Pride - Das Gesetz der Savanne

'Pride' is a small, innocuous movie that tells a story much like animated 'The Lion King', but using real lions and computer animation of animal faces to make it appear that they really are talking. We see lots of shots of lion cubs romping and running through the grass, and exquisite close-ups of mature lions eating or reposing, and many times staring just a few inches away from the lens of the camera. How did they do this? The DVD extras tell a very interesting story, a story I found more interesting than the one told in the movie. However, I suspect that most children will really enjoy a movie where the animals appear to be really speaking.

STOP reading if you want to discover it fresh for yourself, but the following comments only address how the movie was filmed, NOT the actual story. Lions from two sources were used. First, tame lions in a preserve were filmed for many stock shots of running, jumping, crossing water on a fallen tree, things like that. Enticed with large pieces of meat at the end of a pole, the lions were very cooperative.

More inventive was the use of a 'boulder cam', a radio-controlled camera inside an enclosure shaped like a boulder, but on wheels. Controlled from a nearby truck, it could, and did, follow the lions into hunting and feeding sessions, into the midst of their den, even climbing large rock formations, for a total of 300 days. After initial curiosity, the lions accepted this 'boulder on wheels' as a part of their environment.

The extras also showed how computer techniques were used to make the lions change expressions and appear to speak.

Well I can't deny I like the big cats. That's one of the things that attracted me in this movie. The talking animals aren't annoying in the way of "Damn that is so fake". It looks somewhat natural in someway, it is very well computer edited. Still there are some flaws in the way they move and some scenes that did look pretty fake. Still it isn't annoying. It's a pretty good story and it's pretty realistic in the way how lions live in the real world. The biggest ledge for most people will be the talking lions part. If you accept that and accept the minor flaws: you will probably like this story.

It's family compatible so round up your kids and have good time.

Suki (Kate Winslet), her brother Linus, their mother Macheeba, and their cousin Fleck are lions in a pride ruled by Eddie and James. When two wanderers Dark and Harry attack, the lionesses are forced to help. Dark and Harry are driven away but Fleck's mother is killed. Macheeba decides to adopt Fleck.

This is an anthropomorphized nature TV doc. BBC needs to get out of this Disney territory. It could still work if the cubs stay being cubs. Baby animals having adventures is often good family fare. Once they grow up, the charm of innocence is gone. Suki turning pacifist is just silly. The conflict fits more with Shakespeare than nature. Everything is manufactured and the talking mouths are also a little weird.

I remember this first coming on the television when I was 8 years old and it being one of my absolute favourites. My grandad who loves anything to do with animals also enjoyed it just as much, if not more than I did! His favourite part being the bit with the ear joke. "Ear today gone tomorrow what?!" Whenever I hear that line, I just get an image of him laughing in my head, so this film also triggers happy memories for me!

A lot of films where animals have a human talking as them don't always work but this does, the script brings personality to the characters and is believable.

Another thing is that I don't think this film can only be enjoyed by the young, it can be enjoyed by the young and the young at heart older people. I'm now 23 and I watched it again today and absolutely loved it, again.

Please watch this with your children. A decent(ish) version of it can be found on putlockers website.

Not since "Born Free" has a movie given such breadth, such tension and hope.

We are privileged to following the breathless perils of Suki and Linus, a precocious pair of lion cubs as they continually get in trouble with every conceivable danger surrounding them- they encounter enough adventures to fuel a series!

As Suki grows, children learn to understand the process of their own development and the courage and curse of their own individuality.

Seamless digital compositing provides a fascinating portrayal that is fun and engaging for adults, and yet compelling and educational for children.

Boasting the vocal talents of Britain's finest personalities coupled with the majestic sweep of the African savanna, "Pride" will easily become a classic that parents will want to use to introduce their children to the beauty and drama of the wilder side of nature.