| Director | Kylie Stott |
|---|
In a lush valley in Australia, a young kangaroo joey, Mala, emerges from her mother Lowanna's pouch for the first time. Mala is reluctant to leave the pouch, in contrast to the joyful joey Buru, who loves to hop. King of the kangaroo mob is Bamir, the largest buck in the valley and Mala's father.
Bordering the valley is the Black Forest, burnt in recent wildfires and the lair of a dingo pack, led by the white dingo Migaloo. Migaloo's son, Miro, is the same age as Mala and is still learning to hunt. Miro chases a mother kangaroo carrying a joey in her pouch. The joey topples from the pouch during the chase, but manages to escape.
Only one in five kangaroo joeys make it to their first birthday, so Mala has a lot to learn if she's going to survive her first year. Mala's valley is home to many creatures, including the grumpy wombat Warrin, an energetic bird Willie the Wagtail, a koala, sugar gliders and many colorful parrots. A wedge-tailed eagle threatens the joeys but the kangaroo mob is alerted to the threat by the alarm calls of the smaller birds in the valley.
The next time the dingoes return to hunt, Mala is separated from Lowanna in the chaos. The dingoes surround King Bamir and he is brought down to his death. When the chaos is over, Mala finally reunites with Lowanna.
Winter brings snow storms to the valley, and food is scarce for the kangaroos. Miro is forced to leave the dingo pack when a new litter of pups arrives, and he struggles to find food.
When spring arrives, Mala and Miro are both out on their own. In a final hunt, the two go head-to-head. Mala manages to outpace Miro and escape with her life. The new season's babies all begin to emerge, continuing the circle of life in the valley.