Is there anything in the animal kingdom cuter than a kitten? Not likely. But make that kitten a bit bigger — even deadly — and you have not just an adorable animal, but a grand narrative. It’s what makes “African Cats” so irresistible. The latest documentary from Disneynature teaches and entertains in an engaging way that appeals both to children and their parents. Of course, all the filmmakers really had to do was point their lenses at the playful cubs and they had a hit on their hands. Add a cool narration by the incomparable Samuel L. Jackson, though, and you have something really special.
“African Cats” was filmed on Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve and follows the travails of two families struggling to survive there. Fang is the leader of a pride of lions, the only male to a group of lionesses and their cubs. He has to protect not just them, but himself — some bad dudes from the other side of the tracks (OK, river) really want to muscle him out and take over his polygamous family. Or at least the females in it. Should they succeed, they’ll likely kill or drive out those cute cubs to make room for their own genes to propagate.
| On screen |
| ‘African Cats’ |
| 4 out of 5 stars |
| Stars: Samuel L. Jackson |
| Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey |
| Rated: G (suitable for all audiences) |
| Running time: 89 minutes |
Nearby is a different sort of family, a single mother and her five cheetah cubs. Without a male to help, the cheetah mother is on her own in protecting her babies from the many dangers of the savanna — lions, hyenas, even other cheetahs. Lions and cheetahs are very different animals, and sometimes they’re enemies, but the two groups share one thing in common — they want to protect their young. As Jackson narrates, “Only by showing extraordinary courage will these mothers prevail.”
Of course, it’s not exactly courage these mothers have. It’s instinct, after all, that drives them to protect the carriers of their genes. The narration, like that of most nature documentaries, anthropomorphizes to an annoying degree. But it’s easy to ignore when you focus on the incredible visuals, the beautiful, lonely savanna and its hidden predators and prey. Nicholas Hooper’s score is derivative, but in an interesting way. It echoes other scores — like that of “Jaws” and “Psycho” — as its action parallels those movies.
These animals are deadly, but all the killing is done offscreen. Disney wouldn’t want to frighten away its audience, after all. But that doesn’t stop this captivating film from showing one part of the animal kingdom, in all its terrifying glory.
