We recently were lucky enough to go to a pre-screening of African Cats. African Cats officially comes out in theaters on Earth Day (April 22, 2011). Here’s a bit of background on the movie itself:
An epic true story set against the backdrop of one of the wildest places on Earth, “African Cats” captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. Narrated by Oscar®-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson, the story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion and his sons. Disneynature brings “The Lion King” to life on the big screen in this True Life Adventure directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill (“Earth”). An awe-inspiring adventure blending family bonds with the power and cunning of the wild, “African Cats” leaps into theatres on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.
My Review of African Cats:
My family loved the movie! My daughter is 2 and my son is 4 years old. I was a bit concerned about bringing them to a “documentary” type movie, but my fears were unfounded. Something about seeing these wild animals in their natural environment absolutely enthralled my children. My daughter gushed over the baby cheetahs and my son loved the big roaring lions and the snapping crocodiles.
What’s interesting to me is that the movie definitely focuses on a mother’s love and I really think my son picked up on that. Throughout the movie he kept cuddling up to me and stroking my arm. I was touched by the way these mom’s protected their children and the sacrifices that they made so their children would have a good life.
The story was great, I definitely got swept away into the lives of these beautiful cats. The cinematography was top notch (this film was directed by one of the director’s of Planet Earth, so of course it is gorgeous!) and the editing was flawless.
The movie deals with some heavy material. It is the wild, and dangerous and deadly things can happen. However, this being a Disney film, I really feel like the story was told tastefully and honestly. What shouldn’t be seen by little eyes wasn’t shown, and yet you still grasped the severity of the situation.
The movie is focused on the lions and cheetahs, but you get to see a wide variety of animals. In fact the run-ins with other animals were some of my favorites!
I was reading over the production notes on the film and I thought this was interesting enough to share:
Adds King, “It would be fantastic if people watching the film feel as we’ve felt while we filmed it. The story of these lions and cheetahs is totally absorbing and something that everyone can empathize with. I hope people will watch this movie, and after a while, they won’t see lions and cheetahs anymore but mother and sons and daughters and great warriors and great struggles and great joys. I really think the story is that universal.”
Honestly, I think they made that happen for me. I think this movie is a must see, and I encourage you to go see it in it’s opening week (April 22-28) when a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.
Disneynature will collaborate with the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) on a program to celebrate the release of “African Cats.” During the film’s opening week (April 22-28), a portion of the proceeds from that week’s ticket sales will be donated to the organization through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to ensure the future of lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, giraffes and a host of other animals in the vibrant African savanna. The AWF will be working to protect the Amboseli Wildlife Corridor, a passage between the Amboseli, Tsavo West and Chyulu National Parks that is frequently used by a variety of wildlife. To learn more, visit www.disney.com/africancats.
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