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| Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins | 
| Director: Mike Slee;chris Barker
Actor: Whoopi Goldberg
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $7.50
You Save: $12.48 (62%)
New (45) Collectible (1) from $7.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 15220
Format: Color, Ntsc, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Running Time: 75 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.7
MPN: WEID81409D
UPC: 796019814096
EAN: 0796019814096
ASIN: B0017LGQHM
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: June 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Where's Hannibal when you need him? June 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
SO IT'S NOT ENOUGH that we lost Flower and Mozart in season three, the show's producer, Carolyn Hawkins had to take Sean Astin from us, too. Fans had every reason to expect Astin to return to narrate future seasons - and specials such as "The Story Begins." He led us through Flower's life as a leader of her tribe. Why shouldn't we expect him to tell us about her pup-hood?
Apparently, we are wrong. A letter from Animal Planet advises that human meerkat management decided it was time for women to take over narration duties. Management - I read that "marketing" - wanted a lighter tone: "With ... Flower's passing the show's producer wanted to signal a change for the Whiskers clan and felt the best way to do that was with a new narrator. When Meerkat Manor premieres ... Emmy-award winning Stockard Channing will lend a headstrong voice to the Manor."
Nice call on the "lighter tone" for women, folks. Thanks bunches.
Here's the gripe. Why tamper with perfection? "Meerkat Manor" has become an Animal Planet icon. Ratings are heads and tails better than spin offs such as "Orangutan Island" and the, frankly, offensive "Lemur Kingdom" that cites its critters with stereotypical hip hop characteristics. Not a show I'd want children to watch.
I love Whoopi Goldberg, who narrates "The Story Begins," the story of young Flower. I also enjoy and respect Stockard Channing, but neither have Astin's resonance. Couple Goldberg's voice with the saccharine sweet score that accompanies "Story" and you've got a nauseating 75 minutes to get through.
Meerkat fans should be sure to pick up season three with its incredible true life story and compassionate narrator, who leads us through the triumphs and tragedies of the Kalahari. Don't insult the journey with the new marketing. Do yourself a favor, too, and avoid "The Story Begins." Here, the story ends.
- Kay Reynolds, The Virginian-Pilot
Sean, Come Home! June 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am completely addicted to the series, but I can't get all the way through it, either. The narration is indecipherable, passionless and, well, just awful. Choosing Sean Astin to narrate the series was brilliant. Why he was not chosen to narrate this movie makes no sense. True, it is a tribute to Flower, but most of it is recreated, with very few scenes of the "real" stars. Sean's narration would have made this thing watchable. Don't waste your money; read the Professor's book instead!
 Hiring Narrator Whoopi Goldberg was a big mistake June 6, 2008
I'm sure these Meerkats are not Flower, her mother and siblings, but the film was OK for Flower lovers. I miss Sean, the narrator from last year. I hope he narrates the series.
Disappointing June 5, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This movie is not a tribute to Flower. It is not even factual. I highly recommend getting the book Meerkat Manor: Flower of the Kalahari by Tim Clutton-Brock. The narration is disappointing. Sean Astin does a perfect job narrating in Meerkat Manor Seasons 1-3. I would prefer to buy Meerkat Manor Seasons 1-3 than this movie. Although, I did enjoy seeing footage of Flower and Zaphod together again as adults (I think it was really them).
 Sean Astin - Where Are You? May 29, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've tried 3 times to watch this movie and I'm only half through it - and decided to see what others are saying. Whoppi Goldberg's narration is AWFUL. Sean Astin's narration made the series dynamite - and we were REALLY watching the one-and-only real Flower. It is sad to see such a wonderful series debased by such a terrible movie. Meerkat Manor, the series, rocks. Meerkat Manor, the movie, sucks !
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