Jungle Taitei is based on Tezuka Osamu's original manga (which commenced in 1950), which describes the lives and adventures of the African jungle emperor, Panja, and his mate Eliza. The series' main character, Leo, was born in captivity but escaped, returning to the jungle. In this new feature film from Japanimation master Takeuchi Hirokazu, all of the basic elements of the original Jungle Taitei are in place: the trademark Tezuka character designs, the intelligent animal kingdom as well as encounters with humans, both good and evil. Like the Japanese television series which followed Tezuka's manga, the film tackles mature themes with lush, sophisticated visuals.