In 2020 and 2021, Nintendo has had a number of anniversaries to celebrate – Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Metroid, and more. Some franchises and/or characters haven’t received all-out celebratory bashes though. Look at Donkey Kong! This year is his 40th anniversary. Sure, when he debuted in 1981 in the titular arcade game Donkey Kong, he was a villain to Mario (before there was even a Super Mario Bros. series), but still. Where’s the love? While Nintendo hasn’t officially announced any special anniversary plans for Donkey Kong (yet), luckily there’s fan content and some behind-the-scene glimpses from those who’ve worked on the games (notably the pulled Stop ‘n’ Swop feature and original Donkey Kong Country “scribbles”).
Yet, there’s also another anniversary to celebrate in the franchise. It’s been 25 years since the Donkey Kong Country TV series premiered in France (later debuting in the US and Canada in 1997). Artist and animator Alex Henderson has decided to celebrate both by “reanimating” one of the show’s well-known songs, “Pirate’s Scorn”. Part music video, part short, Henderson’s animation uses Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm’s rendition of Pirate’s Scorn from their 2020 album Curse of the Crystal Coconut.
Clearly, we are all nerds and enjoy the finest Donkey Kong Country content. Without further ado, watch Kaptain Skurvy sing about how he’ll steal back the Crystal Coconut from Donkey Kong.
This isn’t Henderson’s first time animating Nintendo characters. He previously participated in other fan projects – Super Mario Bros. Super Show Reanimated and Donkey Kong Reanimated (plus Donkey Kong Reanimated 2).
You can find more of Henderson’s work on his website, Twitter account, YouTube channel, Patreon, and more.
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Written by Jennifer Burch
Illustrator, designer, writer and big Nintendo geek, you can find Jennifer with an N3DS within reach 24/7. As the oldest of three, she has survived many Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart sessions intact in addition to getting her brothers hooked on some really weird games. (Cubivore anyone?)
