Actors: Jake T. Austin, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, Liam Neeson, AnnaSophia Robb
Directors: Anthony Silverston
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Millennium
Release Date: February 11, 2014
Run Time: 85 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3D: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars
I have never heard of “Khumba” at all until recently. What drew me to the film is the very impressive cast. Jake T. Austin (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), Steve Buscemi (“Boardwalk Empire”), Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”), Liam Neeson (“Taken”), AnnaSophia Robb (“The Carrie Diaries”) all lend their voices to this 3D South African computer-animated adventure comedy. The 3D effects work very well for the production and provide some fun in your face action. The story is pretty well done, it is dramatic yet still funny. Most importantly it managed to keep my 19 month old daughter attention the whole time and that to me means that it is a real success. Recommended for the whole family to enjoy!
Official Premise: Life is not all black and white for Khumba. A young zebra, born with only half his stripes, is rejected by his superstitious herd and blamed for a sudden drought affecting the land. Teaming up with a sassy wildebeest and a flamboyant ostrich, Khumba sets out on a daring mission across the Karoo desert to find the legendary waterhole where the first zebras got their stripes. Along the way he meets a host of colorful characters, but before he can reunite with his herd, Khumba will have to come face to face with a menacing leopard to take part in an epic battle… Khumba’s got to earn his stripes!
Millennium is behind this combo pack release including the following Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD. The 1080p transfer is very impressive. The colors are stunning and the animation is very impressive an indie production. The Dolby TrueHD track also works well with the action and the film’s music. The special features included on this release are not too bad either. There are three behind-the-scenes featurettes. The first is called “Acting Out”, which looks into each of the characters evolution. The next is “The Karoo”, which looks into a world of difference and how these animals are brought together. Lastly, “Nora” focuses on a great “partnersheep” and how they work together in the film.
