Jungle Beat 2 – Delightful Animated Entertainment for The Young Ones

Review

As Dee Theart mentioned in her review of the first film version of the Jungle Beat franchise, the story is originally based on an African tale that has aired in 200 countries since 2005 as 104 mini-episodes over eight seasons.

Jungle Beat: The Movie was released in 2020, and the second in the series appeared in theaters on 27 June this year. I didn’t personally see the first one, but I could still enjoy the second film as a standalone. The storyline does, however, pick up where the first one left off, with the jungle duo Munki the monkey (David Menkin) and Trunk the elephant (Ina Marie Smith). I’m not usually a big fan of either animation or children’s films (which usually go hand-in-hand), especially not when they are aimed solely at kids without any “grown-up jokes” like Shrek. And yet, I actually really enjoyed the story. (Who knows – maybe my inner child has finally come out again!)

In this second film, Fneep (Ed Kear) accidentally opens a time portal, causing a stegosaurus to end up in the jungle. Trunk is pulled into the past, while Munki gets trapped in an outer-space zoo. Separated by centuries, the two friends must work together: Trunk with dinosaurs, Munki with escape plans – all to restore the timeline and save their world.

Just like Dee back then in her review of the first film, I have the same critique: some of the characters could at least have had African accents – even if it was just one. Everything else screams Africa – there are even proteas and hadedas! We know that well-known American and/or British actors are often used as drawcards for films, regardless of where the movie is made or what country, language, and culture it represents, but if more African accents had been used in this case, I think the film would have been even better received – and Africa better represented.

Visually, the film is impressive and imaginative – it’s colorful, action-packed, and adventurous. Themes include friendship, teamwork, and curiosity – which, if parents watch with their children, can spark meaningful discussions. (And may I dare say that there are, very cleverly, also themes of colonialism, evolution, and dictators woven in – further reinforced by those specific accents – so perhaps the film isn’t just aimed at children after all?)

The story helped me relax and took me on a wonderful journey, allowing me to forget about the “real” world and all its problems for the entire runtime. That’s quite an achievement! And isn’t that one of the biggest – if not the most important – reasons for, and aspects of, a good movie?

If you’re looking for good, light-hearted entertainment full of positivity and important life lessons for the young ones, I highly recommend Jungle Beat 2.

Production Information

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Running Time

90 min

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Writer and Director

Sam Wilson | Sam Wilson & Brent Dawes

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Website

junglebeat.tv

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Screens

∞

s

Age Restriction

A

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Cast

David Menkin, Ina Marie Smith, Ed Kear, Rob van Vuuren, Jenny Stead, Sandra Dickinson en David Rintoul

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Rating

4/5

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Box Office

See NFVF

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Written by Roelof Bezuidenhout

Roelof Bezuidenhout is currently the Video Production Manager and Story Editor at the EDUNAKHO Group, a global educational media company supporting prospective MBA and master’s students. He previously headed the Higher Certificate course in Film, Television, and Entertainment at AFDA in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), where he also earned his MFA, and held academic roles at both AFDA and Boston Media House.

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