Review: Tafiti: Across the Desert finds some laughs in a barren desert

An animated movie about a meerkat and bush pig who are unlikely friends...why does this ring a bell?

Timon and Pumbaa, this is not, but it's something that will certainly cross your mind when watching Tafiti: Across the Desert. I wondered if this was going to be some sort of dollar store Lion King knock-off, but it isn't anything of the sort -- the odd-couple pairing is more or less where the resemblance ends. And for what it is, and what it's doing, Tafiti is a pleasant enough adventure in its own right.

The eponymous meerkat lives a life of seclusion and (arguably) paranoia with his family, fueled by the stories his grandpa regularly regales them with. All animals are dangerous, he says, even the ones that seem harmless. Even a butterfly is dangerous, because it might distract you from a predator that's sneaking up behind you. The only animal a meerkat can trust is another meerkat, though I wouldn't be surprised if even that rule was flexible. I could see Grandpapa warning his kin away from trusting neighboring families. Dude has some serious trust issues.

So when Tafiti bumps into Bristles the bush pig at the dried-out river bed (a lack of water is a recurring motif in this movie), it's anything but a fast friendship. After a run-in with an eagle, and then a snake back at the burrow, Grandpapa ends up with a fatal wound. The only hope is a legendary blue flower that lies on the other side of the desert, a floral panacea that is said to heal all wounds and maladies. Whether the flower even exists is a topic of debate, but it's the only hope the meerkats have, so Tafiti decides to set off in search of the flower.

And so does Bristles.

(Before I continue, I just have to comment on how strange the relative proportions of our heroes are. These two are basically the same height, which I think means Bristles is a really tiny pig. Or maybe all the meerkats in this world are freakishly tall? Unclear.)

The bulk of this movie is watching Tafiti and Bristles make their way across the desert, occasionally encountering other animals (pelicans, jackals, a mouse who becomes their traveling companion for a while, etc.) as they go. It's fairly straightforward, formulaic stuff. On a narrative level, this is as straight-shooter as a movie can be: an elongated fetch quest with a clear destination, occasional run-ins with dangerous foes, rinse and repeat until the day is won.

As this is a movie that's targeted at a younger audience, I appreciate its sturdy themes, which are the sort that will always be relevant, and always worth repeating. Here, tribalism is in the thematic crosshairs. Tafiti is taught to be distrustful of anyone who's different than him, and to stick close to his kind. Yet again and again, he finds friends and allies in other animals, and sees how deep those friendships and other connections can run. Hate and distrust of difference aren't inherent to humanity; they're learned behaviors, and ones that parents and guardians and other caretakers should seek to quash in the younger generations. The world would be a much better, safer, and (frankly) more fun place if everyone could celebrate difference and be empathetic toward those who look, think, and live in unfamiliar ways. Way more interesting, too.

What's uninteresting, though, is the barren landscapes of this film. I'm never a big fan of media that takes place largely in one kind of environment, especially if it's something like a desert or tundra where everything is a kind of endless stretch of one thing. And a lot of this movie is just that: scenes of Tafiti and Bristles walking across vast expanses of yellow sand. The filmmakers do their damnedest to offer some variety -- a lush green oasis, a cool red sandstorm scene, a blue-tinted underground cave -- but it's still a lot of yellow sand.

Thankfully, it's a pretty good-looking movie. These character designs aren't anything to write home about (except for the hot-stepping dancing lizard...I will be writing home about him), but there's a lot of nice detail here, especially the characters' fur and the way the sandstorm blows. Some really nice work.

And I would be remiss not to mention Steve Hudson's performance as Bristles. The character is all-around just an affable chap, so goofy and good-natured that you want to slap Tafiti for rebuffing the offers of friendship. Hudson's performance is sparkling, delightful. His accent is so chummy and sweet, an early favorite voice performance for the year.

Tafiti: Across the Desert doesn't tread any new ground, but it provides some good laughs and memorable characters along with its well-received themes of friendship and inclusion. It's a perfectly pleasant way to spend (less than) an hour and a half.