MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS Makes World Television Premiere on Animal Planet Sunday May 25
-- This Memorial Day Weekend, Animal Planet Pays Tribute to Legendary Meerkat Matriarch --
April 22, 2008
(Silver Spring, Md.) In memory of the Flower – the infamous meerkat matriarch who climbed her way to lead the "Whiskers" clan – Animal Planet is airing the movie MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS over Memorial Day Weekend Sunday, May 25, from 8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT following its theatrical debut at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. The film tells the story of Flower before she became the Manor’s famous first lady on Animal Planet’s popular Emmy-nominated series MEERKAT MANOR.
Filmed over a seven-month period, MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS follows the real-life adventures of the Whiskers family. In partnership with Oxford Scientific Films/Southern Star, Cambridge University and world-renowned animal behavioralist Professor Tim Clutton-Brock, Animal Planet and Discovery Films span Flower’s incredible journey from birth to matriarch of the Whiskers mob. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, the film traces the transformation of Flower from a young, inexperienced meerkat into a remarkable leader who puts her family above all in the fight for survival in one of the harshest deserts on the planet. Fans witness Flower’s growth as she raises her family and forges a legacy amidst the unforgiving landscape and constant dangers of the Kalahari.
MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS captures unique vantage points of these distinctive animals using cameras attached to helicopters and "meerkam" technology with underground camera systems specially designed to view the meerkats in their burrows.
Immediately following the May 25 premiere of MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS, Animal Planet premieres THE MAKING OF MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS from 9:30 -10 PM (ET/PT). Then, on Friday, May 30, the film MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS encores from 8-9:30 PM (ET/PT), and is immediately followed by the half-hour special, THE SCIENCE OF MEERKAT MANOR, beginning at 9:30 PM (ET/PT).
MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS, debuts on DVD June 3 from Genius Products, The Weinstein Company and Animal Planet and will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.97.
Also, the new season, MEERKAT MANOR: THE NEXT GENERATION, makes its debut Friday, June 6, at a new time, 9 PM. In this season, the infamous Whiskers Family is no longer united. Splitting off into two groups led by domineering sisters – the Aztecs (led by Maybelline) and the Whiskers (led by Rocket Dog), life at the Manor will never be the same. It’s the age-old story of a bitter rivalry between two sisters hungry for power and who will stop at nothing to be on top!
MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS is directed by documentary filmmakers Mike Slee and Chris Barker and written by Michael Olmert and Judy Morris. Clare Birks is executive producer and Caroline Hawkins is producer for Oxford Scientific Films/Southern Star. Executive producers for Discovery Communications/Discovery Films are Mark Wild, Mick Kaczorowski and Carole Tomko.
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; PetsIncredible, a major producer and distributor of pet-training videos and includes web service PetVideo.com; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.
Animal Planet Media is a property of Discovery Communications, the world’s number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.