“Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti” is a terrific film, showcasing the talents of two kids, not to mention one resourceful dog! Ella Ballentine plays young Emma Croft, and John Paul Ruttan plays her younger brother Ryan, and they are both good in their roles. They are set to ride a supply plane with a pilot named Roger Kruger (L.J. Urbani), along with a dog, an Alaskan Malamute, named Chinook, when something unexpected happens to the plane and they crash.
The kids are shaken up but okay, but the pilot, Kruger, is badly hurt and needs medical attention. The kids care for him the best they can, bandaging his wounds and giving him water, but finally Ryan decides they can’t be far from the mine they were heading to (to provide supplies) and he and Emma take off to find help, along with Chinook. They don’t know that they are in for an adventure that includes some nice moments like feeding a giraffe from a tree, but also some terrifying incidents, including fighting off a lion with torches at night and avoiding a zebra stampede, the heat, and a lack of water, just to name a few.
Their parents, Jennifer and Paul (Jeri Ryan and Ashley Dowds), solicit the help of Colonel Ibori (Hlomla Dandala) in their search for the crash site and their children. When they learn the local tribesman has rescued the pilot but the kids are nowhere to be found, their anguish mounts as they barely keep hope alive to find their kids, who are fighting not only terrible heat, but a number of creatures. This adventure is nicely presented, and we are more than happy to award the movie our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal. If you like a good story and animals, this is the movie for you!