Whispers: An Elephant's Tale

Whispers: An Elephant's Tale is a 2000 American film directed by Dereck Joubert. The film was released on March 10, 2000.
== Plot ==
The adventures of a baby elephant who was getting used to life in the herd, until the poachers (referred as "takers" by the elephants) separate him from his mother, Gentle Heart (thought to be killed by them), so he runs and gets lost. He is found by a grouchy female named Groove, the sister of an alpha-female named Half Tusk, who walks off disgusted with life in her herd. Not exactly wholehearted, she still takes the orphan under her wing, but fails to find his herd, or a new home with bulls, who find him disrespectful and mouthy, or her own herd, who nickname the kid Whispers since his trumpeting is so weak. Meanwhile the fear for poachers and lions drives them north over the great river, a long and dangerous journey. Groove manages to save Whispers from a pride of lionesses one night.
After a harsh encounter another night with poachers this time, Groove manages to save Whispers from them but ends up fatally wounded in the morning by their gunshots. Whispers is able to find help from Groove's herd. But even the help of Half Tusk cannot save a poor dying Groove, so, Groove tells Whispers to continue the journey with her herd and without her while promising her to look after her herd.
After days of traveling, the elephant herd, with Whispers as the rear guard, finally reach the Great River, but their happiness is later cut short when the same poachers reappear. Whispers finally learns how to trumpet to warn the herd and they manage to give the hunters the slip by swimming in the river and getting to the other side of the river, with the exception of one named Princess, Half Tusk's somewhat spoiled and cynical daughter, who remains behind because of being stuck by a log in the water. Whispers is able to save Princess from the log and a hungry crocodile, then, he and Princess dive underwater while holding their breaths; making the poachers believe that they shot them.
Once the poachers are gone, Whispers and Princess resurface and join the rest of the herd. Half Tusk welcomes Whispers into the family as all the other elephants; including Princess now, accept him as before. Then, Princess notices an elephant on the other side of the river; thinking they may have left behind, heading their way. Whispers and the herd call out for the new elephant to join them as Whispers trumpets again so as not to let the poachers see her.
Once the elephant reaches them, she asks if Whispers trumpeted like that and he says yes and asks why she is all alone. The elephant then tells him that his trumpet is that of a "strong heart". Whispers recognises it as something his mother used to tell him and it is finally revealed that the elephant herself is actually his mother, who has been searching for him for a long time and who managed to escape the hunters at the beginning.
With Whispers happily reunited with his mother and both accepted in the elephant herd, they continue to live their lives and Whispers continues to learn more about the outside world as the story comes to end.
== Cast and Characters ==
* Angela Bassett as Groove
* Joanna Lumley as Half Tusk
* Anne Archer as Gentle Heart
* Debi Derryberry as Whispers
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Narrator
* Kat Cressida as Princess
* Alice Ghostley as Tuskless
* Betty White as Round
* Joan Rivers as Spike
* John DiMaggio as Tough Tusk / Fulla Bull
* Tone Loc as Macho Bull
* Jeannie Elias as Stranger / Herd Elephant
* Harvey Fierstein as Cranky Bull
* Jim Black, Joseph Molekoa, David Mabukane and Sandor Carter as Poaches
Category:Films
Category:Live-action Films
Category:2000 Films
Category:Animal Films
__FORCETOC__
__NOEDITSECTION__