Using live-action wildlife films from the National Geographic and the BBC archives, this animated PBS series tells the warmhearted story of an elephant named Mama Mirabelle, who travels the world filming wildlife movies that she shares with her family and friends back home in the African savanna, including her son Max, Bo the cheetah, a zebra named Karla and three monkey brothers -- Kip, Flip, and Chip.
Episodes
Elephant Walk; Sounds of the Savannah
Join Mama and Max as they discover the steps to independence! Join the Savannah Six as they jam to their music, inspired by Mama's home movies!
A Little Help from My Friends; Baby of a Different Stripe
Mama is about to receive a special gift from her friends, if they can work together. Mama helps a hesitant Karla get excited about becoming a big sister!
Hide and Seek; Tell Me About It
Get ready for a game of hide-and-go-seek with Mama Mirabelle and friends! Max discovers how to sound for danger, but danger isn't always present when he calls.
To Sleep with Wombats; All Creatures Great and Small
Keisha is a total night owl, how will Karla sleep and play with her visiting friend? Mama shows the kids some of her home movies about the different shapes and sizes of animals.
Anybody Home?; Healthy Habits
Max, Bo, and Karla find lost bird brothers, watch as the friends get the brothers home safely. When Max gets a cold at a bad time, Mama shows him how to get better.
The Play's the Thing; Sam Spades of the Savannah
Mama shows Bo, Karla, and Max how important their favorite games really are. Mama and the kids go on the case in search of Bo's missing feather.
Gourmet Grazing; Kings & Queens of the Savannah
Mama shows Karla that eating properly can be exciting, as well as showing her the vast range of things that animals eat. Bo, Karla and Max are having a discussion about who the true king or queen of the savannah might be. Mama takes the kids on a nature walk to show them that everyone is royalty to somebody.
I Spy; Eyes, Ears, Nose & Trunks
Bo, Max, and Karla play a game of "I Spy" and find out how to slow down and see a whole new world. With the help of a new friend, the kids learn about their special senses.
What's in a Tail?; Footprints In The Sand
Mama shows the kids that there are lots of different tails in the animal kingdom and that everyone is unique and special--just like the animal it's attached to. Mama and the kids discover a giant footprint left by an impressive remnant of the distant past.
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow; Nobody's Perfect
Karla makes a new friend, Winnie the wildebeest, and is sad to discover that she and her mother will be leaving. Mama explains why animals migrate, and assures Karla that Winnie will be back this way before she knows it. Bo, who's been boasting about his leaping ability, has an embarrassing accident. Mama shows Bo that all animals make mistakes - it's one of the ways we learn.
Things That Go Yip, Howl And Screech In The Night; Cracking The Code
Max's friend Benny the bird is sleeping over with him, Bo and Karla. They are excited, until unfamiliar sounds start wafting in. Benny is scared, but Mama, with the help of some fun movies, helps Benny to understand the sounds that are making him scared. When Max, Bo and Karla find an egg, they enlist Mama's help in finding out what kind of animal is inside.
The Boy Can Blow; I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes
When Max gets sad that he can't trumpet like Mama, she explains that we all develop at different times and it's important to be happy with yourself in the present. When Bo exhibits a hidden fear, Mama shows that even creepy-looking animals can be savanna superheroes.
A Savanna Kwanzaa; You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby
Everyone on the savannah comes to Mama's big Kwanzaa celebration, which leads to a discussion about the seemingly endless variety of animal families and their names. Kip, Flip, and Chip the monkey brothers have a new cousin, Pip. No one, especially not Bo, can believe that they were ever as small as Pip, but Mama has movies that prove otherwise.
Change Is Gonna Come; Trumpet While You Work
Mama explains how change is something that happens to everyone in the animal kingdom. Max learns why all adults have to work.
Spot The Difference; Hot-And-Cold Running Critters
Karla discovers that she has an American Counterpart named Garla, which Bo gets them confused. Mama Mirabelle takes the kids to a wilderness training camp, but when the camp's instructor falls into hibernation, they soon find out that he is cold blooded.
Why Zebras Can't Fly; Super Duper Savannah Animals
Karla and her friend, a peregrine falcon named Perry, are playing, and Karla begins to envy Perry's impressive flight skills. She wants to fly, spurring Mama to play several films showing which animals do and don't fly. Bo, Karla and Max are playing their favorite pretend game, Savannah Superheroes, and they're on the lookout for new members. When a rhino beetle named Ron shows up, they learn that even the smallest of us can be powerful.
Come Out Of Your Shell; Travels With Mama
Playing on the savannah, Bo and Max stumble over a new friend, a tortoise named Tallulah. When they come on a little too strong, however, Tallulah retreats into her shell. Bo and Max ask Mama to help bring Tallulah back out of her shell. The kids have difficulty solving a riddle, which reminds Mama of the time she traveled to Australia and found a very special animal.
Tails Of The Galapagos; Happy Habitats
When Bo, Max and Karla spy what looks like a couple of slow-moving rock monsters, they panic and tell Mama. She's pleased to tell them those aren't rocks - they're her friend Glynnis and son Glenn, over from the Galapagos Islands for a visit. Max is bored. Nobody's around, not even Karla and Bo. Mama assures him that there are potential friends all around - all he has to do is look closer.
Savanna Lullaby; It Gives You Paws
The kids can't get to sleep, and Mama shows them that the most important thing about bedtime is having a routine - and a good lullaby, of course. A game of Follow the Leader nearly goes awry when Max, Bo and Karla find they're unable to follow each other on certain terrain. Mama shows a movie about the specialized hands and feet of different animals.
Out Of Reach; Family Style
After hearing a story about a magician, Max is determined to find a magic wand of his own. He tries to make a ripe marula fruit drop out of a nearby tree. When it doesn't happen, Mama shows him that while wishing is a good place to start, getting something done requires action. Max, Karla and Bo are discussing their families when they realize that Max's friend Benny's family is different from their own. Mama shows the kids that there are many kinds of families in the animal kingdom, but that all families care for each other.
Curtain Up!; Listen Up!
When the kids decide to put on a show, Mama shows them a movie of other animals at play. Karla and Bo disagree over an animal they have seen. Bo claims it was a giraffe, and Karla is sure that it was a zebra. Mama shows them that if they could listen to each other, they might see that the answer lies in what both of them have seen.
Rainy Day Blues; Take Me To The Water
A rainy day on the savannah produces long faces, until Mama helps pass the time by introducing the gang to a place that is really rainy, the South American rainforest. Jacques, Mama's film-making friend, comes to visit. The kids are excited to meet him, until they see that he is a walrus. Mama and Jacques show the kids that they shouldn't be so quick to judge.
Find Your Way Home; The Nose Knows
After a long hike to watch a wildebeest migration, Bo believes the group must be lost on the way home. Mama shows Bo, as well as Karla and Max, the many ways in which animals are able to find their way home. Max smells something that Bo and Karla cannot. This leads to a discussion about animal noses and smelling abilities.
Jumbled Jungle; Alone Together
When an accident forces Mama and the kids to scrap their film festival, they turn their misfortune into an opportunity. Bo's busily doing a project on his own, but Max wants to play. When Bo expresses his desire to be by himself for a while, Max is hurt. Mama shows them that sometimes, friends just need a little time.
Muddy Wonderland; Do You See What I See?
When the rainy season arrives, Mama shows the kids the fun, and the value, of a good mud bath. A game of "do you see what I see?" on a hike across the savannah initiates a discussion on how everyone sees things differently.
Have You Heard?; This Is Mama's World
The story about a new kid on the savannah is spreading, but everyone's account is a bit different. With Mama's help, they learn that it is not just what you hear, but what you do with what you hear. It is Mama's birthday and Max, Bo and Karla want to give her the perfect present. They decide to make her a movie celebrating the parts of the world she has visited.
Top Cast
Vanessa Williams
Mama Mirabelle (voice)
Phillipa Alexander
Max (voice)
Jules de Jongh
Bo (voice)
Teresa Gallagher
Karla (voice)
Tajja Isen
Merlin (voice)
Moya O'Sullivan
Kayla (voice)
David Holt
Daddy Stripes (voice)
Katie Leigh
Keisha (voice)
Lizzie Waterworth
Benny (voice)
Sarah Anne Williams
Winnie (voice)
