African Cats

African Cats is a beautiful film based on the life a death struggle of large predators on the African plain. It features two lion and one cheetah family. The cheetah family is comprised of one adult female, named Sita and her five cubs. The lion family features a lioness named Layla and her daughter, Mara. The head of the lion clan is run by a large, experienced male named Fang. On the other side of the river is another lion pride led by Kali and his sons. They are a formidable group that desires to expand their territory beyond the river.

Cheetahs are solitary predators. Therefore, Sita must hunt leaving her cubs exposed to unknown dangers. During the early parts of the film, Sita teaches her cubs the dangers of lions when she encounters the resident pride, led by Kali. She taunts the lions to drive them away from her cubs. She is aware of her agility and speed and knows they are no threat to catch her. The ploy works. However, she ultimately loses two of her cubs to predators during the night.

Layla, the alpha female in Fang's pride, is injured during a hunt. She and her daughter have difficulty but eventually move within the safety of the pride. During this time, the river has fallen and the pride to the north, led by Kali, venture to the south to claim their stake on the pride led by Fang. Takeovers often result in the death of or banishment of resident cubs. Fang knows this but Kali is supported by his sons. Fang decides to not risk injury or death and forsakes the pride. Layla stands her ground and attempts to fight Kali and his sons. Other lionesses also attempt to fight the powerful males. Unfortunately, they fail and all cubs are driven from the pride or killed. Layla eventually dies from her injuries. Sita successfully raises her cubs as life continues on the African plain.