch. He wants to take over and become the leader. The Jungle Bunch thinks he is too controlling. He plans to use mushrooms as explosives to blow up the jungle for revenge and payback. The Jungle Bunch must stop him from destroying their homes. Igor has a clock that is a crab as his alarm clock. He hits his crab’s claws together to make a tick tock sound.  This is a really funny part of the movie.

My favorite part is when they play the song “Eye of the Tiger” when Maurice is feeling down. This helps raise Maurice’s spirit to become confident and put his “tiger stripes” back on.  It is really cute when the fish and penguin want to be tigers and they paint themselves with stripes.

Maurice is voiced by Philippe Bozo. I like his voice and attitude. It’s perfect! The Gorilla is voiced by Pascal Casanova, who also portrays his character quite well. In fact, I’m quite fond of all the voice-over work in this film. I give director David Alaux credit for putting together such a terrific cast.

The moral of the story addresses the unlikely friendships between different species in the jungle who work together as a team and stick with each other during hard times, helping their community save their homes.

I give this DVD 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 3 to 15 as well as adults. It is available on DVD now, so look for it.

The Jungle Bunch
By Elle S., KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror

The Jungle Bunch is a movie of champions. “You don’t have to wear stripes in order to be strong like a tiger.” We follow the lives of different creatures, both heroic and evil, to see how they respond when devastation hits their habitat.

The battle is on between Natasha, the tiger and former leader of the champs. She stands for justice and equality and won’t stop protecting and serving her home. Igor, a wicked koala, wants revenge and power. He’s relentless when it comes to commanding all the animals of the jungle for his own benefit. They fight for the future of the jungle and who is in control is tested at ultimate lengths. Natacha has rescued and raised Maurice, a strong-willed penguin with a tiger spirit. He follows in the footsteps of his mother as he teams with a group of animals to protect and serve.

This film offers positive outlooks when it comes to equality, problem solving and finding hope during hopeless situations. The overall production quality is great. The imagery and sound quality is sure to keep children engaged. Only a couple of scenes go on a little longer than needed. For the most part, the film maintains a positive flow.

Children that love animals, fireworks explosions, monkey butt jokes and rescue missions will absolutely enjoy this. It is recommended that you enjoy the film in its entirety as there is a special bonus clip that is sure to please. There are multiple scenes using freeze framing, bold bright animation and music that fit well with the flow of the film. The film takes place in a jungle, so I loved hearing the birds squawking, animals hooting and other sounds of nature.

The film draws me in for many reasons. It’s nice to see how each animal is portrayed by voice over, characteristics and challenges. Igor, the wicked koala, is small but forceful with throwing mushroom grenades that burst into big, bright fireworks exploding across the screen. I appreciate the teamwork between the animals.

There is a menu that offers the film to be played in its entirety or to select certain scenes. A trailer clip, audio, and subtitles are also available to select. The most impactful message I got from the film promotes equality and justice. I really enjoyed that Natasha, the tiger, loved and raised Maurice, a penguin like her own. That equality and unconditional love is passed down to Maurice when he raises his goldfish, Jr. The moral and love for the community doesn’t change regardless of the animal or upbringing. This is a positive message for audiences. The message is that you don’t have to have stripes in order to have the tiger spirit.

I rate this film 4 out of 5 stars for its wildness, comedy, production and impactful socially-positive messages throughout. I recommend it for ages 5 to 12. The content is appropriate and user-friendly with its jokes and imagery. Reviewed by Elle S., KIDS FIRST! Juror.

Welcome to a woodsy wonderland of starry skies, towering trees, fabulous flowers, and other highly stylized nature designs. Thirty-one spectacular scenes include amazing allover patterns, fields of bluebells and mushrooms, and other dramatic landscapes. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Entangled Forest and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. I absolutely love this coloring book! Such a wonderful way to use your creativity and to relax! Retails for $5.99.

Creative Haven: Tranquility

Relax and unwind with 31 mesmerizing illustrations inspired by nature and specifically designed to promote mindfulness and inner peace. Swirling tendrils and other beguiling patterns invite color combinations of any kind — the creative possibilities are endless! Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. This one is perfect for adults who like to color and it is a great way to just not worry. I highly recommend both of these books.

Price: $5.99

Find them both at Dover Publications.

Self Disclosure: I received copies of the above books to facilitate this post. Images were also provided.