A prequel to the popular Meerkat Manor series on Animal Planet, Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins—narrated by Whoopi Goldberg—follows the adventures of the meerkat “Whiskers” family in the Kalahari desert at a time before matriarch Flower became the leader. The story begins with the birth of Flower and her survival after attacks on the Whiskers by a rival meerkat family, followed by struggles stemming from both a transition to a new habitat and the death of Flower's mother. When a new leader proves both inadequate to the task as well as too selfish to care for all her charges, the stage is set for Flower's emergence as top ‘kat. Blending comedy and tragedy (regular viewers who have seen Meerkat Manor's third season will know about Flower's recent demise) through remarkable nature footage edited into an ongoing saga of life and death, Meerkat Manor has become such a hit in part because meerkats are so much fun to watch. The way they stand on hind legs and peer into the distance, or move rapidly as a group, or embrace when they see one another, are all visually irresistible. DVD extras include two behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. (T. Keogh)
Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins
Genius, 76 min., not rated, DVD: $19.98 October 27, 2008
Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins
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