Khumba (2013)

• Year: 2013
• Released: 26 Aug 2013
• Country: South Africa
• Adwords: 4 wins & 3 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1487931/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Khumba
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/khumba
• Available in: 3D, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Not Rated
• Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family
• Runtime: 85 min
• Writer: Raffaella Delle Donne, Anthony Silverston, Jonathan Roberts
• Director: Anthony Silverston
• Cast: Jake T. Austin, Adrian Rhodes, Sam Riegel
• Keywords: africa, animal, anthropomorphism, self-discovery, zebra,

	5.6/10
	40/100
	44% – Critics
	44% – Audience

Khumba Storyline

A half-striped zebra is born into an insular, isolated herd obsessed with stripes. Rumors that the strange foal is cursed spread and, before long, he is blamed for the drought that sets into the Great Karoo. When even his father, the leader of the herd, blames him for the lack of rain and the subsequent death of his mother, the outcast zebra leaves the confines of his home knowing that he cannot survive in the herd without all his stripes. Khumba ventures beyond the fence – vulnerable to the ferocious Leopard, Phango, who controls the waterholes and terrorizes the animals in the Great Karoo. Khumba is rescued from an opportunistic wild dog by a quirky duo: a wildebeest and an ostrich. Mama V is a self-confessed free spirit who does not want to be the average stay-at-home mom, like other wildebeest. Ironically, she mothers Bradley, a flamboyant but insecure ostrich who overcompensates for his scraggily feathers. When a mystical mantis appears to the foal, drawing a map to what could be interpreted as either water or stripes, the duo join Khumba on his quest in the hope that their own search for a safe waterhole is over. On their journey, Khumba encounters a colorful range of characters including a migrating herd of Springbok in search of greener (and safer) pastures; a new age, bohemian community living safely within the confines of a luxurious national park; an endangered Riverine Rabbit who has survived extinction by mastering a myriad of skills ranging from impersonations to beat-boxing; a group of hysterical Dassies (rock-rabbits) who fanatically worship the Mighty Black Eagle and Nora, a loony, solitary Merino sheep living on an abandoned farm. Through these interactions, Khumba begins to learn that diversity is essential for survival and that one’s difference can, in fact, be one’s strength.

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Khumba Movie Reviews

South African animation

Khumba is a young zebra born to a watering hole enclosed by a thorn bush fence in the south African desert. His back half has no stripes and his strange appearance is blamed for the drought. His mother tells him about the magic water hole where zebras first received their stripes. It’s tale intended to show the equality of all but Khumba sees it as a way to complete his stripes.

The animation is Ice Age level. The voice work has some big names but lacks the pop. The story has a good message but it does meander. The characters have potential but they don’t get maximized. There is some humor but it isn’t big enough. There is life in the setting but the animation isn’t epic enough. It’s always good to see animation from other cultures although this one is following the Hollywood model. It’s a good effort if not any great works.

Cute, and fun to watch.

We stumble across this movie, and were pleasantly surprised. It’s cute, funny, and easy movie to watch – it’s not going to wow are you with A complicated plot , but this is not the genre for that. Not every movie has to be a masterpiece. There’s nothing wrong with something that’s just entertaining. This movie is entertaining, with some really impressive animation and visuals.

A colourful safari that doesn’t quite earn its stripes

Was very pleasantly surprised by Triggerfish Animation Studio’s debut feature ‘Zambezia’. It wasn’t a great film, inexperience did show and it was rough around the edges. With that being said, it was colourful and entertaining, and also liked that it was made with effort and good intentions and that it had a heart of gold and tried to attract a wider audience.

Actually do feel similarly about Triggerfish’s second film ‘Khumba’, except while ‘Zambezia’ was decent to pretty good, some elements like the music and voice cast very good, ‘Khumba’ ranged from average to decent while also having good elements. ‘Zambezia’ was also the better film to me because of having more consistent pacing and better characters and story. Very little in ‘Khumba’ is awful, it does have some very good elements even, it’s just unexceptional. It is better than ‘Zambezia’ in the sense that it doesn’t try too hard and does less rather than being too busy.

This, with that being said, also presented a problem. As well as being a more derivative plot, being strongly indebted to ‘Madagascar’ and especially ‘The Lion King’ as said before and not doing enough to give its own identity, the pacing isn’t as smooth here with a middle act that drags rather. And while it was a good thing in a way to leave things uncomplicated ‘Khumba’ actually makes the mistake of making things too simple. The script is weaker, the humour has its fun amusing moments but lacks the wit and quirkiness of that of ‘Zambezia’ and too much of the dialogue is trite.

Lack of refinement and low budget still shows in some of the animation, if not quite as much inexperience, a lot of the character designs looking rather stiff still as well as blocky. Not all the characters, generally far more stereotypical, are successfully done (likewise with some of the voice acting), the worst of the stereotypes are overdone and very hammy. The biggest offenders being the hammiest, overly-camp ostrich in animation in Richard E. Grant’s Bradley and wannabe-sassy but actually annoyingly abrasive in Loretta Devine’s Mama V.

However, the character designs apart, the animation in ‘Khumba’ is not bad at all. Again, it’s surprisingly good. The scenery is beautifully realised and the colours capture the excitement and colour of the safari world to dazzling effect. Most of the voice acting is fine. Liam Neeson’s subtly menacing Phango, the always entertaining Steve Buscemi’s Skalk (the film’s funniest character), stoic Laurence Fishburne’s Seko and affecting (but underused) Anika Noni Rose’s Lungisa are the standouts. Phango and Skalk are ‘Khumba’s’ strongest characters in a film where there are perhaps too many (this wasn’t as much an issue in ‘Zambezia’), though the protagonist is likable enough and isn’t made too perfect.

‘Khumba’, like ‘Zambezia’ was clearly made with good intentions, with some poignantly delivered values and messaging that makes its point but doesn’t patronise. It clearly knows what it wants to be and who to aim at, and is not too juvenile or sugary sweet for adults and also not too dark or overly sophisticated for children. Again, ‘Khumba’s’ to appeal to its target audience, to all ages, to all the family and to a wider audience is most admirable, though ‘Zambezia’ did it better due to a stronger story.

Best of all is the music score. Beautiful, evocative in its Isicathamiya-influence, atmospheric and energetic, it’s simply wonderful and the only uniformly and consistently exceptional asset of ‘Khumba’.

Overall, colourful and watchable enough, but also a little bland and doesn’t quite make it. 5/10 Bethany Cox