Duma
2005 · United States · 100 min
- Director
- Carroll Ballard
- Producer
- John Wells
- Music
- John Debney
- Production company
- Warner Bros. Entertainment
- Based on
- How It Was with Dooms
Awards: Genesis Award
What the critics say
93 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviewsCast
What it is about
Set in South Africa, the story begins with an orphaned cheetah cub found on the side of a road by a twelve-year-old boy, Xan, and his father. They name him Duma, and he grows into a member of the family until the time comes to return him to the wild. The plan becomes complicated when Xan sets out for Botswana on his father's old motorcycle, with the animal riding in the sidecar, and meets a drifter whose intentions are unclear.
How it was made
The project was announced in 2002 with Carroll Ballard as director, adapting the novel by Carol Cawthra Hopcraft and Xan Hopcraft. Karen Janszen and Mark St. Germain wrote the script, and the budget was set at 12 million dollars. Shooting took place mostly in South Africa, with some scenes in Botswana, and several hand-raised cheetahs, all orphaned or rescued from poaching, played Duma.
Reception and legacy
Critics were mostly positive, but Warner Bros. gave the film a very limited release, and its worldwide box office barely reached 994,790 dollars. It won the Family Feature Film award at the 2006 Genesis Awards. It was Ballard's final feature before he retired.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
Several cheetahs
The role of Duma was played by several different cheetahs, all hand-raised after being orphaned or taken by poachers.
A single film role
Alexander Michaletos, who plays Xan, made Duma his only film role.
More films by Carroll Ballard
Fly Away Home
The Black Stallion
Never Cry WolfOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.