Right off the bat, if you are into cute animals, particularly cats, then this movie is for you fullstop. If, on the other hand, you hate animals, particularly cats, then you will hate this movie and probably aren’t reading this in the first place.

African Cats is a documentary film that follows the trials and tribulations of two sets of feline families in the pridelands of Kenya. One family is a pride of lions who live along the south bank of a crocodile infested river which is comprised of one male lion and a several lionesses who are raising cubs and the other family is a single mother cheetah who lives to the north of the river and is raising five cubs of her own. Both families come in conflict with another family of lions to the north made up of a father lion and his four sons. The film follows these animals as they attempt to raise their cubs to adulthood and all the hardships that entails.

The narration is provided by Samuel L Jackson who does a great job and gives just the right tone to the proceedings. His narration is never overbearing and the inflection in his voice serves the various moments well. Even when something sad happens it is softened by his voice and words.

The writing is interesting because everything is so well wrapped up and perfect for the story they are telling one has to wonder how much the footage was shoe horned to fit the story they were trying to tell. There is a fair amount of anthropomorphizing of the animals as well assigning feelings and motivations to the cats that are probably not true but it generally follows their actions well enough that the motivations are close enough from an instinct perspective. The way the narration and editing is set up, the film feels much more like a live action Disney cartoon than it does a nature documentary. The footage is authentic for sure and it was all filmed on location in Kenya, but the editing leads me to believe that the story is at least somewhat contrived. That is fine though because the story told is sweet and compelling and the animals are engaging to watch.

The cinematography is absolutely stunning and the shots achieved are beautiful. You could hang random still frames from this film on your wall they are so gorgeous. Even if you remove how adorably cute the cubs are, the footage achieved in this movie is incredible.  Seeing a lion back down a handful of crocodiles is badass no matter how you shoot it but they way the moment is captured here is up close and intense. The action shots are equally amazing and exciting to watch. Take everything else away and this is a visually arresting movie.

In nature films of this sort there is always the risk of getting attached to the animals only to see them brutally eaten or maimed by other animals. This being Disney, these moments are very tame. Not all of the animals featured make it but the editing and narration saves the viewer from seeing it and any time something sad happens the next scene redirects focus to something happy and playful. The movie is pretty much bloodless and even when the cats hunt and bring down prey, the camera cuts away before anything gory happens. The film doesn’t shy away from the grim realities of the circle of life really but it doesn’t highlight it in an over the top way either. This is a G rated film meant for kids and as such the deaths are real but remain off screen. As someone who cries at the drop of a hat when animals are involved I was very grateful for that.

This film opened on Earth Day but given the prevailing theme of motherhood and how much a mother will go through to make sure her children are safe, I question the logic in this. I think this would have been better suited opening Mother’s Day weekend given just how much it celebrates motherhood and the relationship between mothers and their children. In fact, if the movie ever gets thematically heavy handed it is here but given what the mom cats go through for their kids throughout the course of the film that is just fine. In a metaphorical sense, this movie makes you appreciate your mom just a bit more when you see child rearing distilled down to the bare bones of day to day survival. Seeing the hardships faced by the mothers and their young it becomes kind of amazing that any of the children survive to adulthood at all. In our relatively soft lives it is easy to forget how fragile we are and how many dangers our children face every day at school and in extracurricular activities. It is hard as a viewer not to draw these parallels and not to come out thankful for our moms and all that they have done for us.

[Conclusion 9.0 out of 10]

While I loved the movie I have a hard time recommending a full price ticket purchase unless you REALLY love animals in general and cats in particular. Still, the sweeping cinematography demands to be seen on a big screen so bargain shows and matinees will treat you right here. I found the movie engaging and fun and I would like to see it again now that I know who makes it and I don’t have to worry. I feel like this movie is going to really shine on blu-ray and the bigger the HD screen the better.