Zambezia — 2012-released South African 3D computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film directed by Wayne Thornley, written by Andrew Cook, Raffaella Delle Donne and Anthony Silverston. It tells the story of a pelegrine falcon who journeys to the titular bird city. Theatrically released on 3 July 2012, the movie earned 34,4 million USD against 20 million USD budget.
Synopsis[]
In Katungu[]
Kai, a high-spirited young peregrine falcon is bored and lonely living in a remote outpost in the Katungu grassland with only his strict father, Tendai, for company. Forbidden from venturing beyond the boundary, his suspicions that there must be more to life are confirmed when a saddle-billed stork named Gogo, her weaver bird co-pilot Tini and her recently newly hatched children crash land into his nest. From them, Kai learns that downriver is a bustling bird city called Zambezia with exciting opportunities for a talented flier such as himself, where Gogo and Tini are going. In an angry exchange with his father and an encounter with marabou storks (whose species were left out of the founding of Zambezia). Cecil, the marabous’ leader, his brother Sill, and his cousin Morton who had been following Gogo and Tini on their route to Zambezia to eat Tini's eggs, which led to Tendai accidentally killing Sill by getting him stuck on a branch & drowning him when the branch breaks, in a struggle to save Kai, Gogo, and Tini. Kai discovers that Tendai has known all along about Zambezia and has been there himself even after Gogo, Tini, and the marabous recognized him. Hurt and angry at his father's lies, Kai leaves Katungu and journeys downriver. The following night, Tendai then tries to follow Kai to apologize to him.
Kai after coming to Zambezia[]
Arriving at the famed bird city of Zambezia – a majestic Baobab perched on the edge of Victoria Falls – Kai is amazed by the throngs of birds from all over the world who are busy preparing for the annual Spring Celebrations. He soon befriends a fast-talking nightjar called Ezee who knows how to enjoy the perks of community life and guides him through the city. Kai is bowled over when he meets Zoe, a beautiful and feisty young kite who is the adopted daughter of Sekhuru, Zambezia's founder and a wise old eagle. Unfortunately for him, Kai doesn't make a good first impression when he accidentally ruins her Spring Celebration decorations. However, he is thrilled when his skillful flying earns him a place on the Hurricanes, the elite defense patrol made up of the best fliers in Zambezia that Tendai used to be in, led by a fat lammergeier named Ajax.
Budzo attack[]
Unbeknownst to him and the rest of the Zambezians, the marabouS have joined forces with a ruthless rock monitor named Budzo and hatched a plan to take control of the city. To make matters worse, Budzo had captured Tendai when he stumbled upon him while Tendai was trying to find Kai. Then they capture all of the weavers during the beginning of the Spring Celebration, including TinI, and force them to make a bridge for Budzo to cross. Kai, Ezee and Zoe try to follow the Hurricanes on a reconnaissance mission the following night, where Ezee gets his back broken and ends up in the hospital, almost encounters the marabous and Budzo and learns of their plan, but the next day, it results in Kai getting kicked out of the Hurricanes, despising him, but at the same time, the marabous lure the Hurricanes into a trap.
After reveailing the truth[]
Gogo takes Kai to Sekhuru, and in order to not let history repeat itself, Sekhuru reveals that Zambezia was Kai's birthplace and was raised by Tendai and his late mother Amaya, who had both founded the Hurricanes, but during a mission involving a nest attacked by Budzo, she was killed by him. This blinded Tendai with a lot of grief that he fled to Katungu to raise Kai after he could no longer see the value of Zambezia, but only the cost, while the Hurricanes were only able to rescue one egg, which was Zoe's. They reveal what the marabous and Budzo are planning to Sekhuru and Gogo. In order to save Zambezia, Zoe goes to find the Hurricanes, while Kai, Gogo, go to rescue the weavers and Tendai, and succeed in freeing them, but the marabous and Budzo have left to Zambezia to eat all the eggs just in time. During this, the marabous discovers that Budzo has his own group of rock monitors, and realizes that he betrayed and used them to take over Zambezia.
Deciding battle[]
Kai and Tendai confront the marabous, but Kai realize the marabous are birds and before Budzo can reach the nesting grounds to eat their eggs, Kai persuades the marabous to turn against Budzo, and then encourages the other birds to join the fight. Zoe rescues Ajax and the rest of Hurricanes to join the battle. Budzo easily overpowers Tendai and corners him on a ferris wheel. The Hurricanes drop rocks on the bridge and kill Budzo's army, while a fully healed Ezee, the other birds, and the Hurricanes trap him with a net, push the wheel Budzo is on with all their strength and manage to push Budzo and the wheel toward the falls, defeating Budzo once and for all as the wheel is destroyed after hitting a precipice. Budzo falls into the waterfalls to his death while Kai follows him to save Zoe after she gets snagged in the net, and Kai manages to pull up Zoe from the net and save her, therefore saving Zambezia.
Ending[]
With the rock monitors defeated, the residents of Zambezia celebrate with a proper Spring Celebration and the marabous are accepted into Zambezia which pleases them. In a mid-credits scene, the baby lizard that Kai and Tendai were trying to catch earlier in the film, after it got stuck on a branch and got lost in the river eventually reaches the shore, where it believes it is safe but is then suddenly cornered by the marabous, who then unexpectedly offer it two snacks of bugs on a stick.
Cast[]
- Jeremy Suarez as Kai the Peregrine Falcon
- Abigail Breslin as Zoe the Black-shouldered Kite
- Jeff Goldblum as Ajax the Lammergeier
- Leonard Nimoy as Chief Sekhuru the African Fish Eagle
- Samuel L. Jackson as Tendai the Peregrine Falcon
- Richard E. Grant as Cecil the Marabou Stork
- Jenifer Lewis as Gogo the Saddle-billed stork
- Jim Cummings as Budzo the Rock Monitor, Marabou Stork
- Jamal Mixon as Ezee the Nightjar
- David Shaughnessy as Morton the Marabou Stork
- Frank Welker as Sill the Marabou Stork
- Noureen DeWulf as Pavi the African Sacred Ibis
- Tania Gunadi as Tini the Weaver Bird
- Deep Roy as Mushana the Green Pigeon
- Phil LaMarr as Announcer the African Grey Parrot, Dodo the Guineafowl
- Corey Burton as Neville the Lilian's Lovebird
- Tress MacNeille as Neville's Wife the Lilian's Lovebird
- Tom Kenny as one of Marabou Storks
- Sam Riegel as Hurricanes
- Lee Duru as Nurse Bird the Lapwing
- Zolani Mahola as Weaver Bird
- Nik Rabinowitz as Gondo the Black Eagle
- Keeno Lee Hector as Hurricanes
- Wayne Thornley as Marabou Stork
- Kelly Stables as Gossip Bird 1 the Guinea Turaco
- Kristen Rutherford as Gossip Bird 2 the Guinea Turaco
- Jon Olson as Marabou stork
- Brent Palmer as Marabou stork
Soundtrack[]
The soundtrack contains fourteen tracks written, composed and produced by Bruce Retief.
Reception[]
The film won the Best South African Feature Film at the Durban International Film Festival in 2012 and Best Animation at the South African Film and Television Awards and Best Animation at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards. Also received Annie Award nominations for Music in an Animated Feature Production and for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production.
Trivia[]
- This movie became largely popular in Polish cinemas where about 600,000 people came and watched it. To compare, famous Blue Sky Studios' "Rio" reached only about 360,000 viewers in that country's cinemas. The reason of this phenomena isn't known.
- In Polish language version not only actors dubbed in this movie, but also local cabaret sketch performers, soccer commentator and even random celebrites.
- According to the trailer, Sill shook Kai up and down in that basket, this was early work in progress version, because in the final version, Sill get knocked down by Tendai.
- Samuel L Jackson's fourth theatrically released animated film.
- The name "Zambezia" was an Victorian-era term for the area in southeastern Africa that later became known as "Rhodesia" and is today called "Zimbabwe".
- The only theatrically released animated film of 2012 to be rated G by the MPAA.
- Jeremy Suarez's first voice acting performance in theatrically released film as an adult.
- Leonard Nimoy's last voice acting in animated film before his death 3 years later.