Afrikaans Khumba cast announced

In a first for South Africa, Khumba, a South Africa animated film about a half-striped zebra living in the Karoo, will be released in Afrikaans in cinemas on 25 October 2013.

The Afrikaans version features the voices of several famous and Afrikaans actors whose voice talents will be familiar to local audiences. The local voiceover artists are directed by radio and television personality Bettie Kemp, who is an experienced voice artist, news reader and continuity announcer.

Leading the Afrikaans cast is actor and comedian Hannes Br mmer, who provides the voice of Khumba, with Roepman and Agter Elke Man star Rika Sennet as his mother Lungisa.

Veteran voice artist and actor Francois Stemmet is the voice for the menacing leopard Phango. Stemmet is known for voicing numerous childrens television programmes, including the role of Sarel die Seemonster in Wielie Walie, one of the first ever South African television series.

A new level of humour and authenticity

The meerkat dad is voiced by Afrikaans musician and actor Lochner de Kock, while actress and director Rina Nienaber provides the voice for the baby meerkat.

Radio personality Derrich Gardner takes on the role of the rabbit. The loony old sheep Nora is voiced by cabaret star and actress Elzab Zietsman, while the three rugby-loving springboks are voiced by Frank Opperman, Frans Swart, and Andre Stolz. The voices of the springboks in the English version are provided by SA actors Rob van Vuuren, Nik Rabinowitz and Matthew Dylan Roberts.

Im excited to see it all come together and can imagine that it will bring a whole new layer of humour and authenticity to the film, says Khumba director Anthony Silverston.

Im also so excited for the Triggerfish crew who worked on the film as many of them will now be able to watch Khumba in their own language!

SA cast vs Hollywood cast

Khumba, the second 3D animated feature from the Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation Studio, tells of a zebra who is born with only half his stripes. When he is blamed for the lack of rain by the rest of his superstitious herd, he embarks on a brave quest. In his search for the legendary waterhole where the first zebras got their stripes, Khumba meets a quirky range of characters and teams up with an unlikely duo: Mama V, an overprotective wildebeest, and Bradley, a flamboyant ostrich.

But before he can reunite with his herd, Khumba has to come face to face with a merciless leopard who controls the waterholes and terrorises all the animals in the Great Karoo.

The English version of the film features the voices of Liam Neeson, Jake T Austin, AnnaSophia Robb, Richard E. Grant, Laurence Fishburne and Steve Buscemi.

Its a charming story that is beautifully told, says Helen Kuun, CEO of Indigenous Film Distribution, which is releasing the film locally. To be able to release a 3D animated film of this quality in Afrikaans is a major achievement for the industry and it's sure to delight audiences.

Khumba is released in SA cinemas on 25 October and is one of only five films that will be featured in the kids programme at this years prestigious Toronto Film Festival, which runs from 5-15 September.

http://www.channel24.co.za

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