I'm not going to provide a comprehensive review, but provide a caution to parents who might be deceived by some of the other glowing family viewing endorsements. I have a hard time considering this movie appropriate for children as young as 5, as some suggest, or even a couple years older. If you're a parent, read on.
The story begins with the death of the mother cheetah by lions, thus orphaning Duma. I also read quite a number of reviews and yet none mentioned the father died. Most reviews suggest that sickness required the family be transplanted to the big city, not death. There are segments where Xan is trying to evade animals that could eat him. There's a segment, not very well developed and rather unbelievable, where havoc erupts when Duma enters school grounds and in an unpleasant scene, classmate bullies corner Xan in the bathroom while Xan is searching for Duma before the police see and shoot him (surprise...Duma saves the day). These things are not lightly touched upon in cartoon or offhand fashion, but presented as real events with real consequences.
Maybe these are spoilers, but my point is that for parent's screening films, it should be known. There are some parents and kids that don't seem ruffled by emotional themes that resonate especially with children (abandonment, death of parent(s), being lost, being all alone to deal with dangers or fears). There are other parents though that want to shy away from movies that do so at least at a younger age.
Our 7yo son crawled into our bed after the movie and wanted to be alone to cry after this movie. At some point in his growth, it will dawn on him that he could be all alone just like Xan. My son was also crying for the mother because now she was all alone. But one should walk into this movie at least being aware and prepared that you may need to talk your children through it.
This is not a movie to park your kid in front of the TV with and this is not a movie for 5 year old's. If you were hoping for an uplifting tale of a boy who rescues and raises a cheetah then has excitement and adventures before releasing him to the wild...it is, sort of. But that's like saying Saving Private Ryan is story about a man who, well, saved a Private Ryan. Along the way, it can get a little scary and touch on topics that you ought to be prepared to field.
The story begins with the death of the mother cheetah by lions, thus orphaning Duma. I also read quite a number of reviews and yet none mentioned the father died. Most reviews suggest that sickness required the family be transplanted to the big city, not death. There are segments where Xan is trying to evade animals that could eat him. There's a segment, not very well developed and rather unbelievable, where havoc erupts when Duma enters school grounds and in an unpleasant scene, classmate bullies corner Xan in the bathroom while Xan is searching for Duma before the police see and shoot him (surprise...Duma saves the day). These things are not lightly touched upon in cartoon or offhand fashion, but presented as real events with real consequences.
Maybe these are spoilers, but my point is that for parent's screening films, it should be known. There are some parents and kids that don't seem ruffled by emotional themes that resonate especially with children (abandonment, death of parent(s), being lost, being all alone to deal with dangers or fears). There are other parents though that want to shy away from movies that do so at least at a younger age.
Our 7yo son crawled into our bed after the movie and wanted to be alone to cry after this movie. At some point in his growth, it will dawn on him that he could be all alone just like Xan. My son was also crying for the mother because now she was all alone. But one should walk into this movie at least being aware and prepared that you may need to talk your children through it.
This is not a movie to park your kid in front of the TV with and this is not a movie for 5 year old's. If you were hoping for an uplifting tale of a boy who rescues and raises a cheetah then has excitement and adventures before releasing him to the wild...it is, sort of. But that's like saying Saving Private Ryan is story about a man who, well, saved a Private Ryan. Along the way, it can get a little scary and touch on topics that you ought to be prepared to field.