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Film Title: Elephant Tales

 Best for ages: 4 and up.

Movie Website: Click Here

Year Released: 2008

Rated: G (US)

SYNOPSIS

Click Here Two young Elephants named Zef and Tutu must learn to live life on their own after poachers (Known as the badness) take away their parents from them. Zef knows the truth, but his little brother Tutu thinks that their parents were taken away by a rainbow. Thus, they set out to find the rainbow along with their friends, Stretch the Giraffe and  Chump, a chimp insisting he is the King of the Jungle. When they come across a poachers camp they rescue a lion cub named Cub who joins then in their quest.  The young animals ban together, get into trouble raiding fields, and braving the heat of the African plains. But their true challenge is yet to come as they will have to face the badness and make sure that no other animals become orphans like them ever again. 

VIOLENCE/GRAPHIC CONTENT/language

   Violence/ Graphic Content

   Violence is implied off-screen in this movie, in the beginning we see the poachers in their jeep bearing guns, they simply go over a hill and the sky lights up in bright colors which are a representation of them killing the adult heard of elephants. Chump hits a stick at a poacher trapped in a cage while Stretch bits another ones hand. The Poachers fight back and tie up one of the elephants and Stretch and put Chump in a net and tie him up.

    The animals do a lot of damage of their own, lighting a poacher camp on fire after rescuing all the captured animals, they destroy fields and equipment and even threaten the poachers by doing what animals in the wild do. Chump and Cub play fight with one another in one scene while Cub in a cage, but it's all done in a fun way. Tutu also ruins a fence while trying to rescue a few bulls and cows and also breaks down a gate to get into a vegetable field. There is also a scene in which rhino horns and elephant tusks fall out of a bag indicating that the animals were killed.

  Other than the things listed above the film is pretty kid friendly and is made in such a way as to educate about the dangers that animals in Africa endure at the hands of careless human beings.   All the bad things that involve animals being killed are done off screen. But some children might be able to understand what's going on.  Think of it as a live action version of what happens at the beginning of Bambi.

   Language

   I caught one of the animals calling another one an idiot, but other than that I didn't hear any other bad language.

OVERALL VIEWS

    Elephant Tales is a cute little movie that uses the "Look Who's Talking" theme but with the wild animals of Africa. The film has some many good lessons about the importance of conservation, but gives itself a bit of a sugar coating so that kids can understand what really happens in Africa with some animals, and how poaching is a problem in many African countries.  The film just brings it to light so that children can understand the dangers that animals face there.  It does it in such a way that no violence is shown, but it does bring the issue to life. It also teaches a lesson about death and  about family as well.

   Overall, The DVD is pretty bare bones and does not have many features. Young children will get a kick out of all the animals in the film but won't really be able to grasp the concept of the films message. I think some older kids maybe as young as four might be able to really understand what's going on, but the film really does not stress it as movie about killing and death. Referring to the elephants parents as being picked up by the Rainbow.  It's a cute film overall but it does have a few things that might be of concern especially for children that a sensitive to animals being in danger.

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