African Cats
- Review Date: April 7, 2011
- G
- Genre: Documentary
- 2011
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Common Sense Media says
Nature docu emphasizes a mother's love and sacrifice.
 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this nature documentary features some breathtaking cinematography of the African savannah, but despite its G rating, there are some potentially upsetting scenes of animals hunting and dying. Nothing is overtly bloody, but the disappearance (and implied death) of a couple of cubs and the death of a central character is likely to disturb young children and squeamish adults. Children will learn about the African savanna, how cheetahs and lions differ in terms of their family groups and hunting styles, and how mothers -- even in other species -- are willing to sacrifice for the sake of their babies.
What's the story?
In Disneynature's third feature-length wildlife documentary, filmmakers Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey follow two animal mothers living in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve: Sita, a cheetah trying to raise five newborn cubs by herself, and Layla, an older lioness with a 6-month-old cub called Mara. Fothergill and Scholey's team spent two and a half years following the AFRICAN CATS to focus on the two felines as they overcome daily threats and dangers to raise their cubs. Layla is helped by her sister lionesses and an alpha lion, whereas Sita must fend for herself and keep the predatory hyenas and unrelated male cheetahs away from her cubs. If they're successful and lucky, both mothers will usher their offspring to young adulthood.
Is it any good?
Nature documentaries can be broken down into two key elements -- the photography and the narration/story arc. Because veteran wildlife specialists Owen Newman and Sophie Darlington were the directors of photography for this film, waiting for just the right shots, the images are extraordinary. We get the expected hunting scenes that show Sita running with such beauty and elegance that you don't really care that she's about to down an equally elegant but not quite as fast gazelle. But there's also a lovely, domestic touch to the smaller scenes, whether it's of Sita's three remaining cubs playing with each other or standing their ground against bullying hyenas, or of the pride of lionesses and their cubs lounging on a flat rock and grooming each other.
As for the narration, Samuel L. Jackson tackles it with precision and heart. The script he reads is heavy-handed with the humanizing -- painting the mothers in such a way that we all think of them as the "good guys" and their animal kingdom enemies as the "bad guys." But it works for the purposes of this story, to make everyone think of the universality of motherhood and how even our counterparts in the wild will stop at nothing to get their kids safely to self sufficiency. Food, shelter, experience -- these are things that all mothers try to provide, and watching Sita and Layla do it with their feline kidlets is a satisfying, if at times heartbreaking, endeavor.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the popularity of wildlife documentaries. What attracts families to nature films?
Does humanizing the animals in movies like this one make them more or less likable? Is it right that some are depicted as "good" and some as "evil"? Aren't all the animals just acting like animals?
Some criticize G-rated documentaries for depicting the way that animals hunt and (in some scenes) die. Do you think that kind of content is appropriate for all audiences?
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Parent of 7, 8, and 10 year old
April 23, 2011
AGE
be prepared for devastated kids!
my 7 yr old dUGHTER hated THIS. SHE LOVES all movies!!! this was not sensitive to the fact that children might find a lot of the situations sad! babies die, a mother dies, and families are torn apart. this is notorious for disney to do. why? cinematography was perfect, lots was educational, but too sad for my family.
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Parent of 7 and 9 year old
April 22, 2011
AGE
Amazingly beautiful and gripping, but maybe too intense for some.
This is like Nat Geo on steroids. Amazing footage, great story telling, incredible scenery. BUT because it's on the BIG screen, it's more overpowering than what you'd view w/your kids at home, on your TV. There's no escaping the drama, or the scariness. Fifteen minutes into it, my mesmerized 9-yr-old son exclaimed, "THIS is rated "G"?! It should be PG 13!" Now, PG would have been fine, really, and for children under 8 or 9 it could be okay, if they're used to nature shows and all that come with it--life and death of characters our narrator has made sure we feel connected to.
There really isn't much blood and gore, but there is lots of death and loss, and even more "drama" where the narration makes you think a beloved cat is going be eaten by crocs or a rival cat (even at times when they end up okay--it's almost like the filmmakers and narrator wish it had turned out differently for the sake of the storyline). Thus, a lot of the "tension building" was unnecessary for a "G" movie. PLUS, a lot of the drama is viewers being hit over the head that this is a momma, and her cubs, and the momma might die, or the cubs might die (and some, indeed, do) That is upsetting for young viewers.
I highly recommend this for older children, and strongly advise careful consideration to younger children's sensibilities before taking them. My son said his seven-year-old sister would have been "really, really upset." I agree.
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Parent of 8 year old
April 22, 2011
AGE
Do NOT take a child sensitive towards animals!!!!
While this movie is well done and educational, it was WAY TOO MUCH for my eight year old daughter. She went on a field trip with her class and, thankfully ,I was a parent chaperone. We walked out of the movie twice and didn't come back after the second time. If your child is sensitive towards animals, DO NOT see this movie. While is it is the harsh reality of of nature, it was is too much for a young child to bear.
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Parent of 9 and 12 year old
May 4, 2011
AGE
Excellent Family Movie Night Flick
For her ninth birthday celebration, we took my third grade daughter and her five friends to see African Cats. Every one of them loved it! Personally, I think more graphic and gory footage (of carnivores and their prey) is shown in nature documentaries on television. This was definitely G-rated compared to what my kids have already seen on PBS’s Nature, the Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet. There were some much younger children in the audience who covered their eyes in places, but there was no crying, no leaving the theater in shock and disgust. I heard only praise and amazement in the corridor leading out of the theater. And my 12-year-old daughter, who came along to help with the younger kids, thoroughly enjoyed it as well. My husband even stayed awake—high praise for a “kid’s” movie. We’ll definitely buy the Blue Ray when it becomes available.
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Kid, 11 years old
April 22, 2011
AGE
Should be rated PG not rated G
I love this movie, it is educational because the narrator teaches the audience about animals but it should be rated PG because blood is something nobody should see in a rated G movie
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Parent of 6 year old
April 29, 2011
AGE
Great movie, but intense.
This movie was fantastic, but quite intense. My almost-seven-year old and I both cried, laughed, and held our breath and clutched onto each other during several scenes. It's not gory, but the struggle to survive is pivotal to the movie, and scenes where two cheetah cubs are lost to hyenas, and where a mother lion dies, are difficult. If your kids are very young, or easily troubled by this kind of thing, you might was to pass on this. But, for kids that can handle it, it's an awesome movie... i loved showing my son the excitement and drama of the natural world versus the kind found in movies like "Fast Five." Highly recommend for any animal lover.
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Parent of 2 and 4 year old
April 22, 2011
AGE
Walked out with our 2 and 4 year old. Much too scary for our 4 year old. Our 2 year old didn't really understand what was going on. Movie should not have a G rating.
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Parent of 6, 9, and 10 year old
April 26, 2011
AGE
I think African cats is the best movie for ages 8 and up. it is about 2 families. a lion family, and a cheeta family. the movie is full of action, baby cubs, and mothers dieing. i will be honest I really loved the movie.
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Parent of 10 year old
April 24, 2011
AGE
Beautiful but WAY too intense for most kids
Beautiful cinematography, but terrible editing and script. They took probably thousands of hours of film, edited it down and added a script in which they introduce us (by name) to several animals, tell us how much they love and rely upon each other, and then prey upon our sensitivities by spending the next hour showing us how they're about to die every five minutes. VERY intense! My 10 year-old son (and I) were in tears in some parts, and came out of the theater exhausted and feeling beat up. Could have been much better done.
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Parent of 6 and 8 year old
April 24, 2011
AGE
Way too intense for sensitive children
My 8-year-old daughter sobbed through this entire movie. It was way too intense, sad, and disturbing for her. Usually in nature movies there are one or two sad events, but this was one after another almost the entire time. Brutal! The images of hurt and suffering animals, small cubs in danger, mothers and babies losing each other were just not appropriate for a G movie. IWe would have walked out but I was chaperoning her class field trip. Disaster!
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| Topics: | Science and nature, Wild animals |
| Studio: | Disneynature |
| Director: | Alastair Fothergill |
| Cast: | Samuel L. Jackson |
| Genre: | Documentary |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 22, 2011 |
| DVD release date: | October 4, 2011 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
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