We've known for a long time (since last March) that 1966's
King Kong: The Animated Series would arrive on DVD this
November 15th, both as 2 separate Volumes (each with 2 DVDs, we've learned, not the single discs we previously reported) and as a Box Set with all 4 DVDs.
There's no surprise that this is coming, as it is timed perfectly to tie in with the planned 12/14 theatrical debut of Peter Jackson's remake of the classic 1933 black-and-white Fay Wray film. After Peter Jackson's success with the
Lord of the Rings trilogy, nobody we know of is betting against this picture, and it looks like every Kong film ever made is going to get a new release on DVD between now and the time that new production hits. Classic Media/Sony Wonder could not pass up the perfect opportunity to bring this animated gem out onto DVD as well..and fans are grateful!
Also known as
The King Kong Show, the animated series was from Rankin/Bass Productions (well-known for animated versions of
The Hobbit and
The Return of the King as well as
The Last Unicorn, ThunderCats, Silverhawks, Frosty The Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer). As is noted on the back of the boxes, this was the first-ever Japanese animation series to be created especially for American viewers. Not only was the big ape featured in two toons for each half-hour installment of the show, but there was also one toon of "Tom Of T.H.U.M.B." as well. Tom and his sidekick "Swingin' Jack" were 4-inch high agents of the spy group T.H.U.M.B. ("Tiny Humans Underground Military Bureau"...hey, they had to make the acronym fit in somehow).
We don't have box art yet for the 4-disc compilation set, but we do finally have it - front and rear - for each of the two individual volumes, which each have 2 DVDs, run 108 minutes each and sell separately for $12.98 SRP each. You can pre-order either one right now, or the box set,
from Amazon.com for 30% off their list prices at the time of this writing. Expect the first volume to have the special extended pilot episode plus 8 half-hour episodes; no word yet on what the episode configuration will be on the second volume. Each volume, though, is shown to carry 4 "big" episodes of "Tom of T.H.U.M.B."
