TaleSpin
TaleSpin is a half hour cartoon series produced by
The Walt Disney Company. Originally released in
September,
1990, the original concept was embodied in the four part series 'Plunder and Lightning'; more episodes followed. The show was often seen either on its own as a half hour show, or as part of the two hour syndicated series
The Disney Afternoon. One season of 65 episodes was produced, the last of which aired in
September of
1991.
The series centered on the adventures of airplane pilot Baloo the bear (see The Jungle Book) whose air cargo freight business is bought out by Rebecca Cunningham, and renamed 'Higher for Hire'. An orphan boy and former 'Air Pirate', Kit Cloudkicker, attaches to Baloo and becomes his co-pilot. (Most of the description in this paragraph actually happens in 'Plunder and Lightning'.) From there, the series follows the ups and downs of 'Higher for Higher' and its staff.
TaleSpin is centered in the fictional city of Cape Suzette, a harbor town protected by giant cliffs (through which only a small opening exists). The opening in the cliffs is guarded by artillery, preventing flying rabblerousers or Air Pirates from entering the city. Characters in the world of TaleSpin are as a rule anthropomorphic animals. The timeframe of the series is never specifically addressed, but appears to be in the mid to late 1930s; the helicopter and jet engine are experimental devices, and most architecture is reminiscent of the avant-garde of that period. Radio is the primary mass media.
Characters
Heroes
- Baloo the bear, drawn largely as the bear from Disney's The Jungle Book, but with a flight cap and a yellow vest. Slobby, listless, and unreliable, his failed air cargo business and plane, the 'Sea Duck', are bought out.
- Kit Cloudkicker, an orphan brown bear and former member of the 'Air Pirates, who stands roughly half Baloo's size. He typically wears a blue baseball cap with red rim and a green sweater. Kit looks to Baloo as a father figure, and usually flies as the co-pilot of the 'Sea Duck'.
- Rebecca Cunningham, a tall thin brown bear with long brown hair, who usually wears slacks, a white shirt, and a pink-red jacket. A shrewd businesswoman, she buys 'Baloo's Air Service' and his plane, creating the air cargo company 'Higher For Higher'.
- Molly Cunningham, Rebecca's daughter.
- Wildcat, a clueless and gangly lion who typically wears a mechanic's outfit. Officially the 'Higher for Hire' mechanic, pure intelligence is not his forte, but he's extremely adept at fixing devices.
- Louie, an ape who wears a hawaiian shirt and owns the island resturaunt 'Louie's', located near but outside the protection of Cape Suzette.
Villians
- Don Karnage, the leader of the 'Air Pirates', and the master of the massive pirate airship 'Iron Vulture'.
- Shere Khan, a tiger who also appeared in The Jungle Book, but here stands upright and wears a business suit. Khan is a ruthless and extremely wealthy businessman who owns the tallest building in Cape Suzette.
- Colonel Spigot and Sergeant Dunder of Thembria, both soldiers in the TaleSpin equivalent of the Stalinist Soviet Union. They and all citizens of Thembria seem to be wild boars.