This Friday, Disney is releasing “African Cats,” its third installment in the Disneynature series to nationwide theaters, all in celebration of Earth Day. The Disneynature series began in 2009 with “Earth” and continued last year with “Oceans.”
“African Cats” chronicles several years in the lives of two feline species: lions and cheetahs. With Samuel L. Jackson’s soothing and strong voice, intertwining stories of these real-life African cats are narrated and shown on screen. The animals are given names and personalities, just like an animated Disney film, but the stories are true accounts of what transpires in the wild.
First, there’s Fang, a male lion in charge of his own pride of lionesses and cubs. For the most part their life is calm with the lionesses taking care of the young and hunting, while fang—with a broken tooth from battle—looks menacing to fight off predators. However, across the river is Kali, a rival lion who wants to overtake Fang’s reign with his lion brothers.
Not too far away is our heroine Sita, a feisty cheetah who is caring for her five baby cubs all on her own. Without anyone to assist her, she has the toughest job yet: hunting to feed her young while also making sure the babies don’t get into harm’s way. They have a lot to conquer on their journey for food, including hyenas and shockingly, other cheetahs.
Both of the cat families are working to teach their young cubs how to survive, whether its hunting for food or creating a bond with the pride so they will accept and look after you.
The animal kingdom is both mysterious and familiar, and “African Cats” does an amazing job documenting both of those aspects. Those who believe animals are devoid of emotion will think twice after witnessing these cats in joyous moments and also in complete despair over family problems and the loss of loved ones. And these animal characters are relatable. All Sita wants is to protect her young, and the fight for survival is a universal feeling, making these creatures that much more intriguing and watchable.
Like with all of the Disneynature films, “African Cats” is no exception to tugging at the heartstrings, especially those of animal lovers. Directed by Alastair Fothergill (“Planet Earth”) and Keith Scholey (“Nature”), the movie’s look is breathtaking and every intricacy is seen due to the close proximity to the subjects.
“African Cats” doesn’t necessarily shy away from the harsh reality of events in nature, but it maintains a G rating for the little ones to remain informed but not traumatized. A couple of scenes in the newest adventure are tear jerkers, but it’s a great way to keep the family together and teach everyone something about the world. Humor is also widely present in the feature, with each character having its own spunk and personality.
Reminiscent of “The Lion King” (without Elton John’s music or James Earl Jones’ booming voice), “African Cats” creates an inspirational tale of epic proportions that any nature documentary lover will enjoy, including children who find animals fascinating. Jackson’s dialogue is sometimes cliched, but the film is for families and proves to be something that all ages can identify with—even though revelations of the animal kingdom were strikingly hard to imagine. (These felines really don’t appreciate their own kind as much as you would hope!)
As with every Disneynature film release, a portion of the proceeds from the opening week of “African Cats” will be going to the “See African Cats, Save the Savanna” initiative, a campaign that has already helped save more than 9,500 acres of land in Kenya’s Amboseli Wildlife Corridor through advanced ticket sales.
“We are very impressed with the passion people are showing for ‘African Cats’—advance ticket sales for this film have surpassed both ‘Earth’ and ‘Oceans’ at this stage of the game, which shows how excited moviegoers are for both the movie and the ‘Save the Savanna’ initiative,” said Alan Bergman, president, The Walt Disney Studios. “The Amboseli Corridor is an essential passage utilized by so many animals in the African savanna. The advance ticket sales so far will allow Disneynature with African Wildlife Foundation’s assistance to conserve more than 9,500 acres of this passage—which equates to 19 Disney’s Animal Kingdoms, or nearly two-thirds the size of Manhattan—and we still have two weeks till opening day.”
After the box office numbers for “Earth,” three million trees were planted in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, and in 2010 with “Oceans,” 40,000 acres of marine protected areas in The Bahamas where established, which contain miles of vital coral reef.
“American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks performs the ending credits theme, “The World We Knew.”
For Los Angeles residents planning on seeing the film, the El Capitan will be hosting a special presentation with wildlife experts and exotic animals before each showing. Tickets for groups of 20 or more are available by calling 1-888-DISNEY6 and available online at www.disney.com/africancats. For more information, become a fan of Disneynature on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Disneynature.
