All Hail King Julien

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All Hail King Julien
Also known asAll Hail King Julien: Exiled (2017)
Genre
Created byTom McGrath
Eric Darnell
Based onCharacters created by Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell from the DreamWorks Animation feature Madagascar
ShowrunnerMitch Watson[1]
Voices of
Opening theme"Who Da King" by Blaze N Vill[2]
ComposerFrederik Wiedmann
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons5 + Exiled
No. of episodes78 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMitch Watson
Bret Haaland
Running time22 minutes[3]
Production companyDreamWorks Animation Television
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseDecember 19, 2014 (2014-12-19) –
December 1, 2017 (2017-12-01)

All Hail King Julien is an American animated television series that stars King Julien, Maurice, and Mort from DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar franchise and takes place in Madagascar before the events of the first film, making it a prequel.[4] It is the second DreamWorks Animation show to be based on the Madagascar franchise.

The series was announced in March 2014 as part of an agreement between Netflix and DreamWorks Animation, under which the studio will develop more than 300 hours of exclusive programming for the service.[5] The series is based on the characters from Madagascar, but is a prequel, set prior to the events of the film series.[6] Danny Jacobs, Andy Richter and Kevin Michael Richardson reprised their roles from previous Madagascar media, while Henry Winkler, India de Beaufort and Betsy Sodaro joined the cast.[7]

The series debuted on December 19, 2014, on Netflix when the first five 22-minute episodes were released.[3] Season 2 was released on October 16, 2015.[8] Season 3 was released on June 17, 2016,[9] Season 4 was released on November 11, 2016,[10] while next season, subtitled Exiled, was released on May 12, 2017. The fifth and final season was released on December 1, 2017. The series is currently showing reruns on Universal Kids in the United States. The show was removed from Netflix globally in November 2023.[11]

Premise

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In an uninhabited islet off the coast of mainland Madagascar, fearmongering "Uncle" King Julien XII runs a tyrannical monarchy in which lemurs must stay silent at all hours to avoid invasion by predator fossa. When spiritual advisor Masikura foretells that the King will be eaten by fossa at dawn, Uncle King Julien abdicates his throne to his nephew, anticipating his nephew's death. The Prince, a notorious party animal, ascends to become King Julien XIII, immediately legalizing noise and public events. After his near-death experience by fossa consumption, the new King embraces his leadership, ensuing an era radically different from his uncle's rule.

With the help of royal advisor Maurice; head of security Clover; and his obsessive lackey, Mort, nephew King Julien XIII leads the kingdom. He impulsively decrees a variety of changes, include sovereign audiences, opinion polling, water slides, trampolines, caffeinated beverages, art shows, interviews, electric technology, border walls, and other attempted improvements. Some are beneficial to animal society, while others end in catastrophic failure.

King Julien's haphazard schemes create a complex web of allies, political enemies, and love interests across the islets of Madagascar. All the while, his devious uncle enacts elaborate schemes to regain his throne.

Exiled

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The Exiled season was a spinoff of the main series, featuring a strong overarching narrative, likely based on the Hero's Journey path.[12] It takes place between season 4 and 5 and depicts the exile of Julien XIII by the tyrant Koto; the rebellion of the lemur prisoners of war; and Julien's battle to regain control of his kingdom.[13]

Setup

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At the conclusion of Season 4, King Julien barrels off of a waterfall, accidentally killing a giant snake and thereby rescuing Koto, a mountain lemur. Koto thanks King Julien and tells him he is forever in his debt, claiming to be the last of his kind. He tours King Julien's kingdom, noting its weak defenses, before leaving.

Soon, King Julien's kingdom becomes overpopulated with refugees of various species, including giant rats, crocodiles, and aye-ayes. The refugees reveal that Koto is actually the dictator of a militant mountain lemur autocracy.

Plot summary

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King Julien learns that mountain lemur Koto's army has been systematically conquering and enslaving all other kingdoms on the island, and the lemur kingdom is next.

Before he can coordinate a response, Koto's army invades, seizing power in an immediate coup de main. With security chief Clover disempowered and his kingdom surrounded, Julien concedes to Koto's rule. As the new King, Koto deposes Julien, schedules his and Maurice's public execution, then imprisons all surviving lemurs in a POW camp. There, they engage in forced labor, and are euphemistically described as "unpaid interns".

After busting out of his bamboo prison, Julien and Maurice escape onto an abandoned Soviet submarine, where they are joined by sleeper agent lemur Poncho and the amiable lemur Ted. They engage in a variety of adventuring, including nearly being sacrificed to a space tentacle on an island of female Lotus-Eater-like lemurs; rescuing the Shark Lord from dolphins who intend to sell him as a pet to Russian oligarchs; and befriending an army of communist space monkeys, marooned on an island after being abandoned by the former USSR.

Loyal to Julien, Mort attempts to assassinate Koto via harpoon guns, poisoned beverages, and traps, but only manages to injure and maim himself. Amused by Mort's slapstick failures, King Koto employs him as his court jester. Meanwhile, the lemurs plan a clandestine uprising, employing Mort as their informant. All the while, Mort's dissociative episodes become more frequent and more intense.

Meanwhile, after her escape, Clover ensues a quest to achieve enlightenment, joined by Sage Moondancer (the pacifist brother of Koto). Their quest is guided by the wisdom of mudskipper Jarsh-Jarsh, Sage's mentor.

Mort recruits Timo to reactivate his Stargate-like multiverse portal, so they can enlist the army of Morticus Khan, an alternate-dimension version of Mort. Upon their arrival, however, Khan claims he has waited thousands of years to meet Mort. Khan reveals that, like himself, the main Mort is an immortal being, and his split personalities are various versions of himself whose "life essence" he has unwittingly consumed. Khan states his intention to consume Mort, thereby ruling over all Morts, then enter the portral and destroy everything he holds dear, starting with the feet of King Julien. After losing in physical combat, Mort defeats Morticus Khan by vomiting him into the air, then forcibly absorbing Khan's soul into his own body. However, in so doing, he explodes the portal back to King Julien's universe.

To repair the portal, Timo induces Mort to fall into a deep hypnosis and withdraw Smart Mort (his genius monocled British alter ego, usually brought on by caffeine) from his own subconcious. While within his own mind, Mort battles Granny Mort and narrowly escapes revenge from all the other alter-egos he has absorbed.

With the help of his allies, Julien successfully defeats Koto and regains his kingdom.

Aftermath

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The fifth and final season takes place after Koto's demise; villains such as Karl and Uncle King Julien decide to give up their evil ways and start a new life. This all leads up to the arrival of Alex on Madagascar (setting the stage of the first film) just as Clover leaves with her husband, Sage Moondancer, on their honeymoon.

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
1105December 19, 2014 (2014-12-19)
5April 3, 2015 (2015-04-03)
216October 16, 2015 (2015-10-16)
313June 17, 2016 (2016-06-17)
413November 11, 2016 (2016-11-11)
Exiled13May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12)
513December 1, 2017 (2017-12-01)

Short films

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All Hail King Julien: New Year's Eve Countdown (2017)

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All Hail King Julien: New Year's Eve Countdown is a three-minute computer-animated film about celebrating New Year on Madagascar.[14]

All Hail King Julien: Happy Birthday to You (2017)

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All Hail King Julien: Happy Birthday to You is a one-minute computer-animated special, which could be used for the birthday of Julien's fan.[15]

Cast

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Reception

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Critical response

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The series has garnered favorable reviews, receiving critical acclaim particularly for its cultural relevance. Additionally, Jacobs and the rest of the cast were praised for their voice acting in the series.[citation needed]

After the initial release of the first five episodes, Robert Lloyd of Los Angeles Times wrote in his review that the series "succeeds on matters of style, script, timing and performance, not the number of individual hairs rendered in a patch of fur. And Julien delivers on all the important accounts."[18]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee Result
2015 Daytime Emmy Awards[19][20] Outstanding Children's Animated Program Bret Haaland, Mitch Watson, Randy Dormans, Nicholas Filippi, Chris Neuhahn and Katie Ely Won
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program Danny Jacobs (as King Julien) Won
Outstanding Casting for an Animated Series or Special Ania O'Hare Won — tied with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program Christo Stamboliev Nominated
Outstanding Original Song — Main Title and Promo Will Fuller and Alex Geringas (for "Who's da King") Nominated
2016 Daytime Emmy Awards[21][22] Outstanding Children's Animated Program Bret Haaland, Mitch Watson, Randy Dormans, Chris Neuhahn and Katie Ely Nominated
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program Danny Jacobs (as King Julien) Nominated
Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program Mitch Watson, Michael Ryan, Sharon Flynn, Sonam Shekhawat and Elliott Owen Won
Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program Stephen Heneveld, Christo Stamboliev, James Wootton and Collette Sunderman Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation Devon Bowman, Chris Gresham, Andrew Ing, DJ Lynch, Peter Munters, Lawrence Reyes, Ian Nyeste, Mishelle Fordham, Aran Tanchum and Vincent Guisetti Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing – Animation Devon Bowman, Vicki Lemar, Aran Tanchum, Ian Nyeste and DJ Lynch Nominated
Outstanding Original Song Frederik Wiedmann and Mitch Watson (for "True Bromance") Won
2017 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Sound Mixing - Animation D.J. Lynch, Ian Nyeste, Aran Tanchum, Jonathan Abelardo and )Mark Mercado Nominated
Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program Mitch Watson, Sharon Flynn, Benjamin Lapides, Elliott Owen and Michael Ryan Nominated
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program Andy Richter (as Mort, Smart Mort, Morticus Khan and Ted) Nominated
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program Danny Jacobs (as King Julien and Pancho) Nominated
Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production King Julien Superstar! Nominated
2018 Daytime Emmy Awards[23][24] Outstanding Special Class Animated Program Bret Haaland, Mitch Watson and Chris Belcher (All Hail King Julien: Exiled) Nominated
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program Andy Richter (as Mort, Grammy Mort, and Smart Mort) (in All Hail King Julien: Exiled) Nominated
Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program Mitch Watson, Benjamin Lapides, Elliott Owen, Michael Ryan (All Hail King Julien) Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation Devon G. Bowman, Ian Nyeste, Alfredo Douglas, Chris Gresham, DJ Lynch, Lawrence Reyes, Jonathan Abelardo, Mark Mercado, Mishelle Fordham, Alfredo Douglas, Aran Tanchum and Vincent Guisetti (All Hail King Julien) Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation Devon G. Bowman, Ian Nyeste, Alfredo Douglas, Chris Gresham, DJ Lynch, Lawrence Reyes, Jonathan Abelardo, Mark Mercado, Mishelle Fordham, Alfredo Douglas, Aran Tanchum and Vincent Guisetti (All Hail King Julien: Exiled) Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing – Animation DJ Lynch, Ian Nyeste, Aran Tanchum, Mark Mercado, Jon Abelardo (All Hail King Julien) Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing – Animation DJ Lynch, Ian Nyeste, Aran Tanchum, Mark Mercado, Jon Abelardo (All Hail King Julien: Exiled) Won

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "All Hail King Julien's Season 5 Teased by Mitch Watson". Collider. December 2017.
  2. ^ "Who's da King (All Hail King Julien Theme) – Single". iTunes. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h DreamWorks Animation (November 3, 2014). "The Wildest Party Ever Hits the Jungle When the Netflix Original Series ALL HAIL KING JULIEN Debuts Dec. 19" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  4. ^ "King Julien". DreamWorks. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  5. ^ Spangler, Todd (March 13, 2014). "Netflix to Add Three Original Series from DreamWorks Animation, Sets Debut for New 'Turbo FAST' Episodes". Variety. Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  6. ^ "DreamWorks Animation's All Hail King Julien Debuts on Netflix in December". ComingSoon.net. March 13, 2014. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  7. ^ Spangler, Todd (November 3, 2014). "Netflix to Stagger Rollout of 'All Hail King Julien' Series from DreamWorks Animation". Variety. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  8. ^ Liu, Ed (October 15, 2015). "CLIP: "All Hail King Julien"'s Return to Netflix on October 16, 2015". ToonZone. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  9. ^ Diaz, Eric (June 16, 2016). "DreamWorks' All Hail King Julien Pays Tribute to Two Peaks". Nerdist. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "Netflix's New Releases Coming in November 2016". The Hollywood Reporter. October 21, 2016. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  11. ^ Moore, Kasey (2023-11-15). "Netflix Original Series 'All Hail King Julien' Leaving in November 2023". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  12. ^ Moore, Kasey (2023-11-15). "Netflix Original Series 'All Hail King Julien' Leaving in November 2023". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  13. ^ "December 2023 Farewell: Must-watch Originals exiting Netflix". The Economic Times. 2023-11-28. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  14. ^ "All Hail King Julien: New Year's Eve Countdown | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  15. ^ "All Hail King Julien: Happy Birthday to You! | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  16. ^ Evry, May (April 4, 2015). "Interview: David Krumholtz Gets Animated in All Hail King Julien and Sausage Party". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Wild Voices" (PDF). MPRM. Retrieved 9 August 2015.[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ Lloyd, Robert (December 20, 2014). "Review: 'All Hail King Julien' lets the 'Madagascar' rave begin". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  19. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 1, 2015). "2015 Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  20. ^ Amidi, Amid (April 25, 2015). "Daytime Emmy Awards Hail King Julien". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  21. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (March 25, 2016). "DWA Netflix Series Dominate Daytime Emmy Animation Noms". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  22. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (May 2, 2016). "'Tumble Leaf' Leads Animated Daytime Emmy Creative Winners". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  23. ^ "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS FOR THE 45TH ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY® AWARDS" (PDF). Emmy Awards Official Site. March 21, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  24. ^ "2018 Daytime Emmy winners: Full list of Creative Arts Awards winners and nominees" (PDF). April 27, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
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