Panda Bear in Africa

They were showing this cheap at a cinema in the city.

I'd never heard of it, but I was spending the day with my 6 yr old, and thought it would be a good way to entertain him for a while, as he loves all things animation.

I think we've all been spoiled with the high quality of most animated kids movies - they usually have a good plot, and there are enough subtle "adult" gags and stuff to keep parents amused.

Not so with this one.

The animation was fine, but the writing, plot and dialogue were just daft, and often didn't make a lot of sense. At less than an hour and a half, it is a relatively short film, but I was glancing at my watch most of the way through, wishing it was over.

My son enjoyed it ok, so that's the main thing I supposed. I would have been annoyed if I'd paid full price for us to watch.

Little kids might enjoy if it comes on a screening service.

Grown ups - avoid.

I love Panda Bear in Africa. It is funny, well animated, has an amazing storyline, and great voice acting. It kept me entertained and laughing through the whole movie.

The storyline is about a young panda bear named Pang (Yootha Wong Loi Sing) and his young dragon friend, Jielong (Georgina Verbaan). After an unfortunate series of events, Pang must embark on a painstaking journey all the way from Asia to Africa. During his journey he makes a few new friends, such as JoJo the monkey (Maurits Delchot) and Niala the hyena (Candice Modiselle). He also makes an enemy, Malum the lion (Silas Lekgoathi).

Panda Bear in Africa is filled with ridiculous scenes and jokes that kept cracking me up. Even the characters themselves are hilarious. Props to the animators for using the CGI to the fullest. They use it to the absolute best of their capabilities to make everything so beautiful. The sand, water, trees, even the animals are wonderfully done. I have to commend Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich for both writing and directing this movie. The script is fantastic and it had me wondering what was going to happen next. It also kept my eyes open while I sat at the edge of my seat. I could feel all the emotions the main characters were expressing. I especially love the voice acting of Yootha Wong Loi Sing. He really captures a goofy, childlike personality for his character. The casting is really good all across the board. The music department really succeeds at making the music match the scenes. It really helped immerse me into the film. As much as I love this film, the one thing that is missing is character development - the characters are pretty much one dimensional. Other than that, this is a great film. My favorite part is when Jielong's self pep talk goes terribly wrong and she is then faced with a duo of dastardly animals which complicate her plans.

The film's message is to be yourself no matter what. It also reminds us that we don't need to be overly concerned about what other people think. What matters is your opinion.

I give Panda Bear in Africa 5 out of 5 stars and I recommend it for ages 5 to 12. This movie releases on DVD and digital platforms on May 13, 2025. By Eli C., KIDS FIRST!

The story is rubbish (with bad remakes of The Lion King), the graphics are rubbish and look like they were made by penguins. What about the text? It's borderline pathetic. Everything sounds fake and ugly. I think that with three pots of modelling clay and two days to spare I could make something nicer than this dreck.

Even my 6-year-old son came out of the cinema looking a bit grey. And he's not fussy at all, he loves Paw Patrol.

The story is rubbish (with bad remakes of The Lion King), the graphics are rubbish and look like they were made by penguins. What about the text? It's borderline pathetic. Everything sounds fake and ugly. I think that with three pots of modelling clay and two days to spare I could make something nicer than this dreck.

Even my 6-year-old son came out of the cinema looking a bit grey. And he's not fussy at all, he loves Paw Patrol.

Pang (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing) is a black and white and fluffy panda bear who goes on an adventure to Africa to rescue his friend Jielong (Georgina Verbaan) after she is kidnapped from the land of Asia where they live.

Directed by Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich, Panda Bear in Africa seems to take from other sources to construct its story. From a Panda land reminiscent of Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), an adventure across the ocean to an unknown continent as in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), balloon modelling like in Shrek (2001), to many elements resembling The Lion King (1994), e.g., a setting in 'Lion Rock' where an orphan and young lion prince has an evil uncle craving power, and the bad blood between lions and hyenas, the movie is full of derivative elements.

The story progresses in the predicable paths where our fluffy and inexperienced hero will find different difficulties and new characters in his journey to Asia. One of those characters is a little monkey named Jojo (Maurits Delchot) whose mercurial personality will prove many assumptions wrong. He will accompany Pang to Lion Rock where his friend is held against her will as the pet of lion prince Ade (Namisa Mdalose).

Despite that it could be considered an exercise in unoriginality and its more than desired use of conveniences to further the plot is testament to bad writing, Panda Bear in Africa manages to elicit some laughs and provide entertainment for the most part. Its cute little characters make the movie watchable and it certainly could be much more appreciated by a younger audience.

A European co-production aimed at the whole family, this animated film stands out mainly for its colorful and competent visuals. While not groundbreaking, the animation is lively and appealing enough to hold the attention of younger viewers. The characters are charming and well-designed, adding the right amount of humor and warmth to keep things enjoyable.

That said, the storyline doesn't offer much in terms of originality. Strong influences from films like Kung Fu Panda and The Lion King are hard to miss, with familiar plot turns and well-worn moral lessons. Still, the movie manages to be pleasant and achieves its main goal: to entertain.

The pacing is smooth and steady, and the constant appearance of new animals and environments keeps things visually fresh and engaging for children.

In short, this is an animated adventure that may not break new ground, but successfully uses classic ingredients to deliver a fun, visually rich experience designed for family enjoyment.