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Adventures in Zambezia
South African theatrical release film poster
South African theatrical release film poster
Directed by Wayne Thornley
Produced by Mike Buckland
Stuart Forrest
James Middleton
Anthony Silverston
Written by Andrew Cook
Raffaella Delle Donne
Anthony Silverston
Wayne Thornley
Starring
Music by Bruce Retief
Cinematography Wayne Thornley
Editing by Michel Smit
Paul Speirs
Luke MacKay
Studio Affirm Films
Cinema Management Group
Wonderful Works
Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa
120db Films
National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa
Triggerfish Animation Studios
Department of Trade & Industry of South Africa
Distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment (English territories)
Cinema Management Group (International)
Release date(s) 3 July 2012 (2012-07-03)
Running time 82 minutes
Country South Africa
Language English
Budget R173 million ($20 million)
Money made $34.4 million

Adventures in Zambezia, or simply Zambezia, is an 2012 South African 3D computer animation adventure film. The film was directed by Wayne Thornley, written by Andrew Cook, Raffaella Delle Donne, and Anthony Silverston, and stars the voices of Jeremy Suarez, Abigail Breslin, Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, and Samuel L. Jackson with supporting roles done by Jim Cummings, Richard E. Grant, Jenifer Lewis, Jamal Mixon, and David Shaughnessy. It tells the story of a peregrine falcon who journeys to the titular bird city of Zambezia. Adventures in Zambezia is the first film produced by Triggerfish Animation Studios and distributed by Cinema Management Group and Sony Pictures in English territories.

Adventures in Zambezia was theatrically released on 3 July 2012 and earned $34.4 million on a R173 million ($20 million USD) budget. It received Annie Award nominations for Music in an Animated Feature Production and for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production. The film won the Best South African Feature Film at the Durban International Film Festival in 2012. It also won Best Animation at the South African Film and Television Awards and Best Animation at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards.

Plot

Kai, a high-spirited young peregrine falcon on the cusp of adulthood is bored and lonely living in a remote outpost in the Katungu grassland with only his strict father, Tendai, for company. Forbidden from venturing beyond the Katungu Boundary, his suspicions that there must be more to life are confirmed when a saddle-billed stork named Gogo, her weaver bird co-pilot Tini, and recently newly hatched ducklings crash land into his nest. From them, Kai learns that downriver is a bustling bird city called Zambezia with exciting opportunities for a talented flier such as himself, where Gogo and Tini are going. In an angry exchange with his father and an encounter with the marabou storks (whose species were left out of the founding of Zambezia) Cecil, the marabou's leader, his brother Sill, and his cousin Morton who had been following Gogo and Tini on their route to Zambezia to eat eggs that Gogo and Tini were caring, which led to Tendai accidentally killing Sill by getting him stuck on a branch and drowning him when the branch breaks, in a struggle to save Kai, Gogo, and Tini. Kai discovers that Tendai has known all along about Zambezia and has been there himself even after Gogo, Tini, and the marabous recognized him. Hurt and angry at his father's lies, Kai leaves Katungu and journeys downriver. The following night, Tendai then tries to follow Kai to apologize to him.

Arriving at Zambezia – a majestic Baobab perched on the edge of Victoria Falls – Kai is amazed by the throngs of birds from all over the world who are busy preparing for the annual Spring Celebrations. He soon befriends a fast-talking nightjar called Ezee who knows how to enjoy the perks of community life and guides him through the city. Kai is bowled over when he meets Zoe, a beautiful and feisty kite who is the adopted daughter of Sekhuru, Zambezia's founder and a wise old eagle. Kai doesn't make a good first impression when he accidentally ruins her Spring Celebration decorations, but is thrilled when his skilful flying earns him a place on the Hurricanes, the elite defense patrol made up of the best fliers in Zambezia that Tendai used to be in, led by a fat lammergeier named Ajax.

Unbeknownst to him and the rest of the Zambezians, the marabou have joined forces with a ruthless rock monitor named Budzo and hatched a plan to take control of Zambezia. To make matters worse, Budzo had captured Tendai when he stumbled upon him while Tendai was trying to find Kai. Then they capture all of the weavers during the beginning of the Spring Celebration, including Tini & force them to make a bridge for Budzo to cross. Kai, Ezee and Zoe try to follow the Hurricanes on a reconnaissance mission the following night, where Ezee gets his back broken & ends up in the hospital, and they almost encounter the marabous and Budzo & learn of their plan, but it results in Kai getting kicked out of the Hurricanes, but at the same time, the marabous lure the Hurricanes into a trap.

Gogo takes Kai to Sekhuru, who reveals that Zambezia was his birthplace and was raised by Tendai and his late mother Amaya, who had both founded the Hurricanes, but during a mission involving a kite nest attacked by Budzo, she was eaten and therefore blinded Tendai with grief who left to Katungu to raise Kai after he could no longer see the value of Zambezia, but only the cost, while the Hurricanes were only able to rescue one egg, which was Zoe's egg. They reveal what the marabous and Budzo are planning to Sekhuru and Gogo. In order to save Zambezia, Zoe goes to find the Hurricanes, while Kai, Gogo, go to rescue Tini, the weavers, and Tendai succeed to free them, but the marabous and Budzo have left to Zambezia to eat all the eggs just in time. During this, the marabous realize Budzo has his own group of rock monitors and Budzo betrays them.

Kai and Tendai confront the marabous, but Kai realize the marabous are birds and before Budzo can reach the nursery to eat their eggs, Kai persuades the marabous to turn against Budzo and then lectures the other birds to join the fight. Zoe rescues Ajax and the rest of Hurricanes and gets out of the trap to join the battle. Budzo easily overpowers Tendai, and corners him on a ferris wheel while the Hurricanes drop the rocks on the bridge and kill the Budzo's army, while a fully healed Ezee, the other birds and the Hurricanes trap him with a net & push the wheel Budzo is on with all their strengths and manage to push Budzo and the wheel toward the falls and defeats Budzo once and for all as the wheel is destroyed after hitting a precipice, and Budzo falls into the waterfalls to his death while Kai follows him to save Zoe after she got snagged in the net an Kai manages to pull up Zoe from the net, therefore saving Zambezia.

With the rock monitors defeated, the Zambezians celebrate with a proper Spring Celebration and the marabous are accepted into Zambezia which pleases them.

In a mid credits scene, a baby rock monitor that Kai and Tendai were trying to catch earlier eventually reaches shore, where it is suddenly cornered by the marabous, who then unexpectedly offer it two snacks of bugs on a stick.

Voice cast

Kelly Stables and Kristen Rutherford provide the voices of the Gossip Birds, a group of Guinea turacos.

Jim Cummings, Tom Kenny, Jon Olson, Brent Palmer, and Wayne Thornley provide the voices of the assorted marabou storks.

Keeno Lee Hector, Nik Rabinowitz, and Sam Riegel provided the voices of various Hurricanes.

Release

Adventures in Zambezia was theatrically released on 3 July 2012 by Cinema Management Group and Sony Pictures Entertainment in English territories and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24 April 2013 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Accolades

The film won the Best South African Feature Film at the Durban International Film Festival in 2012. It also won Best Animation at the South African Film and Television Awards and Best Animation at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards.

Award Category Recipient Result
Annie Awards Music in an Animated Feature Production Bruce Retief Nominated
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Jim Cummings
Africa Movie Academy Awards Best Animation Wayne Thornley Won

Soundtrack

Adventures in Zambezia (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
Released 20 September 2013
Recorded 2012
Genre Film soundtrack
Length 36:19
Label Triggerfish
Producer Bruce Retief
Singles from {{{Name}}}

The original motion picture soundtrack for the film was written, composed and produced by Bruce Retief, which was released on 20 September 2013 through Triggerfish in digital download. It includes fourteen tracks, with music from Retief as the film's score composer, and studio performances from various artists, including Gang of Instrumentals, Zolani Mahola (who also provided the voice of a weaver in the film), and Ludovic Mampuya. It is available on iTunes and on Amazon.

Track listing

All music written and composed by Bruce Retief, except where noted.

No. Title Performer(s) Length
1. "Get Up"   Zolani Mahola 3:38
2. "Bandits"     1:18
3. "High Speed Air Chase"     1:56
4. "The Gorge"     4:32
5. "Cecil's Lament"     3:00
6. "Flying to Zambezia"     3:06
7. "Say Hello to Zambezia"   Gang of Instrumentals 2:30
8. "Zambezia Theme Variations"     1:18
9. "Hurricane Trials"     2:36
10. "Lizards on Zambezia"     2:40
11. "Fight on the Bridge"     3:04
12. "Budzo's End"     1:12
13. "Out of Mist"   Ludovic Mampuya 3:19
14. "Easy Easy"   Gang of Instrumentals 2:10
Total length:
36:19

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Zambezia (película) para niños

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