Sahara (film)

Sahara is a 2017 French-Canadian 3D computer-animated adventure film directed by Pierre Coré. Produced by Mandarin Films, Sony Pictures Animation, Columbia Pictures and StudioCanal.

## Plot

The film begins in a sandstorm where travelers rest with their camels beneath a cliff. Here, Ajar the snake and Pitt the scorpion successfully steal a watermelon from one of the camel's baskets.

After the storm, the two protagonists try to enjoy their melon, only to have it brutally taken from them by a larger bully purple Cobra (Saladin). Later the pals are traveling through the sandstone cliffs where snakes gather in the shade, only to be pelted by melon seeds by Saladin's friends. Ajar is teased for being young and small, as he hasn't shed to his adult skin yet. At the edge of the desert, Ajar proposes to fleeing to the Oasis, but Pitt points out that the Oasis belongs to the Green Snakes. There they happen to spot Eva, a Green Snake, trying to leave the Oasis, only to be caught by one of the Secretary Birds (Chief-Chief) which guard it. Pitt uses that as a reason to not go to the Oasis, but Ajar is not discouraged.

Eva is returned to her father, who reprimands her for always trying to leave the Oasis, which she clearly hates. Upset, she leaves, passing her brother Gary wearing a grass wig. Later, Eva sits by a pool of mud, and seems to get an idea while using her tail to draw shapes with the mud. Meanwhile, Ajar is painting himself green, and sneaks into the Oasis despite Pitt's complaints where they find his disguise has worked against one of the guards. After entering, it isn't long before the Secretary Birds warn of intruders ("Dusties") and the friends dart for the grass thinking it's them. They separate, and Ajar finds an unfamiliar brown snake who happens to be Eva in disguise as a Dusty, who asks for his help.

They get stuck at the edge of a cliff against one of the guard birds, and Eva leaps off the cliff with Ajar. Ajar, however, can't swim, and almost drowned before being given CPR/air by Eva, which he takes for a kiss. Their disguises begin to wash away in the water, and they lose the secretary birds overhead by hiding in a river cave. There they make truce and invites him to go with her but just as Eva heads out of the cave, she is taken by Omar, a cruel snake charmer and skinner.

As Ajar pursues Omar's camelcade, he and Pitt are snatched by Chief-Chief and taken back to the other birds, who threaten to kill him. Ajar manages to find Gary, and threatens him in order to make Chief-Chief free them. They flee on the back of one of the birds, but just as they find the camelcade, Pitt interferes and accidentally stings the bird, causing it to sleep. They are forced to continue on the ground.

Meanwhile, Eva meets other snakes who were captured by Omar--including a green male snake named George--who greet her happily. Later that night, Omar uses the flute to make the snakes dance for a small audience. Eva tries to escape, but is mesmerized and brought back by the flute.

Ajar and Pitt, constantly annoyed by Gary, struggle to navigate a maze of sandstone cliffs. They fall into a cave, finding a colony of glow-worms, which welcome them kindly and give instructions at first before luring them in as their prey. The trio escapes through a hole in the cave and find they've come to the other side. Gary, however, has had enough, and reprimands Ajar (including the fact that he has not shed to his adult skin yet) and the ridiculous journey. Gary's outvoted, and they continue traveling after Eva.

After a musical adventure montage, Gary complains about the desert, and tension grows. They find tourists, and climb into their car to find water, only to be discovered because of Gary. While the snakes are thrown out, Pitt stings himself accidentally and falls asleep, getting stuck inside. Gary and Ajar fight before continuing onward.

Eva is upset about her situation, but one of the dancing snakes named Pietra (who doesn't like her) shows her a way out of the basket. Eva is caught by a camel, who causes a ruckus, during which Pietra tries to escape. Omar captures both of them and considers adding them to the basket of snakes who are to be skinned, only to get a more nefarious idea.

Ajar and Gary find a plant in the desert, which turns out to be a fast-talking lizard. The lizard has seen the camelcade they're looking for, as well as knows of the nearby town it's headed to, but refuses to give directions and digs away in the sand. Gary makes rude remarks about his friend Pitt an enraged Ajar pounces on Gary. During their tustling, Ajar and Gary find a small oasis where they agree to rest for the night and talk. Ajar reveals that he met Pitt after Pitt's family was killed by humans. Pitt, meanwhile, sleeps at the tourists' camp, where he meets a wandering family of scorpions who stay with him. He later tells them about his adventure with Ajar, though makes himself look like the hero. The family later asks that he stays with them, but he says he must go find Ajar.

That night, Omar forces Eva and Pietra to have a dance-off in a ring of fire. Eva wins, and Pietra is taken away to be put in the basket of snakes to be skinned.

Ajar and Gary find an underwater river in a well, and decide to ride it in a bucket to the nearby town in order to escape a coming sandstorm, despite the fact that Ajar can't swim. In the town, they find Omar's store by following ads for the dancing snakes and sneak inside. There, Ajar sees George consoling an upset Eva, and thinks he's her boyfriend. Gary convinces Ajar to continue to save Eva, and they manage to release a ceiling fan to crush the cages and release all the snakes. Omar hears and goes to get the snake-controlling flute, but Ajar quickly steals it when Omar is bitten by Gary (though Omar reveals that he is immune to snake venom).

Omar pursues Ajar out of the building, where the sandstorm rages, and chases him across the city (getting carried far leaps by the wind). At the top of a building, Omar tries to grab the flute from Ajar, only to break it. He grabs Ajar to keep himself from falling off the building, but Ajar's old skin comes off, and Omar disappears into the sandstorm. As the storm calms, Ajar falls onto a platform below.

Ajar is found by Eva and his friends and thought to be dead at first before awakening and hugging him. They find that Ajar has shed, and now has a much more beautiful, elaborate adult skin. Eva realizing that Ajar had crossed an entire desert for her replying he would crossed a thousand and yet saving her from what she could've met a dark fate and the two coil together as they share a big and passionate kiss. Omar appears for a moment, but is stung by Pitt and falls asleep. Pitt has brought a female friend from the scorpion family named Emily.

Later, they are all riding atop the tourist car from before. Ajar sits with Eva asking him does he dance based on her experience with the other snakes, Pitt sits with Emily which also share a romantic embrace off screen, and Gary sits with Pietra. Gary admires her, and she remarks that she happens to also love handsome super-rich heirs.

As the van drives off the fast-talking lizard appears next to a camel, and tells this random camel (and also the viewers) that Ajar and Eva might go back and live happily ever after at the Oasis and teach the Dusty Snakes and Green to live together as equals, but he has no idea.

## Voice Cast

French and English voice actors are listed:

## Success & Possible Sequel

Co-produced by La Station Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, Columbia Pictures and Mandarin, with M6, the film was a great success in France where it has more than 1.1 million admissions. A reflection is under way in all the partners for a second opus.