Africa 5: The Mysterious Island (1991)

***Africa V: The Mysterious Island*** is a 1991 direct-to-video animated adventure musical film produced and directed by ???. This is the first film in the series to be directed by ???, as well as the first film in which Catherine Cavadini voices Cindy, Andrea Libman voices Dottie, and Beverly Todd voices Grandma Elephant. It is also the only film in which Seth Gabel plays Lenny; it is the first in which Gib Gerard provides the singing voice for Lenny. Three songs for the film were written by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom, with music composed by Michael Tavera.

## Plot:

One day, a swarm of "Desert Locusts" descends upon the Kupatana Valley, devouring all plants and reducing it to a barren wasteland. The inhabitants of the Kupatana Valley have no choice but to find another place where they can survive until the plants have grown back. However, the locusts have left a path of devastation behind them, leaving no food for the animals to find. After searching for many days, tension enters the group as Cindy's father and Lenny's grandfather argue over changing their course, beginning a fight between Lenny and Cindy. The fight immediately breaks up when Cindy's father announces that every herd should go its own way the next morning. Not wanting to be separated, Lenny leads his friends off in the night, in the hope they can find food before they are caught. They leave a trail for the grownups to follow, and eventually reach the "Big Water". Disheartened by the undrinkable water, the children spy a verdant island connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge. On their way, an earthquake occurs, which creates a tsunami from which they narrowly escape. They quickly tuck in to the plentiful bounty of the island, but are then horrified to discover the tsunami has destroyed the land bridge.

Isolated on the island, they try out Cindy's idea to return by using a log as a boat. The plan initially works well, but Cindy is suffering seasickness and Patrik is too terrified of the Big Water to act as lookout. However, a *swimming Bull Shark* attacks, and in the confusion and fright which follows, they end up on the island again. That night, they remember their families, while the herd, having followed the trail, sleep on the shores of the beach on the mainland, worrying for them while Cindy's father blames their leave on Lenny.

The next morning, the children wake up to the shadow of a Leopard, only to find that it is Charlie, the young Lion who hatched in their care before returning to his parents in the second film. Since then, Charlie has learned how to speak. Charlie takes them to a safe refuge to hide from his parents. Unaware of Charlie and the others, another Leopard has been living on the island and begins hunting down the children. Afterwards, Dottie is captured by a *White-Backed Vulture*, but manages to escape before she can come to any harm. Charlie hides the children in odorous plants, and provides them with leafy food upon their request. However, an overcautious Cindy openly displays distrust to Charlie, leaving him heartbroken as he departs in tears. Lenny follows him and apologizes, but he is interrupted by Mama Lioness. She nuzzles him, then leaves. Lenny is intrigued by her display of love to Charlie.

As Lenny went back to the hideout, the *African Leopard* from earlier finds and chases the children towards a cliff above the big water. Charlie tries to help, but is overcome by the Leopard. His parents come to the rescue on Charlie (and the same thing for the kids) and battle the Leopard near the edge of the island, during which he falls into the Big Water and takes Charlie with him, much to his parents' shock. Lenny plunges in to save Charlie while the Leopard is swept away by the current. Another swimming Shark appears, but this time they discovered a Blue Whale named Edna who then saves them both from drowning. She returns them to the island, where Charlie's grateful family promises never to harm the children; Papa Lion grudgingly admits that, after sniffing Spike (who had eaten some of the foul-smelling hideout) anything that smelt that bad wouldn't taste very good anyway. Mama Lioness also nuzzles Lenny, in gratitude for his actions to save Charlie from drowning. Cindy realizes her mistake and accepts that not all Lions are so bad and monstrous as she thought. Edna offers to take them across the sea, so Charlie and his parents happily bid them farewell, promising that they will see each other again. When they get back on the mainland, they find that the herd found a lush, green, little sanctuary on the shore where they can stay until the Kupatana Valley has become fertile again. As the credits roll, the film shows when the Kupatana Valley did, the herd returns home.