While some fans would argue that this TV adaptation isn't as faithful to the books as they would like, or that the 2D animation isn't as clean-looking and modern as that in the newer "Babar and the Adventures of Badou", I really think personally that out of anything Babar-related at all, this series is my favourite and probably the deepest and best developed version thus far. Unique in its style, brought to life with vivid backgrounds, a beautiful reoccurring soundtrack score and adorable yet complex characters, it's a show which is one of those rare cartoons which both children and adults alike can enjoy. Bureaucratic humour and creative jokes, wacky slapstick scenes and cute moments with whimsical adventures are balanced out with emotional and poignant scenes of true friendship, displays of loyalty and Babar's love for his family, friends and kingdom.
The characters in this series definitely grow over time; the stuffy, high-strung and rather cowardly minister of protocol elephant, Pompadour, proves himself to be more brave and admirable than he initially lets on, and his strong friendship with Cornelius is portrayed beautifully. Rataxes, the bumbling but somewhat menacing king of Rhinoland, starts out as just a basic bad guy villain, but grows as the series continues and shows that he too has the capacity for good, and he genuinely cares about others. Characters such as Basil, Zephir, Arthur, Jacques and Chef Truffles give the show some extra depth and wonderful stories, especially in episodes such as "The Unsung Hero", and stories from the original books remain, as well as characters like Madame.
Truly the character who brings the most to the series and proves to be the most endearing is Babar himself, who after the death of his mother explores the big city with the help of Madame, but then returns to bring modernity, education and most of all safety to his beloved friends, with an image of one day creating a peaceful jungle. Never too heavy-handed for children, nor too dopey and dumbed down, Babar is a show which shares timeless and positive messages without being preachy. The virtual absence of crude humour, vulgarity and gore is really nice to find in the show (in a sea of cartoons such as "The Animaniacs", "Ren & Stimpy" and "Rugrats", there's something pleasant to be said about a show which can be funny without hidden innuendo jokes, offensive humour and crass content), and save for a few clip-based flashback episodes, the show always has something new to bring to the table.
Unfortunately, by its last season it underwent some bad changes, including updating its animation style, dropping Pompadour and Troubadour from the series entirely and presenting stories which were much more silly and childish. Even back when I was six years old, the last few episodes just weren't interesting to me anymore, and I'd instead go back and watch the older ones. The ugliness of the CGI animation in "Babar and the Adventures of Badou", not to mention the sheer dopiness and babyishness of it, has also had me nostalgic for this older version of the show. One day I hope some animator or artist is prompted to continue the stories in the spirit of this version with all its colourful characters and originality, but at the same time maybe it's better that it ended when it did before it just took the route that its latter computer-animated twin went down. This was definitely one of Nelvana's better productions and one which really showed how versatile their company was at creating children's entertainment which could also appeal to adults.
