It's a pleasant family movie that reminds me of the old type of Disney family movies, and is a welcome change from today's action-packed 3D kids fare like Spy Kids or Shark Boy and Lava Girl. It's set in South Africa, so expect that heavy Afrikaaner accent (we used subtitles for some dialogue), bleak desert scenes, and lots of animals.
The first 20 minutes are a bit slow, about how the boy finds a cheetah cub and takes it home, but the pace picks up when the family moves to the city, and it gets pretty exciting from there. The kids loved it (well mostly because my kids love animals and they like watching National Geographic and Discovery channel, so this is like Animal Kingdom with a story).
It's generally a feel-good "journey-to-the-wild" type of film, peppered with quiet poignant moments and some suspenseful action as well, but it may not be to everyone's liking. But if you or your mom like animals, or have kids that do, definitely go and pick this one up. And if you're not an animal lover, give it a try as well -- you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
