Love Disney and while some of their nature documentaries are better than others, their DisneyNature documentaries are worth a look at least. 'African Cats' intrigued me straightaway, being somebody that has always been fascinated by how lions and other big cats are depicted in documentaries and who loves documentaries. It was interesting to see a different approach to stories about lions after being very affected watching 2011's 'The Last Lions' a week ago.
'African Cats' is on the most part a winner for Disney and DisneyNature. As far as their documentaries go, it is towards being one of their better ones due to the visuals and how investable the storytelling was. For anybody that doesn't like animals humanised too much, more focus on family drama and likes subtle narration, they may want to look elsewhere. But for a documentary film that makes any story of any big cat accessible for the whole family, judging without any comparison and on what it is aiming to do and the target audience, 'African Cats' more than fits the bill.
Do agree that sometimes the narration does tend to over-explain, the film would have benefitted more from more show and less tell, and while Samuel L Jackson actually does fine on delivering it there is a try too hard feel to some of his delivery.
However, there is so much to recommend with 'African Cats'. When it comes to DisneyNature documentaries, 'African Cats' has to be up there with the best looking. At its very best, the photography is just jaw-dropping in its beauty. The scenery is both stunningly beautiful and suitably unforgiving. The music is both stirring and poignant-sounding, and it didn't come over as intrusive or trying to be too cinematic.
While the narration was not perfect in writing or delivery, it at least for me entertained and interested me (even if there are many documentaries that are a good deal more illuminating in information) and Jackson clearly puts a lot of passion in his delivery. There is more of a dramatic story of the situations the lions and cheetahs have to undergo than there is documentary, but that didn't matter to me because the storytelling was genuinely moving and heart-warming without being manipulative or over-dramatised. While the approach is not the pull no punches one that 'The Last Lions' had, it doesn't get too over-cute.
It helps too that the lions and cheetahs look wonderful and are so identifiable in very human situations. The interactions are immensely charming with some appropriate tension.
Concluding, very well done. 8/10
'African Cats' is on the most part a winner for Disney and DisneyNature. As far as their documentaries go, it is towards being one of their better ones due to the visuals and how investable the storytelling was. For anybody that doesn't like animals humanised too much, more focus on family drama and likes subtle narration, they may want to look elsewhere. But for a documentary film that makes any story of any big cat accessible for the whole family, judging without any comparison and on what it is aiming to do and the target audience, 'African Cats' more than fits the bill.
Do agree that sometimes the narration does tend to over-explain, the film would have benefitted more from more show and less tell, and while Samuel L Jackson actually does fine on delivering it there is a try too hard feel to some of his delivery.
However, there is so much to recommend with 'African Cats'. When it comes to DisneyNature documentaries, 'African Cats' has to be up there with the best looking. At its very best, the photography is just jaw-dropping in its beauty. The scenery is both stunningly beautiful and suitably unforgiving. The music is both stirring and poignant-sounding, and it didn't come over as intrusive or trying to be too cinematic.
While the narration was not perfect in writing or delivery, it at least for me entertained and interested me (even if there are many documentaries that are a good deal more illuminating in information) and Jackson clearly puts a lot of passion in his delivery. There is more of a dramatic story of the situations the lions and cheetahs have to undergo than there is documentary, but that didn't matter to me because the storytelling was genuinely moving and heart-warming without being manipulative or over-dramatised. While the approach is not the pull no punches one that 'The Last Lions' had, it doesn't get too over-cute.
It helps too that the lions and cheetahs look wonderful and are so identifiable in very human situations. The interactions are immensely charming with some appropriate tension.
Concluding, very well done. 8/10