African Cats (2011)

A nature documentary centered on two cat families and how they teach their cubs the ways of the wild.

Directors:

Keith Scholey, Alastair Fothergill (co-director)

Writers:

Keith Scholey (narration written by), John Truby (narration written by)

Stars:

Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Stewart, Mara

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Narrator (voice)
Patrick Stewart	...	Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mara	...	Herself

Storyline

A nature documentary centered on two cat families and how they teach their cubs the ways of the wild.

---

Plot Keywords:

cat | maasai mara national reserve kenya | extreme closeup | giraffe | swimming animal | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Adventure

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Felinos de África

Filming Locations:

Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,003,200, 24 April 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$15,415,270, 10 July 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Disneynature,Fothergill / Scholey Productions,Walt Disney Studios

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This wildlife documentary features lions, cheetahs, Cape buffalo herds, Nile crocodiles, hyenas, African bush elephants, giraffes, hippopotami, wildebeest herds, rhinos, Thompson's gazelles, warthogs, ostriches, jackals, and zebras.

---

Crazy Credits

The end credits show various wildlife credited with crew functions, a giraffe as crane operator, for example.

---

Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.14 (2011)

---

Soundtracks

The World I Knew
Written by Josiah Dean and Ryan Tedder
Performed by Jordin Sparks

User Reviews

Surprisingly rousing, effortlessly entertaining and awesome to behold

Disney Nature's new documentary could definitely have been more imaginatively titled, but it's still an impressively mounted experience for wildlife lovers, and feline fanatics especially. The film-makers forego an information-filled Attenborough-style narrative, instead favoring the incongruous delights of Samuel L Jackson regaling us with a 'true life adventure' like some hoary old story-teller reading from a children's tome. Some may find this non-scientific approach condescending, but there's no denying the film offers visual spectacle on an epic scale and an intimate, involving account of life for these surprisingly vulnerable killers.

Fang is an aging lion struggling to look after his pride while contending with the usurping efforts of some younger competition. His sheba is trying to do the best for her cub Mara, stuck between her loyalty to Fang and the security that the more virulent lions on the other side of the river might offer. As the two groups come to blows over food, territory and leadership, it becomes clear that Fang's days may be numbered. Meanwhile, Sita is a cheetah with five rambunctious cubs, who are prized as coveted meals for many of the animals sharing their domain. Her efforts to protect, feed and teach them put her in mortal danger not only from enemies from other species but also their own.

As the beautifully captured seasons come and go, drastically affecting the awesome landscape, we witness the cats face many hardships despite being so high up in their food chain. Motion capture and slo-mo are judiciously deployed to generate wonder and tension, with the film's narrowed focus really giving the audience time to appreciate the African countryside, while several sequences of our subjects in peril prove as heart-stopping as a well-orchestrated horror movie. The soundtrack also adds to the atmosphere despite being somewhat predictably crafted and employed. The stories of the lions and the cheetahs are nicely balanced and bring some dynamic variety to the footage; the bigger cats are as impressive and noble as you'd expect, but the cheetahs often steal the show, thanks to the cubs' undeniable cuteness and Sita's mind-boggling multi-tasking prowess and intelligence.

Jackson really does attack his narration with all the relish of a new father indulging his kids at bedtime, making Daniel Craig's po-faced voice-over for the recent One Life film seem joyless and disheartening in comparison. The use of character names does actually help the audience keep track of the cats, even though the attempts to characterize them are sometimes laid on a little too thick. Keith Scholey and John Truby's script invests proceedings with even more humor and pathos than they would already have, and for the most part directors Scholey and Alastair Fothergill know just when to let the action speak for itself. There's also a cringe-worthy but amusing credit roll, where the various animals are assigned appropriate film-making roles; giraffes posing as crane operators are just the tip of the iceberg. It's something of a novelty but also represents icing on the cake for a film that has been more lovingly assembled than you might expect.

Cynics will point to the film's release coinciding with that of The Lion King to accuse Disney of trying to fleece families, while some will find the child-friendly voice-over cloyingly sentimental, but it marks a bit of a change for cinematic nature documentaries and at least they had the good sense to stick to 2D. Cat-lovers young and old will be delighted with this release, and it truly deserves to be experienced on the big screen. By concentrating so steadfastly on such a particular topic, Disney have made a wonderfully immersive and invigorating film, even if it's not particularly enlightening. The film may gloss over its stars' violent nature and assemble footage in a way that manipulates audience sympathy while slightly toning down the harsh reality, but African Cats is an unexpected pleasure to behold, coming as a breath of fresh air in an often stuffily rarefied genre.