Babar's First Step

## Stats

**Babar's First Step** is the 1st episode of the series *Babar* that aired on April 2, 1989.

## Summary

A day of a celebration is occurring with music and such. Madame puts on a marching band outfit on Pom, and because he fidgets when she does so, she comments that he reminds him of his father, which is true as Babar fidgets too when Celeste gets him ready too. Suddenly, Alexander enters the room with his soccer ball, mentioning that because he is captain of the team he gets a self-claimed day off. He asks Babar if he would like to play, but Babar tells him that he has a speech to give. Alexander doesn't understand, as Babar is a king and kings can get days off too, but Babar states that everyone, even him, has responsibilities to take care of no matter how much they don't want to do them.

He begins a story regarding this that takes place long ago before Celesteville, and Babar was just a newborn baby. The herd of elephants around him think of a name, one suggestion being "Pierre" from Pompadour, but when Babar says his first words, "babar", the elephants vote on that name instead. Babar gets startled when he hears the elephants blow their trunks, but his mother tells him that it is the traditional family welcome just for him. As he got older, he figured that nothing could stand in his way. He tries to move a piece of bark in the ground but his mother tells him otherwise. Babar is still sure he will move it someday. As a younger Celeste and Arthur try to get pears off a tree, Babar comes stomping over and does a belly flop by accident. He sees Zephir laughing and jumping on a tree, so Babar tries replicating it and causes the fruit to fall. All of a sudden, a loud noise occurs and the elephants are startled. Pompadour believes it is just thunder, but Cornelius is sure a new beast entered their land.

Babar's grandfather, who is the king, vows that they all move away from home. Babar steps in and doesn't want to, and his mother steps in with him and agrees. All the elephants decide to vote that they stay. The elephants reside at a river and Babar and Celeste play around and shoot water at each other, soon Arthur joins in. That horrible sound is a shotgun belonging to a hunter, and it gets ready to load. The elephants can sense danger, so everyone quickly gathers and runs for cover. Babar is picked up by his mother, but she ends up getting shot. Soon she collapses. Babar looks around for his mother, so Cornelius shows him. The family decided to move on, leaving Babar alone. Babar however steps out of their elephant line and runs over to the bark, and pulls it right out the ground.

Later on, as the elephants gather to discuss a place where to go that not even the hunter knows about. Babar wants to stay, however. The hunter begins shooting again, and elephants begin falling over. Babar takes action and runs into the hunter, a few times, causing him to fall just the same. Soon enough, the hunter begins shooting at Babar, but he keeps running until the hunter trips over the dismantled bark, and his shotgun flies out of his hands. He is more or less defeated, and Babar runs off, all alone. Concluding the story, Babar says to his children that he knew on the inside they were okay, and it would be a long time until he saw them again. It is now time for Babar's speech, but Alexander figures to go kick his ball once more.