The Meerkats

"Heroes so small they have to be seen on the big screen."

2008 1h 23m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 79

DocumentaryFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A coming of age story following a young meerkat pup, Kolo, growing up in the Kalahari desert; and an inspiring look at how one family's connection to each other and their surroundings is a model of resilience and fortitude for us all. Shot using ground-breaking techniques, this dramatised documentary is a one-of-a-kind presentation from The Weinstein Company and the BBC, featuring narration by Paul Newman.

“Heroes so small they have to be seen on the big screen.”

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Cast

Paul Newman
Narrator (voice)
Rufus Beck
Narrator (Russian release) (voice)
Guillaume Canet
Le narrateur (voix française)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James Honeyborne
Writers: James Honeyborne, Alexander McCall Smith
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Erdmännchen Filmreihe" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James Honeyborne, shot by Tony Miller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Justin Krish shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Newman and Rufus Beck and Guillaume Canet carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James Honeyborne directs. Tony Miller behind the camera. Justin Krish cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 18 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Part of the "Erdmännchen Filmreihe" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by James Honeyborne, shot by Tony Miller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Justin Krish shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Paul Newman and Rufus Beck and Guillaume Canet carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Heroes so small they have to be seen on the big screen.".
10IMDB entry: tt0892391 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 9 themes, including "meerkat", "kalahari", "nature documentary", "animal life".