Animals United 2010

In the Okavango Delta, the annual flood has failed to arrive, leaving the water supply scarce and turning a calm landscape into a tense battleground. A herd of rhinos and buffaloes, including Chino and Tilo Schmitz as Biggie, fiercely vie for every precious drop. Among the wildlife is a gray meerkat named Billy Ralf Schmitz, who teams up with a mighty lion named Socrates Thomas Fritsch and sets out on a quest to find more water.

Their journey leads them to a dark, muddy place known as the The Valley of Death, where they stumble upon a diverse, rag‑tag group of wanderers drawn together by hardship: a polar bear named Sushi, a kangaroo named Toby, a Tasmanian devil named Smiley, two Galápagos tortoises named Winifred and Winston, and a rooster named Charles Christoph Maria Herbst. Each of them has felt the sting of human activity and has traveled to Africa seeking relief and safety. That night, Socrates recounts a harrowing tale about how he and his brother Mambo once ventured into the Valley of Death, and how Mambo fell to a brutal poacher.

The next morning reveals the real cause of the drought: a dam has been built to power the Eden Paradise Hotel, a luxurious retreat for a Climate Conference. The hotel’s presence, and the man behind it—Mr. Smith Oliver Kalkofe—blocks the natural flow of water, threatening the region’s balance. A chimpanzee named Toto, the hotel’s mascot, becomes a crucial ally, helping the animals navigate the system and reclaim their water. But danger intensifies when a poacher named Hunter kidnaps Socrates, forcing Billy and the others to improvise a daring rescue.

The animal community holds a conference to warn humans about a bleak future if water is hoarded and exploited. Yet the message is almost erased when Winifred and Winston, the tortoises, pass away, underscoring the high cost of inaction. Undeterred, Billy, Socrates, Toto, and the rest press onward through the Valley of Death toward the dam. Hunter tries to stop them with a bi-plane, but Toto foils the plan and buys the group time.

In a bold, natural protest, the animals unleash a locust swarm that devastates the conference room, devouring documents and even clothes, sending a clear signal to those responsible for the water blockade. Billy rescues Socrates, and they slip away down a chute with Toto’s help. The chase culminates in a tense confrontation with Hunter: they corner him and threaten to drop him into a tiger’s den unless he reveals why he blocked the water. The encounter ends with Billy delivering a decisive knockout blow, and the dam finally releases its water, restoring life to the Delta.

With water returning to the land, the animals celebrate their victory and invite Toto to join them in their new community. The story closes on a note of accountability and renewed hope as they head toward the city, determined to hold humans to account for their actions and ensure a safer future for all inhabitants of the Delta.