Young Xan and his father happen upon a newly orphaned cheetah kitten, and Xan adopts it. As Duma, the cheetah, reaches adulthood, Xan's father explains how he must be returned to the wild, but then suddenly dies. Xan, his mother, and Duma are forced to live in the city. Xan realises that this will be the destruction of Duma so he runs away, intending to return Duma to the wild as agreed with his father. Things go wrong, however, and Xan is forced to team up with itinerant Rip, who says he is returning to his village, but may actually want to sell Duma...
This undemanding family film has a very small cast but a great deal of attractive landscape and wildlife photography, as it meanders amiably through a plot which crosses Walkabout with Born Free. The story runs along fairly predictable lines, albeit with a couple of relatively unexpected wrinkles on the way. There are aspects which are, frankly, a bit unbelievable, but the film is sufficiently good-natured that this doesn't really matter.
This undemanding family film has a very small cast but a great deal of attractive landscape and wildlife photography, as it meanders amiably through a plot which crosses Walkabout with Born Free. The story runs along fairly predictable lines, albeit with a couple of relatively unexpected wrinkles on the way. There are aspects which are, frankly, a bit unbelievable, but the film is sufficiently good-natured that this doesn't really matter.