Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Cheetah

Play trailer Poster for Cheetah G Released Aug 18, 1989 1h 23m Kids & Family Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
43% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Two California teens (Keith Coogan, Lucy Deakins) go to Kenya with their parents and befriend a Masai boy (Colin Mothupi) and a baby cheetah.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Cheetah

Critics Reviews

View All (7)
Ruth Ford Washington Post Cheetah brings to focus the concerns of experts and laymen alike. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Joly Herman Common Sense Media '80s Disney live-action adventure with few perilous moments. Rated: 3/5 Mar 15, 2011 Full Review Brian Orndorf BrianOrndorf.com It's an exceedingly simple story using the lure of golden African locations, animal observation, and teen histrionics to coax viewers in, directed by a guy who used to craft Circle-Vision films for Epcot. Rated: C Aug 26, 2009 Full Review Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Rated: 2/5 Oct 6, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 22, 2005 Full Review Scott Weinberg eFilmCritic.com There's a lot here that the kiddies will like, and it's delivered with a minimum of the outright schmaltz that's become so prevalent in Disney's more recent efforts. Rated: 3/5 Jul 11, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (47)
Cameron H This film tells the heartwarming story of an orphaned cheetah cub who is adopted and raised by a pair of American siblings, visiting Kenya with their scientist parents. When the cheetah is captured by poachers, the siblings, along with their native friend Morogo, journey into the Kenyan savanna to rescue it. The cinematography was the standout element of this film. It captured the beautiful and majestic scenery of Africa. I appreciated the story of a family adjusting to living in a foreign country, because I have personal experience with that. I thought the performances were fine, there’s plenty of exciting adventure to keep younger audiences entertained. It’s an obscure, and I’ll even say underrated film in Disney’s catalog. It’s a great film for kids, families, and animal lovers. Fun fact: the phrase “Hakuna matata” was used prominently in this film and later became popular five years later with the release of “The Lion King.” Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/25/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 23 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $7,900,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/19/25 Full Review Eli S Good choice for children age 3 to 6. A nice break from the hyper flashy animated kids movies being put out today, this one is charming and enjoyable for parents too. Basic story line used to showcase numerous African animals. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/25 Full Review Dale R An American family living in Kenya adopts an orphan cheetah cub. This movie seemed to drag in places and the two lead roles seemed to be written for younger actors than the two in the lead roles. There were some questionable line deliveries throughout the movie. It was cool to see Tribal African and Colonial African culture being portrayed in a movie in a positive way. I perked up when the term “Hakuna Matata” came up multiple times in the movie. This movie overall isn’t horrible, but it was just dull for me. I’d say skip it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/07/24 Full Review Audience Member An American family living in Kenya adopts an orphan cheetah cub. This movie seemed to drag in places and the two lead roles seemed to be written for younger actors than the two in the lead roles. There were some questionable line deliveries throughout the movie. It was cool to see Tribal African and Colonial African culture being portrayed in a movie in a positive way. I perked up when the term "Hakuna Matata" came up multiple times in the movie. This movie overall isn't horrible, but it was just dull for me. I'd say skip it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Politicamente correto, lindinho, família americana comportamento e caráter top, bandidagem queniana local ok, malvados, trambiqueiros e querem levar vantagem em tudo, bichinha fofinha que é resgatada pela gentil família e depois solta no seu habitat, criancinhas fofinhas, aventura, tudo bem simplório, entretanto com grande grau de fofura, para os amantes da natureza na simplicidade e conveniência… Adorei... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Cheetah

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Benji the Hunted 55% 61% Benji the Hunted Watchlist Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco 56% 44% Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco Watchlist Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey 87% 71% Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey Watchlist 102 Dalmatians 30% 32% 102 Dalmatians Watchlist The Incredible Journey 89% 75% The Incredible Journey Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Two California teens (Keith Coogan, Lucy Deakins) go to Kenya with their parents and befriend a Masai boy (Colin Mothupi) and a baby cheetah.
Director
Jeff Blyth
Producer
Robert Halmi Sr., Roy E. Disney
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co
Walt Disney Pictures, Silver Screen Partners III
Rating
G
Genre
Kids & Family, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 18, 1989, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.9M
Runtime
1h 23m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
Most Popular at Home Now