By: debbie lynn elias
Bollywood’s gone Hollywood, 3D animation style, that is, with DELHI SAFARI. Talk about enjoyable!! Filled with family, friendship and fun, DELHI SAFARI is an adventure for children and adults of all ages!! A real delight! Animals beyond cute and, in some cases, impishly bad; an environmental message, Bollywood production numbers, superb 3D animation and characters and recognizable star-power voices (in the English version) all make DELHI SAFARI a perfect family film for the holidays and beyond.
In India, leopards rule the jungle. With wisdom and kindness, Sultan is loved by all, especially by his wife Begum and their young cub, Yuvi. Filled with the same energy of young children and cubs the world over, Yuvi is an adorable handful and of course, acts like he’s 2 going on 20. Anxious to be “just like Dad”, Yuvi is beyond excited when Sultan agrees to start teaching him about being a ruler. But that excitement quickly comes to and end when Sultan is brutally murdered by land developers plowing down the jungle in the animals’ Mumbai home.
With the animals in an uproar, they chant back “Live Among Nature”, but their cries fall on deaf ears as the only word the developers understand is “money.” A defiant and angry little cub, Yuvi wants to fight back – fight for the jungle and to avenge his father’s death. Like any mother, Begum wants none of that and is willing to quietly move elsewhere and live in sorrowful peace. But Yuvi will not be silenced and his jungle friends quickly hop on the bandwagon. Bajrangi the Monkey is ready to go to war against the humans while Bagga the Bear thinks talk and compromise in a more humane manner is the way to go if they only get to Parliament in Delhi and plead their case. Only problem is the animals can’t talk “human.” Ah…but there is one jungle friend who can – Alex the Parrot. Alex loves humans. He lives with some. His cage is made of gold and he’s treated like a king – he has snacks and loves to watch tv and movies and, thanks to all his hours of tv watching he has learned to conversationally speak with the humans. But there’s another problem. Alex hates animals and there’s no way he’ll go willing with Yuvi, Bagga and Bajrangi. To Bajrangi, the answer is simple. Kidnap Alex and bring him along anyway.
And so our little group sets out on their own DELHI SAFARI as they make the 700+ mile trek north from Mumbai, getting more than their share of adventures (and a beautiful travelogue of India) along the way. Facing robbers, trains, dancing flamingos, hungry hyenas and even death, nothing will stop Yuvi and his friends. But what will happen when they finally reach Delhi? Will they gain an audience with Parliament? Will the humans hear their cries?
Written by Suresh Nair and Girish Dhamija together with writer/director and Mumbai native and 3D champion, Nikhil Advani, DELHI SAFARI marks the first Indian animated 3D film. Clean, crisp, Crayola 64 animation sets the tone with bright – but not super saturated – color, immersing us in the animal world. Notable is that the use of 3D is never “gimmicky”. It has a very free-flowing organic naturalism to it and gives the film just that little something extra. When it comes to the animation and CGI textures, with DELHI SAFARI, backgrounds – while colorful and bright – are matte and immobile, with animation focusing on the characters and action in the foreground. A fallacy that we so often see with animated films, and yes, even with Disney/Pixar, is that there is often so much happening that you don’t know where to turn your eye. With DELHI SAFARI, we know the background is there, the screen is filled with color, but movement and dialogue is in the foreground, thus allowing one to actually pay attention to the story and dialogue. And what story and dialogue!!
21st century colloquialisms and pop culture reference infuse the dialogue with an organic free-flowing casual sensibility that will engage kids and adults alike. Sounding like kids on a playground, timing is perfect and verbiage is so spot on with the conversation and vernacular of kids today. Pranks and calling each other “stupid” -these are things that while many may say, “boo hiss” and that shouldn’t be in a film or tv show, I say embrace them as this is reality and not being done or said in a harmful manner – just like in DELHI SAFARI. Animals pick on each other, pull pranks, and when they cross the line, there is sage advice and lessons to be learned that kick into play. But what stands out is that kids and adults will immediately tap into the story because of this authentic dialogue exchange. The execution of anthropomorphism is brilliant!
The tongue-in-cheek humor for adults built into the dialogue and star power voicing is to-die-for. As Pigeon, Christopher Lloyd makes reference to a Klingon talking parrot (uh, in case you forgot, Lloyd played a Klingon in a Star Trek movie); Bajrangi the monkey adds a Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry and spaghetti western vocal quality which is complimented by animation scenes that parody that with guns and weapons; Bagga the Bear, voiced by Brad Garrett, harkens in look and voice to the beloved Baloo the Bear in Disney’s The Jungle Book or even Smokey the Bear with the little hat; Alex the Parrot with his multiplicity of languages and mimicry is a nod to C3P0 in Star Wars.
The pop culture touchstones within the film only make it that much more embraceable and effective. Yes, everyone can see many strong resemblances to The Lion King – but they are beloved moments from the film that resonate. The stampede in The Lion King is here in DELHI SAFARI a stampede of machinery chasing the animals through the gorge. Visions of Sultan that come to Yuvi mirror those of Mustafa and Simba. The Flamingo conga line has been used by Disney in several films, but never with Jane Lynch providing an over-the-top laugh-out-loud voicing. The evil hyenas bearing down on Yuvi may look strangely menacing and familiar, but it works and is appropriate to the story. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and, it serves to engage the audience.
Adventure abounds and keeps one engaged – often with mouth agape and eyes mesmerized – with everything from the beauty of the forest to attack of the bees (one of the coolest scenes in the film) to an Indiana Jones type race through a mine shaft. Gotta love little Yuvi’s “Oh look! A train!” when he sees the mining cart and tracks…. Too cute. The innocence that leads to adventure that leads to thinking and figuring out how to move ahead and get out of sticky situations is beyond welcoming. This is how kids think and view the world. I can so see my 8 and 10 year old nephews going, “Oh look! A train! Let’s get in!” and then taking off, jetting around but then having to figure out what to do next. DELHI SAFARI engages the audience both visually and intellectually.
The messaging of the film is clear but never over-bearing or preachy. This is a wonderful story about family and friendship, forgiveness (bad Monkey!!!), the coming together of people and animals that look different, talk different – we may look different, but inside we’re really the same – and with the environment and deforestation as the core, is fantastic. We’ve seen animated stories about the environment, but not the specific issue of deforestation. (I think one of the best films on that issue to date is Sean Connery’s Medicine Man). Honing in on this specific issue allows for real perspective and for kids to grasp environmental concepts more clearly. Sometimes it’s a lot easier to identify with one aspect as opposed to the entire issue. If kids and adults can’t see from this film that the world really is intertwined and animals and people are dependent upon each other and face the same challenges in each world, then there is no hope for those folks. Particularly impressive is the voicing of Tara Strong and Tom Kenny who, as Yuvi and Alex, respectively, imbue a plucky spirit into each, embodying the concept that even the smallest creatures/kids can make a difference and create a big roar.
My one big concern, however, is the opening scene with little Yuvi and that big tear rolling down his cute little face as he tells us about losing his father and now losing his home. Such heartbreak is not really an ideal way to open an animated children’s film……It may upset some of the littlest moviegoers….it made me sad. BUT, having said that, thankfully the filmmakers do a quick but organic transition into an upbeat happy sequence with father and son leopard bonding and a song to soothe a mad mom. And let’s just say how great Vanessa Williams is with her voicing of Begum. Soothing, comforting. You can almost feel your own head in your mom’s lap with her stroking your hair.
And what would any film from India be without music In DELHI SAFARI we find a wonderful blend of African beats, Bollywood and pop – there is something for everyone. Very much appreciated is that the music never overpowers the story or the film. It compliments it and serves as part of the story.
Also concerning are the animal names. I know this is DELHI SAFARI and the film comes from India, but the names may not be memorable for the audience. However, while the names may not be memorable, the characters, the color, the story, the heart and the fun will be – for years to come. Sign me up for this safari!
Voice Cast: Vanessa Williams (Begum), Jane Lynch (Female Flamingo), Brad Garrett (Bagga the Bear), Christopher Lloyd (Pigeon), Tara Strong (Yuvi), Tom Kenny (Alex the Parrot), Cary Elwes (Sultan), Jason Alexander (Male Flamingo and Hyena Cook), Carlos Alazraqui (Bajrangi)
Directed by: Nikhil Advani
Written by: Nikhil Advani, Suresh Nair and Girish Dhamija
