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. The story features the coming of age of a young meerkat pup, Kolo growing up in the Kalahari desert. Shot using ground-breaking techniques, this dramatised documentary is a one-of-a-kind presentation from The Weinstein Company and the BBC, the world's pre-eminent nature filmmakers.
Commentary written by Alexander McCall-Smith and told by Paul Newman. Sales Agent: Weinstein Company (International)
~UK Release Date:~ 7th August 2009
Past release dates:
France 15 October 2008 Japan 22 October 2008 (Tokyo International Film Festival) Germany 20 November 2008 Belgium 17 December 2008 Russia 25 December 2008 Japan 10 January 2009 Netherlands 5 February 2009 Singapore 23 April 2009 Argentina 6 August 2009 South Korea 6 August 2009
I really, really wish this would come out here. Meerkats on the big screen, narrated by Paul Newman? The only thing better would be a new season of MM.
I've watched the trailer loads of times on Youtube. It looks great.
Maybe once the film is released in the UK on August 7, we will be next on the list.
Maybe, just maybe, they decided to leave these two countries, the most ardent admirers of Meerkat Manor countries until last. The Weinstein Company are co-financing the project, and are responsible for the distribution of the film internationally.
And remember the Weinstein Company was also the distributor for ~ Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins~...one of the reasons I believe it was kept out of theaters, including the fact AP was attempting to raise its viewership.
So lets keep our paws crossed...can ~The Meerkats~ be coming to a theater near us soon?????
Much to my regret the meerkats filmed are not our Manor kats, nor any of the "wild" mobs on our reserve.
It was filmed approximately 50 miles south of the Manor. One of the volunteers at the KMP, Sophie, did act as an advisor for the film.
Publicity for the film goes like this...
"A family remarkably like your own...
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. The story features the coming of age of a young meerkat pup, Kolo growing up in the Kalahari desert. Shot using ground-breaking techniques, this dramatised documentary is a one-of-a-kind presentation from The Weinstein Company and the BBC, the world's pre-eminent nature filmmakers.
"The Meerkats" is a revealing and entertaining look at one family's daily struggle for survival in the harshest environment on earth. But what makes these natives of the African plains even more remarkable is a family dynamic which bears an uncanny resemblance to our own. Whether they are going through the routines of daily life or locked in a very real battle to stay alive, "The Meerkats" is an inspiring look at how one family's connection to each other and their surroundings stands as a model of resilience and fortitude for us all.
This film...appears focused on the animals’ wilder side, which the director, James Honeybourne, said would be easier to capture outside of a colony. “This is the opportunity for us to make a stand-alone, blue-chip wildlife film from the ground up,” he said. “It will be immensive. There will be a huge sense of place on a massive scale. You will really see real wild animals."
"The Meerkats", which came with a guaranteed distribution deal, was announced before "Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins" The Meerkat Manor film did not even have a name. Weinstein did not want two meerkat movies out there in competition for audiences.
"The Weinstein Company are co-financing the project, and are responsible for the distribution of the film internationally."
Unfortunately.
"And remember the Weinstein Company was also the distributor for ~ Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins~...one of the reasons I believe it was kept out of theaters, including the fact AP was attempting to raise its viewership."
Brilliant marketing.... "Meerkat Manor" was not released in theaters in the US (premiering in an independent movie festival is not the same as released in theaters), so that it would not compete with "The Meerkats", another movie with a similar theme distributed by the Weinstein Company. "Meerkat Manor" was shown on tv in May 2008, but there is no release date for "The Meerkats" yet!
You are absolutely correct zettak. Actually what happened was The Weinstein Company invested heavily in the BBC film. They bought "Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins" to kill it because it was in direct competition.
As much as I hate to say this, sadly, I doubt that "The Meerkats" will ever be screened theatrically in the US.
But as a Hope Springs Eternal person I want so very much to be wrong and will welcome it.
If it ever gets released in US, I would think it would be in a limited release, in say IMAX (like the recent Disney nature movie). I think a more likely scenario in the US would be a direct to DVD release.
I can only hope it will be released on DVD, as then I'll be able to buy it and finally see it. As it is now, I don't now if we'll ever get to see it in the U.S. I just know Paul Newman was a wonderful narrator, he had just such a voice. ... waiting ... waiting ... waiting.
There are also sites where it can be downloaded, but I am Computer Dummy 101. LOL!!
But I want to see meerkats on the big screen. Pronker used to say "...big as dinosaurs." I mean the really BIG screen. I think we deserve it...of all people, we do...!!
Call me crazy, but isn't the objective of producing a "commercial", as opposed to an "independent"movie to be released (for profit)? Then it could be out as a dvd, as well.
What happened to Pronker, by the way? She haven't post in a long time.
Well I can't really speak for her, but maybe like a lot of roving kats she peeks in every now & then, but spends most of her time on FKMP and the Quirkies' site....
Originally posted by vwf053: I really, really wish this would come out here. Meerkats on the big screen, narrated by Paul Newman? The only thing better would be a new season of MM.
I've watched the trailer loads of times on Youtube. It looks great.
Not having anything to do this evening I watched the trailer... why did the Weinsteins have to give this movie the exact same trailer as Flower's movie? They rewrote the sentences, swapped the video scenes, and changed the particular African music, but other than that, it's the same preview style.
Guess they knew The Story Begins had something special...that meerkat magic...Sigh!!
Ccatz, the DVD for sale said it was for Australian DVD players. Interesting because it doesnt look like it was released theatrically in Australia. Maybe that means it will go right to DVD in the US. I cant imagine they would not sell it in the US market in some manner (theatres or DVD). The viewership of MM is so high here, I cant believe any profit seeking company would forgo this market.
narration could go either way, i have many import dvds (cheaper to buy) and they are all in english speech but with foreign subtitles (various options) if for some reason the narration was in thai, id expect atleast english subtitles. thai dvd's will work on multiregional or 'unlocked' dvd players also.
to all that are interested,i think if you go to this web site you can download THE MEERKATS on your computer,it runs 80 minhttp://www.zml.com/movie/meerkats-the-373543.htm#download_divx
To: _K M___________________________ Sent: Sat, Jul 18, 2009 3:24 pm Subject: The Meerkats
Ms. M-----, (Publicity Agent for Weinstein Co)
I have been looking forward to seeing this BBC movie since I first heard of it long ago in 2006. I read of its distribution to many markets around the world. Just recently I saw that it would open in the UK on August 7, 2009. I am unable to find a release date for the United States.
If this has been decided, would you be so kind as to share the dates and location of its first showing.
Thank you...
In a message dated 7/22/2009 11:07:24 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, K.M______
"At this time we do not have plans for release (in the USA)"
Ms. M-----
I and many meerkat fans are so very sorry to hear that...such a wondrous and appreciative audience would have applauded you.
sophie711; the only reference to the movie on you tube, THE MEERKATS, is a preview that runs 6:32 min. the whole movie that i have already downloaded,runs 80 mins.unless i'm not looking in the right spot!!
I could not find the movie. I found a few tributes that were good and also the trailer. I did however find a video that "was" the movie.. it had been changed just to a message that youtube had removed the film due to copyright.
zaphod-vvm032, i just went to youtube video,and you can probably watch the whole movie THE MEERKATS,if you type in kermit019,you'll have to watch it in segments though, cause it is in chunks.example chunk 2,another video would be chunk3,etc they all run about 9 mins except for the opening segment,which i think runs about 3 mins
I just got an email notification this morning from Amazon.com. they are taking pre-orders in the US for "The Meerkats" on DVD. They say the release date is September 1, 2009. Cost is $13.99.
I remember before the Whiskers movie came out last year that there was a mention of 2 movies based on Meerkats. Was this movie about a certain Meerkat family the second one?
Scratch my last post. I couldn't find anything on youtube, but found a preview of the movie on google. Can anyone tell me if this movie came out in theatres yet? In the preview, it says that the movie is produced by the same producers of Planet Earth which came out earlier this year.
I have so many conflicting thoughts regarding the Weinstein Company not releasing this movie in the US...First they invested heavily in Flower's movie, ~The Story Begins~ so as to keep it from being in direct competition with this one, The Meerkats.
From what I was told those who saw ~The Story Begins~ at Tribeca and in London were in agreement that although an exquisite little movie, perhaps it was not what theatrical releases are made of, BUT what Weinstein feared, or so I hear tell, was the emotional appeal of the story of Flower, OMG, "her" birth scene still brings tears to my eyes... and did not want it in direct competition with The Meerkats.
What these kats in their offices do not seem to realize or even acknowledge is we meerkat lovers would have mobbed to both of them...we just love meerkats...pure & simple...We would have happy pronked the night away at both films.
Sometimes I wonder if we are not caught in the Weinstein Company's mind games...I have even wondered if not releasing The Meerkats in the USA is somehow a punitive measure...for what? The popularity of Meerkat Manor on AP? Why punish us? OMG the devil made me think it.
But anything is possible. Once upon a time & many moons ago there were thoughts of showing Flower's story in perhaps venues like Zoo's; maybe The Meerkats will find their way to similar burrows.
Pity time...will we in the US ever see meerkats in theaters? On the giant silver screen? Big as those dinosaurs? Just once is all I hope for...just once!!!!!
philmeerkat; re youtube; if you go there, search video's,under kermit019,you should come up with the video's,but their done in segments ex.the meerkats ,chunk 1 etc
The pre-release reviews of The Meerkats in the UK are beginning to appear:
"There’s something about meerkats. Maybe it’s their little beady eyes, (their what?) or their curiously stiff, upright posture that makes them appear to be striving to be human. Whatever that quality is, the camera clearly loves them, making the humble meerkat an obvious choice for a March of the Penguins-style documentary feature from the BBC’s Natural History department.
With a narration written by Alexander McCall Smith and delivered, in a voice that sounds older than Methuselah, by the late, great Paul Newman, Meerkats follows the formative years of Kolo, a young meerkat getting to grips with the realities of life in the Kalahari desert. With threats to Kolo’s family including a deadly snake, an eagle with a grudge and a weather-system that turns up the heat to unbearable degrees, it’s clearly tough out there for a meerkat, and Kolo’s fight for survival is rendered intensely and sympathetically under the direction of James Honeybourne, a former Wildlife On One producer.
There’s clearly a bit of trickery involved in creating the drama here, and as with most nature documentaries, a regrettable tendency to force human values onto the animals involved. But if you’re vulnerable to the charms of little critters, The Meerkats come up as cute as a button."
"THE last known role of Hollywood great Paul Newman and the first film script by the best-selling novelist Alexander McCall Smith, have come together in a movie about one of nature's most endearing creatures."
How ironic...one of our most beloved & talented actors narrates this film & we will never(?) see it on the big screen...
When it first opens there is a photo of a meerkat, which then becomes the video. How sad that we are unable to see it as it was meant to be seen...in the theater.
Paul Newman chose his projects very carefully. I guess we will have to purchase the dvd.
If the Weinstein brothers invested heavily on "The Meerkats", and their company faces financial problems, they should release the movie to theaters, and have some profit. Is this a clever business decision?
Why is it we cannot be part of this beautiful tribute to honor Paul Newman? There are so many contradictions surrounding The Meerkats.
Here I go again....maybe, just maybe...the Weinstein Comapny WILL bring the film to the USA, if it does well in the UK.
Listening to Paul Newman speak, I close my eyes and see & hear our Zaphod...our beloved elder statesman...telling us this tale of Kalahari meerkats...while not about our meers on the Manor, it is their story none-the-less, in all of it's greatness.
Short, but sweet! Did you notice how the media in the snippet talked about 'Meerkat mania' - it's as though the whole world knows people are crazy about Meerkats, except for AP! m.j.
From London's ~The Independent~...one of many smilar reviews I have received...
"The Meerkats (PG), James Honeyborne (83 mins)
(Rated 4/ 5 Stars )
Reviewed by Anthony Quinn Friday, 7 August 2009
Independent Minds
How can you not love a meerkat?
There’s something incomparably sweet about the burglar-mask eyes, the guardsman-stiff posture, the inquisitive twitch of the head – and something weirdly human, too. This documentary, narrated by Paul Newman, focusesuponayoung meerkat, Kolo, and his fight for survival against eagles, cobras, lions and rival gangs of meerkats, not to mention the punishing heat and aridity of the Kalahari: just looking at those roasted desert plains makes you thirsty. The narrative, shaped to Hollywood tastes, lags some way behind the beautiful nature photography and the comical majesty of the meerkat on guard, poking his head above a hidey-hole like a periscope over a parapet. These pictures don’t really need any words."
everytime I think of Paul Newman, I remember "the colour of money" with Tom Cruise.. Great film.. All these legends who eventually pass on.. makes me feel older each day!
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