African Cats Striking but Heavy-Handed


by Christy Lemire

LOS ANGELES, California - The first two documentaries from Disney's Disneynature label - 2009's Earth and last year's Oceans- were a stunning combination of vast, sprawling images and intimate, detailed moments.

The latest in the series, African Cats, has all the impressive visuals but far less story. Shot over more than two years in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, the film bills itself as a real-life version ofThe Lion King. No one bursts into song here but Samuel L. Jackson, as the narrator, does talk. A lot.

And that's the movie's major weakness. The images and the animals' dramatic interactions -should speak for themselves. Jackson's narration is constant and overwhelming. It spells out instincts that should be obvious and assigns human characteristics in a way that's obnoxious.

African Cats, a Disneynature release, is rated G. Running time: 89 minutes. Two stars out of four.

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