Disneynature’s African Cats opens on Earth Day, but a more appropriate holiday might be Mother’s Day. For the film concerns two mothers — one an aging lioness with a cub, the other a cheetah with five newborns — and their struggles against predators and their own mortality to raise these youngsters into adulthood where they can fend for themselves. The narration, dramatically rendered by Samuel L. Jackson, constantly harps on the theme that “a mother’s love” is all that will sustain and protect these young cats. As this insistence on turning animal instincts into human emotions might portend, the Disney movie does create child-friendly stories and characters within the animal kingdom to acquaint young audiences with the hard facts of life and death in the vast grasslands of East Africa. It gives its feline characters vaguely Indian names such as Sita and Kali — okay, Fang would not qualify as an Indian name — and the filmmakers spent two-and-a-half years crouching behind their cameras, waiting for those precious few moments when hunts, fierce confrontations or high drama occur so they can piece together a story about “courage and love.”

Nothing’s wrong with this approach, of course, as young audiences will find these stories more gripping than an adult doc preaching about conservation. And certainly the cinematography and editing are as superb as the film’s stars are photogenic and heroic. A slow-motion shot of a long-limbed cheetah closing in on its prey, dirt and grass spraying in all directions, is nothing short of breathtaking. Director/co-producer Keith Scholey, who co-wrote the film with John Truby, sets his story along a river that divides a North Kingdom from a South Kingdom. In the North lives Sita, a sleek and gorgeous cheetah mom, who must keep her brood a secret from the rest of nature if they are to survive. To the South dwells the River Pride, a pack of lionesses that feed the young while Fang, their male protector, patrols the territory. Their lead hunter Layla has a six-month old cub, Mara — named apparently for the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya where the film was shot. Both stories carry plenty of drama: Sita must abandon her young when she hunts for their food, leaving them vulnerable to many enemies including those lions.

Layla, already slowed by injuries, receives a zebra’s kick while bringing the beast down that injures her permanently, an episode caught on film. If she cannot keep up with the pride as it follows its food sources, her cub may stick with her and die without the pride’s protection. Fang too is threatened by a powerful lion, Kali, and four brawny sons, who seek to expand their empire from the North to the South once the water level in that crocodile-infested river goes down.How To Change Fuse On Ac Unit These stories, of course, create rooting interests for young viewers by selecting heroes and villains from among the wildlife. Curtains And Window Treatments For French DoorsA gazelle brought down by Layla is cause for celebration — her cubs will eat tonight! Moving To New Zealand From Australia Checklist

But Layla’s loss of cubs to other food-seekers is “a mother’s worst nightmare.” Hyenas are “deadly enemies” rather than other hungry beasts. You almost expect the animals to burst into a chorus of “The Circle of Life.” For the most part, this works though. Scholey and his main camera operators, Owen Newman and Sophie Darlington, get astonishingly close to their characters so the film can be cut together for high drama and action. Fang’s broken tooth, still dangling from his jaw following a “war wound,” comes to symbolize his own weakness as a solitary protector going up against five magnificent cats intent on stealing away his pride. The cubs learn “lessons” about who to hunt and how to do so. When Mara is rejected by the pride before she has learned her lessons, you see what can happen. The mercilessness of the animal kingdom is more than brought home without too much terror for youngsters. Even so, that G rating will not prevent a moment or two of distress among the very young.

The fearlessness with which the lion and cheetah mothers protect their cubs is amazing to behold. In most cases, even male lions or a pack of hyenas will back down in the face of such relentless ferocity. The animal kingdom, much better than human one, recognizes the difference between a bluff and the real deal: These mothers will willingly die for their cubs. And then when their job is done, the cheetah resumes her solitary life — as will her adult progeny — and the old lion will disappear from her grown cub to die in peace and dignity. No one expects a Mother’s Day card in thanks. Opens: Friday, April 22 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Production companies: A Fothergill/Scholey production of a Disneynature film Screenwriters: Keith Scholey, John Truby Story by: Keith Scholey, Owen Newman Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson Producers: Keith Scholey, Alix Tidmarsh Directors of photography: Owen Newman, Sophie Darlington Specialist photography: Simon King

Rated G, 90 minutesGet all our media picks, personalized for your kids. Sign In or Join to save for later Review Date: April 8, 2011 Running Time: 90 minutes What parents need to know Parents Need to Know March of the Penguins Born to Be Wild Top advice and articles What parents and kids say Sign In or Join to save for laterWHY WE CAREPlugged In exists to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving you and your family the essential tools you need to understand, navigate and impact the culture in which we live. Through reviews, articles and discussions, we want to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."YOUR STORIESFamily uses Plugged In as a ‘significant compass’"I am at a loss for words to adequately express how much it means to my husband and me to know that there is an organization like Focus that is rooting for us.

Just today I was reading Psalm 37 and thinking about how your ministry provides ways to 'dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.' We have two teenagers and an 8-year-old in our household...Plugged In has become a significant compass for our family. All three of our kids are dedicated to their walk with Christ but they still encounter challenges. Thanks for all of your research and persistence in helping us navigate through stormy waters."Plugged In helps college student stand-up for his belief"Thanks for the great job you do in posting movie and television reviews online. I’m a college freshman and I recently had a confrontational disagreement with my English professor regarding an R-rated film. It is her favorite movie and she wanted to show it in class. I went to your Web site to research the film’s content. Although I had not seen the movie myself, I was able to make an educated argument against it based on the concerns you outlined. The prof said that she was impressed by my stand and decided to poll the whole class and give us a choice.

We overwhelmingly voted to watch a G-rated movie instead! I’ve learned that I can trust your site and I will be using it a lot in the future.”Plugged In brings ‘Sanity and Order’ to Non-believer“Even though I don’t consider myself a Christian, I find your Plugged In Web site useful and thought-provoking. No one reviews movies like you do. Instead of being judgmental, you put entertainment ‘on trial.’ After presenting the evidence, you allow the jury of your readers to decide for themselves what they should do. In my opinion, you bring sanity and order to the wild world of modern day entertainment. Keep up the good work!”Mom thinks Plugged In is the ‘BEST Christian media review site’"Our family doesn't go to the movies until we go online and check out your assessment of a given film. I think this is the BEST Christian media review website that I've found, and I recommend it to my family and friends. Keep up the good work!"SUPPORT THE WORK OF PLUGGED INOur hope is that whether you're a parent, youth leader or teen, the information and tools at Plugged In will help you and your family make appropriate media decisions.

We are privileged to do the work we do, and are continually thankful for the generosity and support from you, our loyal readers, listeners and friends.CONTRIBUTE MONTHLYGIVE A ONE TIME GIFTMovie ReviewOne of my fondest memories from childhood is tuning into Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Each week, host Marlon Perkins and his sidekick Jim Fowler journeyed to Earth's most isolated hinterlands to deliver remarkable footage of all things wet or wild or wooly. Marlon was as famous for his deadpan, golf-announcer narration as Jim was his willingness to do absolutely insane things with animals. "And now I'll sit safely up here in the helicopter while Jim tranquilizes and wrestles a 600-pound Komodo dragon," Marlon might well have said. These days, shows about animals abound on TV. Whereas I had to content myself with half-hour doses of Wild Kingdom (and maybe a bit of Curt Gowdy's American Sportsman on a good week), kids growing up today are really pretty spoiled, with entire cable channels such as Animal Planet, Discovery and National Geographic delivering similar content 24/7.

But even in such a crowded market for animal adoration, there's still room for a few big-screen tales of their exploits. And for the third year in a row, Disneynature is premiering exactly such a story to commemorate Earth Day. The first two films in the series, Earth and Oceans, span the globe. This one narrows the focus to two tribes of big cats: cheetahs and lions. Filmed entirely in Kenya's stunning Masai Mara National Reserve, African Cats invites us to take an up-close-and-personal look at two very different feline families—and at the two mothers who are doing their best to make sure their cubs have what it takes to thrive in the expansive African savanna. Layla is an aging, ailing lioness who's part of a pride ruled and protected by a similarly aging alpha male named Fang (so called because one of his teeth dangles from his drooling mouth for much of the movie). As long as the water in a river that cuts through their territory is high, life is good for Fang's family.

But when it starts to dry up, danger from the "Northern Kingdom" lurks in the form of a rival lion who would be King Kali … and his four fearsome sons. Layla, therefore, is determined to secure her cub Mara's place in the pride even if she's not around to teach and feed and protect her. So Layla tries to teach the young lioness all the necessary survival skills … while cultivating relationships Mara will need with aunts and cousins. But Layla's injuries from hunting, as well as increasingly bold raids by Kali and his sons, turn Layla's loving, last-ditch education into a race against time. Single Mom on the Savanna Over on Kali's side of the river, there's another drama taking place. A cheetah named Sita has her hands, er, paws full raising her newly born litter of five cubs. Layla only has to keep a lion eye on one cub and has her pride's help when it comes to hunting. But Sita is absolutely on her own. Not only must she catch food for herself and her blind, ultra-dependent cubs, she must make sure that they're safely out of harm's way during the times she must be away from them.

Sita does her best, determined to protect her babies, facing down threats from other cheetahs, hyenas and even Kali's rogue band of lions. We also see her run. Like a furry version of Eric Liddell, that's what the world's fastest land animal was designed to do. And high-definition, slow-motion cinematography captures the glory of Sita's sleek, rippling, feline physique as it coils and releases explosively. Fangs, Fur and Sacrifice As was the case with both Earth and Oceans, the photography in African Cats is never short of breathtaking. You'd think that filmmakers Alastair Fothergill (who directed Earth) and Keith Scholey actually camped out with these cats, we see them so intimately. At full speed and in super slo-mo, the camera shows us these two families' fiercest moments as well as their most tender ones. It's a beautiful portrait not only of the animals themselves, but also of the sacrificial nature of motherhood. The story here is adamantly anthropomorphic: Most of the cats have names, and we're invited to make a big emotional investment in the outcomes of their stories.

Because of that, you can't help but marvel not only at the beauty and grandeur of these big cats, but also at these two mothers' tenacious determination to ensure that the next generation endures. In all of this, Disneynature has gone to great lengths to make a film that's not only beautiful and inspiring, but suitable for almost every age. Why the emphasis on almost? This is a documentary about wild beasts. And wild beasts must eat to survive. One animal's gift is another's curse. And so Sita's majesty in motion soon spells certain doom for the Thomson's gazelle a half step in front of her. And perhaps a half dozen or so times, we watch as the lions stalk their chosen prey, from gazelles to zebras. Most of the time we don't glimpse the actual moment they sink their fangs into captured quarry. Once, though, a dying zebra twitches as Layla's pride moves in. And blood on their paws and snouts leaves no doubt that they've feasted, even if the footage isn't any more graphic than were those old Wild Kingdom episodes seen so long ago in the mists of my youth.

When hyenas come for Sita's cubs—and kill two of them—we don't witness the abductions. But we quail at the ghoulish noises they make as the moon rises above them, and we shiver at the sound of Sita's mournful cries as she looks in vain for them the next morning. So for very young and very sensitive viewers, that might be tough to handle. Even in moments of loss, though, we're hardly in Old Yeller territory, as the film optimistically focuses on the fact that the rest of the young cats still have many days of hunting and running and playing before them. So optimistic is the film, in fact, that I couldn't help but marvel at the splendor of God's creation, which is on full, spectacular display. There are no agendas hidden here. No mentions of climate change or evolution. This story is all about the remarkable, resilient, resplendent big cats of the African plains.Positive Spiritual Sexual Violent Crude Profane Drug Alcohol Other ElementsConclusionPro-social Objectionable Summary Plot Christian Other SystemsProfanity/Kissing//HomosexualityDiscussion Additional /NotesEpisode ReviewsCreditsRatingGReadability Age RangeGenreDocumentaryAuthorCastSamuel L. Jackson as NarratorDirectorAlastair Fothergill ( Monkey Kingdom, Bears, Chimpanzee, Earth), Keith Scholey ( )DistributorDisneynatureNetworkPerformanceRecord LabelPlatformPublisherIn TheatersApril 22, 2011On VideoOctober 4, 2011Year PublishedAwardsReviewerAdam R. Holz