Plot

The adventures of the King of the elephants, his family, and friends.

Babar, the kind and fair King of the Elephants, reigns over the city of Celesteville in his large palace, alongside his family: the lovely Queen Celeste (his wife), the elderly but wise Cornelius (his advisor), the panic-prone and conservative Pompadour (his minister of protocol), and his four beloved children: Pom, Flora, Alexander and Isabelle. He also has a mischievous brother-in-law (Arthur) and his wacky but well-meaning best friend (Zephir, a monkey). Babar has, with their help, designed a powerful and peaceful kingdom of elephants, where everybody is protected and has whatever they need. With the help of Cornelius and Pompadour, Babar has also set up standards and protocols for diplomacy, and thus gets along well with the human race and most other animal species, who have their own kingdoms.

Babar's life wasn't always so comfortable, though. As an infant, he lived with his mother and friends in Pleasant Valley, an undeveloped jungle with a waterhole clearing which served as their home. One day, a sadistic hunter shoots and kills Babar's mother, and distraught, Babar leaves his elephant friends and winds up in the big city (Paris) where he is deeply confused by all the modern conveniences of man, feeling more alone than ever. Luckily, he befriends Madame, a friendly old lady who enrolls him in school, clothes him and teaches him about the ways of humankind. Babar eventually becomes quite popular with the city of Paris, even considered a well-respected citizen, but still he is deeply worried about what has become of Celeste, Arthur, Pompadour and Cornelius. When Celeste and Arthur appear in the city, he is surprised and grateful to see that they are alright. He bids a tearful farewell to Madame and returns to his elephant friends, who are now living in hiding to avoid the hunter. After the Old King (an aging and large elephant) dies from eating a poisoned mushroom, the elephants are left with no leader. Choosing to confront the hunter head-on, much to Babar's dismay, the elephants are captured, including Cornelius and Pompadour, to be killed for ivory and sent to circuses and zoos. Babar is luckily able to rescue them, and they appoint him as king.

Since then, Babar has created a kingdom where elephants live like humans with vehicles, clothing, electronic devices, homes and their own system of government. He has also invited Madame to stay in the kingdom, and she graciously obliges. Babar names the kingdom Celesteville, after his beloved wife. Meanwhile he and his family have many adventures together, however the one reoccurring obstacle to their life is Rataxes, a tyrannical rhinoceros. Rataxes is the king of Rhinoland, his own more primitive and tacky kingdom where he lives with his loud but kindhearted wife (Lady Rataxes), his loyal servant (Basil) and his young son (Victor). Rataxes is a good character at heart but he often finds himself rivaling Babar and competing with him. Luckily, the two often work out their differences and even consider each other friends sometimes, and Basil keeps his boss in-line when he can.