Saving Mango - A Cat's Story
Critic:
Jason Knight
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Posted on:
Oct 25, 2024

Directed by:
Oren Peled
Written by:
Oren Peled
Starring:
Josh Bloomberg, Eli Gorenstein, Oren Peled
A feature comedy drama adventure film written and directed by Oren Peled and starring Josh Bloomberg and a cat named Simba as the titular Mango.
Mango is actually the main protagonist. Yes, this is a live-action film starring a cat. The plot will most likely make viewers think of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and Home Alone. Simba is a domesticated male cat who lives in a nice home with a nice family. One day, the family goes on a holiday, leaving Mango at he house. They intend to return soon, however their car is involved in a collision and they are unable to return home. Now poor Mango does not know what is going on and he must look after himself and figure out what to do.
The hero is a cat who is unintentionally left home alone and the story is told through his perspective. Quite an unusual and interesting plot. And the story is told through Mango's perspective, with Josh Bloomberg providing voice-over that serves as Mango's thoughts, his emotions, his opinions and how he generally perceives things. Bloomberg's voice-over gives a personality to Simba, making him likeable, with common sense and a sense of humour and makes him a character to root for. It should be mentioned that the cat's mouth does not open when his thoughts are heard, meaning that the words only exist in his mind. Filming was done in ways that helps the audience experience the world through Mango's perspective to a certain degree, an example being Mango's cool point-of-view-shots. The emotional, light-hearted and mesmerising music is another plus.
If there are some negative qualities to be pointed out then one might be that the film would had benefited if the members of the family that Mango lives with (the two children and their mother ) were explored more as characters. It is evident that they are nice people, but that is pretty much all. Another would be a scene where a man is talking to Mango, trying to reason with him. Although it is obviously intended to be a moving scene, seeing an adult attempting make a cat understand a situation feels silly.
Regarding the performances, a lot of praise goes to Simba for portraying Mango and to Bloomberg for the amusing voice-over that gives Mango a fun-loving, good-natured personality. The action centers on Mango and the only other characters that have significant screen time are the children's grandfather (Eli Gorenstein) and a homeless man played by Peled. Although not very convincing in his role, Gorenstein still manages to create a sympathetic character. Peled stands out as a homeless man who builds a rapport with Mango. Peled's character does not speak and he comes across as a person with a good heart, even though he is rather awkward and childish as he interacts with the cat.
This story is a journey. A journey that begins as a situation involving isolation and uncertainty, before becoming involved in other themes, including survival, self-discovery and friendship. The main message appears to be that one should cherish those around them and also be self-sufficient.
This feature is an adventure that has a light-hearted atmosphere for the most part, yet it also has dramatic moments. It will probably be fair to say that people who like cats and animals in general will most likely enjoy this film about a cat experiencing a life-changing adventure.
This film is available now both on Prime Video via Prime Video Direct Content Submission Portal (in the US and the UK) & Tubi (in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and the UK).