Stellaluna 2004

In a jungle in Africa, a mother fruit bat has a new baby and names her Stellaluna, Chiara Zanni providing the voice for the curious young bat. One night, a Great White Owl, Blu Mankuma, attacks the colony, knocking Stellaluna from her mother’s embrace and sending her tumbling into the forest below.

She lands in a sparrow’s nest filled with three baby birds — Pip Eric Pospisil, Flitter Chiara Zanni, and Flap Brittany Moldowan. The sparrow mother will let Stellaluna join the family only if she eats bugs and worms, does not hang by her feet, and sleeps at night.

As the birds grow, they learn to fly. When Stellaluna and the birds are out playing, it grows dark and the birds head home without her because they cannot see in the night. Stellaluna keeps flying, but when her wings start to ache, she rests—hanging by her thumbs to pause and catch her breath.

Soon other bats arrive, and one asks Stellaluna why she is hanging by her thumbs. As she shares her story with the other bats, Mother Bat reunites with her, and Stellaluna begins to understand why she feels so different.

Excited about learning how to be a bat, Stellaluna returns to Pip, Flitter, and Flap to share her new experiences. They decide to join Stellaluna and the bats at night, but their night flights prove to be challenging, nearly causing a crash. Stellaluna steps in to rescue them, and the four of them conclude that, while they may be very different, they are still friends and family.