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IMDbPro

African Cats

  • 20112011
  • GG
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
6.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
44,151
19,019
African Cats (2011)
A nature documentary centered on two cat families and how they teach their cubs the ways of the wild.
Play trailer1:51
10 Videos
26 Photos
DocumentaryAdventure
Meet Mara, an endearing lion cub striving to be like her mother; Sita, a cheetah and single mother of five; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion... Read allMeet Mara, an endearing lion cub striving to be like her mother; Sita, a cheetah and single mother of five; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion.Meet Mara, an endearing lion cub striving to be like her mother; Sita, a cheetah and single mother of five; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
6.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
44,151
19,019
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Keith Scholey
      • Alastair Fothergill
    • Writers
      • Keith Scholey(narration written by)
      • John Truby(narration written by)
      • Owen Newman(original story)
    • Stars
      • Samuel L. Jackson(USA version)
      • Patrick Stewart(UK version)
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Keith Scholey
      • Alastair Fothergill
    • Writers
      • Keith Scholey(narration written by)
      • John Truby(narration written by)
      • Owen Newman(original story)
    • Stars
      • Samuel L. Jackson(USA version)
      • Patrick Stewart(UK version)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 40User reviews
    • 102Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations

    Videos10

    African Cats: Trailer #2
    Trailer 1:51
    African Cats: Trailer #2
    African Cats
    Trailer 1:36
    African Cats
    "Chasing a Dog"
    Clip 0:34
    "Chasing a Dog"
    “Hunters Being Hunted”
    Clip 0:53
    “Hunters Being Hunted”
    “Fiercest Hunters in the Land”
    Clip 0:35
    “Fiercest Hunters in the Land”
    "Reservoir Cats"
    Clip 0:52
    "Reservoir Cats"
    "Herding Cats"
    Clip 0:52
    "Herding Cats"
    "Sita Has a Secret"
    Clip 0:51
    "Sita Has a Secret"
    African Cats
    Promo 1:32
    African Cats
    African Cats
    Promo 1:02
    African Cats

    Photos26

    African Cats (2011)
    African Cats (2011)
    Alastair Fothergill in African Cats (2011)
    Keith Scholey in African Cats (2011)
    Keith Scholey in African Cats (2011)
    Keith Scholey in African Cats (2011)
    African Cats (2011)
    African Cats (2011)
    African Cats (2011)
    African Cats (2011)
    African Cats (2011)
    African Cats (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Samuel L. Jackson
    Samuel L. Jackson
    • Narrator
    • (USA version)
    • (voice)
    Patrick Stewart
    Patrick Stewart
    • Narrator
    • (UK version)
    • (voice)
    • Directors
      • Keith Scholey
      • Alastair Fothergill
    • Writers
      • Keith Scholey(narration written by) (original story)
      • John Truby(narration written by)
      • Owen Newman(original story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Mara is kicked by a zebra, which causes serious injury. One of the most common injuries is a broken jaw, which causes the lion to starve.
    • Crazy credits
      During the entire run of the end credits, animals (shown in short clips) have been "credited" for being part of the production stuff, including, but not limited to:

      • Wildebeest: A Supporting Cast of Thousands
      • Topi: Extras Coordinator
      • Aardvark: Fight Choreography
      • Jackson's Widowbird: Dance Choreography
      • Masai Ostrich: Costume Design
      • Male Cheetahs: Best Boys
      • Warthog: Hair and Make Up
      • Masai Giraffe: Crane Operators
      • Kori Bustard: Stylist
      • Additional Memory Provided by African Elephant
      • Bohor Reedbuck: Motion Control Unit
      • Secretary Bird: Script Supervisor
      • Ground Hornbill: Prosthetics
      • Yellow-billed Stork: Set Dresser
      • Underwater Photography by Hippopotamus
      • Tawny Eagle: Aerial Unit
      • Impala: Location Alarm Systems
      • Acting Stripes Earned by Burchell's Zebra
      • Cape Buffalo: Lion Producers
      • Hooded Vulture: Carrion Baggage Coordinator
      • Laughter Track Provided by Spotted Hyena
      • Hearts Stolen by Baby Elephant
      • Cattle Egret: Heron Make Up
      • Nile Crocodile: Catering Services
      • Black Rhinoceros: Security Patrol Unit
      • Ruppell's Griffon Vulture: Assistant to Mr Fang
      • Thomson's Gazelle: Assistant to Ms Sita
      • Serval: Ms Sita's Stunt Double
      • Leopard Tortoise: Fall Guy
    • Alternate versions
      In the U.S. version Samuel L. Jackson narrates while Patrick Stewart narrates the U.K. version.
    • Connections
      Edited into Growing Up Wild (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      The World I Knew
      Written and produced by Ryan Tedder and Dean Josiah (as Dean 'Inflo' Wynton Josiah)

      Performed by Jordin Sparks

      JORDIN SPARKS performs courtesy of 19 RECORDINGS LIMITED/JIVE RECORDS

    User reviews40

    Review
    Top review
    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.
    helpful•7
    3
    • tkksilvergun
    • Dec 3, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 22, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Báo Châu Phi
    • Filming locations
      • Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
    • Production companies
      • Disneynature
      • Fothergill / Scholey Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $15,428,747
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,003,200
      • Apr 24, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $30,857,747
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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