'Jungle Beat: The Movie' (2021)

The Jungle Beat animals think it’s the best thing ever when an alien arrives in the jungle bringing with him the power of speech. They also surprisingly think it’s the best thing ever when they find out that he’s been sent to conquer them.

Viewers find there is no clear representation of any minorities, as many actors are white men. Though women are cast as female animals, they only play minor roles. They also see that all of the characters are jungle animals, except the purple alien.

The main topics and themes of Jungle Beat are species. As seen in many scenes, viewers easily distinguish the two different groups: the jungle animals and the aliens. The jungle animals live in the jungle habitat, and the aliens live in outer space. The jungle animals know nothing about space and technology, as they never experienced technology in their habitat.

The names of the jungle animals reference the different types of animals in the jungle. Trunk references the elephant’s trunk, and Monkey literally references a monkey. The alien’s name references the type of language aliens use to speak.

Things change when the jungle animals visit the spaceship the aliens use to travel through outer space. The head alien wants to conquer the jungle animals’ home, but the alien disagrees, as he now learns what it’s like to have friends. His character change is symbolized by his color change from purple to yellow, as it represents the change from gloom to happiness.

The conclusion of Jungle Beat is represented by the constellation of stars resembling the alien and the jungle animals. The alien states that his new home belongs to him and all of his new friends. The two different species come together; the jungle animals learn to adapt to alien space and technology on their home planet.

Though Jungle Beat is a great animated film for kids, there is no clear representation of any minorities.