La balade des éléphants

If you must watch this movie, do so with the sound off - and perhaps an assortment of music for background noise instead. The elephants are both supposed to be boys, yet the younger brother, TuTu, is obviously performed by a woman trying to sound like a child. The effect is exceptionally annoying. As if this were not bad enough, the dialogue is insufferable. The lines are both poorly written AND poorly delivered. The story is narrated by two cheetahs who at least attempt to sound African, but all other roles are done in various accents - none of them consistent or ethnic. The overall result is campy at best. If my two year old hadn't been interested, I would have turned it off. As it was, my ten year old, eleven year old, my spouse and myself had to leave the room before the movie was part over. Toddlers and preschoolers may enjoy it. Perhaps even kindergartners. Any one over age five should either steer clear, or listen to their ipod in lieu of the movie sound.

I thought this was a cute movie. Granted it's not high cinema, but if you like animals, seeing gorgeous scenery and are interested in conservation I thought it was a fun movie to watch. I enjoyed seeing the baby lion, cheetahs, elephants, and giraffe. It offers a good point about the 'badness' of poaching and is great for young kids. The plot was simple enough to follow, but had enough depth to build a connection with the characters. It reminded me a little bit of Milo and Otis. I know a lot of people have said on the boards they got bored, but if you enjoy seeing animals on screen in a natural setting it's worth the 96 minutes of your time (especially if you have kids). I think the company who filmed this did a very good job showcasing South Africa. It was good to show the poachers actions as wrong, but also showing that we as humans have a chance to really help save animals such as the Elephants, Chimpanzees, Lions, Cheetah's, Giraffes, etc...In addition to this film I also recommend Duma