Sita and her cubs on termite mound. Photo Credit: Keith Scholey © 2010 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Photo Credit: Keith Scholey © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Lions Share the Limelight With Cheetahs

Disneynature’s third release, “African Cats,” is billed as a true-life adventure. It follows the excitement and uncertainty of two families, one of a lion’s pride and one of a mother cheetah and her five newborns. After the success of “Earth” (2009) and “Oceans” (2010), Disneynature continues along its path, turning out another quality nature film.

Directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill, “African Cats” differs a bit from its predecessors, in that, this time, it’s personal. The main characters have been given names, encouraging the audience to become emotionally engaged. Among the lions, Kali and his four sons rival Fang, the aging leader of a large pride. Mara, one of the lion cubs caught in the middle of this power struggle, has the added stress of an injured, yet spirited, mother whose footprints she hopes to follow.

In the meantime, Sita is a “single mother” cheetah, doing her best to raise 5 newborns in the wilds of the African savanna. These cheetah cubs are quite possibly the cutest things to grace the big screen since Bambi. Watching them grow from playful, innocent newborns to powerful, graceful young adults is enchanting and wondrous.

Oscar®-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson narrates the action, which is not limited to the cats. Although the film revolves around the lions and cheetahs, there are plenty of other wildlife making cameos throughout − jackals, elephants, hyenas, giraffes, zebras and ostriches, to name a few. In the savanna, one never knows what obstacles may arise. As Jackson says, “In this land, even bullies are bullied.”

The cinematography is breathtaking. There are some incredible close ups of the animals, as well as beautiful images of the vast African landscape, which at times seems never-ending. The sunsets are as glorious as the moon is magnificent and ominous. The stories of the cats are poignant. We are reminded that in nature, as in human lives, there exists family love and harmony alongside greed, power struggles, and the never-ending battle for mere survival.

The credits at the end of the film are well worth sitting through. While the real credits run on the right side of the screen, each of the animal types that made an appearance are identified in a very clever way on the left. For example, as footage of the giraffes is shown, the caption reads, “Giraffes: Crane operators.” The credit given the hippopotamus reads, “Underwater Photography by Hippopotamus.” My personal favorite: “Hooded Vulture: Carrion Baggage Coordinator.”

On a side note, I viewed the movie on opening day in a very crowded theater, filled with children of all ages. As difficult as it is to believe, by the time the movie ended I had only heard noise, briefly, from one child on one occasion. From what I could tell, the film successfully held their attention from beginning to end. With that as my evidence, I suggest this as a movie for the family, no matter the age variance of your clan.

“African Cats” is a movie that reminds me of the Sunday evenings of my childhood, watching “The Wonderful World of Disney” with my brothers and parents. The magical dream of Walt Disney lives on through this type of quality family viewing.

Tyna S. Cline © April 2011