African Cats

Similar to "March of the Penguins" and Disney's "Oceans", comes another nature documentary about the life of two families. One a pride of lions, the other a mother cheetah and her cubs. This story tells how they raise their cubs on the African plains.

Story:
Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, this movie tells the story of these animals that are currently living in the Masai Mara National Reserve, in Kenya. South of the river, a pride of lions rules the land. Their leader, the only adult male lion, is Fang. An experienced protector, he must protect his pride from the opposing forces of Kali and his sons. Kali currently rules the lands north of the river, but some land is never enough land.

Also on the north side of the river, lives Sita. Sita is a cheetah, and a mother of five cubs. Raising her cubs alone, she must teach her cubs how to survive the African savannas. This especially becomes difficult when they encounter fierce predators such as the hyenas, and the lions.



Review:

Sita and her nearly full-grown cubs.

This is the first time I have seen a documentary in a movie theater, rather than on television. I wasn't too worried with Disney at the helm, of course. This movie is one that will fascinate you, and help you feel more connected to animals, if you already have a problem doing so.

It's interesting how our struggles are the same, us and these cats(or other animals). How we both have the strong will to survive, the will to protect our familes, how we have such strong bonds between our friends and family members, and the pain we feel from the death of those close to us. Even the small things like personalities. How some people are happier when they are their own, or how some are happier when they are around others like them.

Fang fending off a crocodile

All the emotions aside, it brought a greater understanding to the wildlife in Africa. The cats, after all, aren't the only animals to appear in the film. You see probably over half of all the different species that live in the reserve. Many of them interacting with the lions and cheetahs quite frequently. A memorable scene with an elephant comes to my mind. 

Cast:
Plenty of animals made appearances, cheetahs, lions, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, numerous birds, servals, hyenas, elephants, wildebeests, rhinos, warthogs, ostriches, zebras, and antelope. Just about everything you can think of, except one... TIGERS! I was heavily disappointed by this fact. But... I guess we can't always get what we want.

*Note*

Plus, if you like what you saw in the movie, it'll be nice to know that some of the proceeds for the film are being donated to the African Wildlife Foundation. To help preserve Kenya's Amboseli Wildlife Corridor. So there is some extra incentive there.