Harlem Nights

## **OVERVIEW**

Harlem Nights is the 19th film of Warner Bros. Films. The Film tells the story about Kovu and his friends to return the baby to its parents.

## **THE PLOT**

The Film Begins with A surly lion named Kovu and a enthusiastic bird named Chuck refuse to join the migration for the ice age. Abandoned by his family, Chuck attempts to migrate alone but runs afoul of his two dogs best friends named Roger and Mel, who try to attack Chuck but fail due to Kovu stepping in, only to leave Chuck behind afterward. Chuck stays with Kovu, much to Kovu’s dismay.

A tribe of humans camp near a waterfall, among them their leader, named Runar, with his wife Nadia and their infant son Roshan, before heading north to their settlement in the mountains. Kurama, leader of a pack, watches the humans with his trusted lieutenant, a cat named Meowth. Kurama, seeking revenge against the humans for wiping out half of his pack, intends to devour Runar’s son Roshan in vengeance and plans an attack for the next morning. The attack takes place, with Meowth pursuing Nadia, but she escapes with Roshan, jumping over the waterfalls so that Meowth returns to Kurama with no baby; the pack agrees to meet at Half Peak, where Meowth will produce the baby for Kurama.

Kovu and Chuck journey on, Kovu bothered by the bird’s constant talking, until the two find Nadia on a riverbank, weakened greatly by her jump over the falls, with hardly enough strength to pass her son to Kovu before she disappears. Kovu leaves, but Chuck intends to return the baby to his “herd”, which Kovu will not help with. The two meet Meowth, who takes the baby, claiming that he intends to return him to the humans. Kovu, unconvinced, decides to help Chuck return the baby to his family, leaving the cat behind; the humans’ camp is abandoned and Manny reluctantly decides to head north to find the humans’ settlement at Glacier Pass and return the baby, taking Meowth along as a guide.

The trio take the baby up north and meet a fanatical flock of dogs on the way, from which they procure food for the baby. During the trek, however, Meowth secretly meets up with two of his pack mates, who pass a message from Kurama, demanding the baby; Meowth sends them back with a message to Kurama, promising the baby and Kovu. The following morning, Chuck takes the baby to a mud crater, where he meets two female animals named Lola and Penelope Pussycat, who he tries to court using the baby, which Kovu takes back; Chuck returns to the mud crater, only to find the sloths gone, Roger and Mel in their place. The rhinos pursue Chuck, who runs into Meowth and pleads to the cat to deter the dogs: Meowth pretends to have killed Chuck to throw the dogs off the trail and releases his grip once the dogs leave; Meowth then moves on with Kovu and Chuck. On the way, the group runs into a number of predicaments, from a changing landscape to freezing ice age blizzards. The group meets a rat named Buddy, who had seen a pack of sabers go by and tries to tell Kovu before Meowth surreptitiously flicks Buddy away.

Further on, Meowth spots the humans close by and suggests a shortcut to waylay Kovu and Chuck to an ambush point; this shortcut takes them through an ice cavern which leads to a cave adorned with paintings, all featuring animals. There, Chuck and Meowth learn about Kovu's past and his previous interactions with the neanderthal hunters, in which they slaughtered his family, consisting of his mother and siblings, leaving Kovu a depressed loner. The baby reaches out to the painting, comforting Kovu in that he lets go of his bitterness at having lost his family.

Further on, the group grows closer to Glacier Pass when they reach a lava field, which they must cross. Chuck nearly falls into the lava but Kovu saves him, falling into the lava pit himself as the ice he is standing on breaks off. Kovu is launched out of the lava pit unharmed, launched out with the ice he stood on. Chuck, in wonderment at Kovu’s actions, asks why Kovu risked his life to save him, Kovu replying that such sacrifices where what herds did. Meanwhile, Kurama and his pack plan for the ambush on Kovu, aided by Meowth.

That night, while settling down by campfire, Meowth begins to see the error of his ways in betraying Kovu. After the others fall asleep, Buddy appears on the scene with his acorn, planning to thaw it from the ice, baking it instead by mistake into a hot kernel. The group continued on, reaching Half Peak, where Meowth, feeling remorse for betraying Kovu’s trust, confesses his plans to Kovu, which angers the lion. Kovu pins Meowth to the ground, intending to kill him for his misdeeds, but Meowth, having had a change of heart, agrees to help Kovu escape the pack.

Leading the pack away from Kovu, who they intended to ambush, Chuck slides off on two pieces of bark with a decoy baby made of snow; the pack, however, catches up with Kovu, who knocks them away with a log, save for one, named Butch, who Chuck stomps into a hollow tree. Kurama catches up with them and corners Kovu, asking Meowth to help bring the lion down; Meowth defects from Kurama and defends Kovu at his own expense as Kurama brings Meowth down, wounding him. Kurama then turns to Kovu, intending to attack him alone, but the lion, in vengeance, knocks Kurama into an ice wall, which jars loose a number of hanging icicles, impaling him. The other cats, Meathead and Lightning, return to find their leader killed and flee the scene.

Kovu, Chuck and the baby are safe; Meowth, however, is severely injured and appears to succumb to his wounds, leaving Kovu and Chuck to find the humans by themselves. The two find the humans, who ready themselves to attack when Kovu produces Roshan, safe and sound. Grateful for Kovu’s returning Roshan, Runar calls off the attack and bestows a beaded necklace to Kovu in thanks before leaving with the baby. Kovu and Chuck leave and find Meowth, who survived the attack due to his “nine lives” The three become a herd and decide to head south together, the film ends.

## **CHARACTERS**

* Kovu
* Chuck
* Meowth
* Roshan
* Kurama
* Butch
* Meathead
* Lightning
* Roger
* Mel
* Lola Bunny
* Penelope Pussycat
* Runar
* Nadia

## **VOICE TALENT**

* Jason Marsden as Kovu
* Josh Gad as Chuck
* James Carter Cathcart as Meowth
* Paul St. Peter as Kurama
* Joey D'Auria as Butch
* Dave B. Mitchell as Meathead
* Colin Murdock as Lightning
* Patrick Roche as Roger
* Bobby Moynihan as Mel
* Selena Gomez as Lola Bunny
* Ellen DeGeneres as Penelope Pussycat

## **OPENING CREDITS**

Based On Characters Created by:

Carlos Saldanha

Executive Producer:

Sam Register

Produced by:

Lori Forte

Associate Producer:

George Scribner

Music by:

David Newman

Casting And Voice Direction by:

Peter Gaulke

Edited by:

Mark A. Hester

Story by:

Gerry Swallow

Written by:

John Edwards

Directed by:

Darrell Van Citters

## **SONGS**

01. **Team Mates**

Performed by: Jason Marsden, Josh Gad.

02. **We Make A Team Together!**

Performed by: Jason Marsden, Josh Gad, James Carter Cathcart.

03. **Food Glorious Food**

Performed by: Paul St. Peter.

04. **On My Way**

Performed by: Jason Marsden, Josh Gad, James Carter Cathcart.

05. **Best Of Friends**

Performed by: Jason Marsden, Josh Gad, James Carter Cathcart.

06. **Fire On The Bayou**

Performed by: Jason Marsden, Josh Gad, James Carter Cathcart.

07. **The Most Important Thing Is Being Friends!**

Performed by: Jason Marsden, Josh Gad, James Carter Cathcart.

## **TRIVIA**

* This film was based on *Ice Age.*
* This was the nineteenth film of Warner Bros. Pictures.
* Kovu is the nineteenth main protagonist of Warner Bros. Pictures.
* Kurama is the nineteenth main antagonist of Warner Bros. Pictures.