Whispers: An Elephant's Tale

Real-life nature photography, rather than the usual trained animal performances, makes up the bulk of this debut fiction film from Dereck and Beverly Joubert, the husband-and-wife deans of wildlife documentary. Yet, despite some remarkable footage, this children's tale of an anthropomorphized young pachyderm searching for his mother contains less originality and emotion than any Babar story. On the African plains (Botswana's Chobe National Park, where the Jouberts live), the infant elephant Whispers (voiced by Debi Derryberry) is born free to elephant cow Gentle Heart (Anne Archer). Life is idyllic, until poachers scatter the herd and Whispers, running for his litt...