Half Tusk is a major character featured in the 2000 Disney live-action film Whispers: An Elephant's Tale.
Background[]
Personality[]
Half Tusk is the matriarch of the elephant herd in the African savanna. Hence her duty, she leads her herd across the landscape, especially when it comes to them looking for the Great River and dealing with poachers on a hunt for elephants across the savanna. She is also shown to be fearful of poachers present in the elephants' territory, leading Whispers to save them from the hazards across the savanna. To this, Half Tusk eventually praises Whispers for being a hero who saved her here, making her an accepting leader who accepts good elephants for them to be part of her herd.
Role in the film[]
Half Tusk is first seen leading a herd of elephants across the landscape, telling them to keep up, just before her sister arrives at Whispers' hiding spot. She then realizes that her herd is heading straight for lunch. Just as she asks Tuskless to know who the elephant hiding behind the bush is, she explains that it's her sister arriving, which she tells her to ignore her. Later, when the other elephants are panicking thinking that the poachers are back, Half Tusk tries to calm the herd down, saying that the poachers are gone. She then tries to find her teenage daughter, Princess, who fell behind during the panic, just as she gives out a Code Gray emergency to alert the elephants to find her daughter, just as the other elephants are unable to find her, only for Whispers to find out that he found her, much to Half Tusk's surprise. Half Tusk approaches her daughter, feeling worried that she wasn't all right, especially after she tripped during the panic.
Half Tusk later approaches Groove, furious that she was to protect her teenage daughter from danger, only for her to be irritated, much to Half Tusk feeling furious giving her a last warning to watch over her daughter. Just as she overhears about the poachers, she decides to lead the herd to the Great River, due to the spot occupied by poachers. Groove refuses, making a negative comment about Whispers about him slowing the herd down, only for Half Tusk to furiously charge towards Groove and fight her for her disobedience. Groove then overhears her sister Half Tusk, complaining that she is tired of having no one listen to her opinions or having fun, only for her to warn her not leave by herself to avoid ending up in the situation Tuskless had.
The next day, Princess impatiently tells her mother of when will the herd look for water, which Half Tusk tells her teenage daughter to be patient, telling the elephants that Spike has returned. Spike approaches Half Tusk, happy to see her in the herd, just as she asks her of why Groove is not present in the herd, thinking that she could have been separated with poachers everywhere, which she tells Spike that she did everything she could, telling her to find Groove and keep her safe. The following night, Half Tusk warns the herd that they are running out of time to look for Groove, only for the elephants to see a wildfire from a distance.
The next day, Round alerts Half Tusk, telling her that she saw Whispers calling for help, just as all the other elephants gather, warning them that Groove is in danger and needs urgent help and as he is unable to finish explaining, he decides to get milk from Half Tusk to nourish him. Whispers then finishes explaining that Groove was injured during her fight against the poachers last night, leading Half Tusk on an emergency; she then alerts the elephants to stay while she finds Groove. Half Tusk worriedly rushes towards her sister, explaining to her of what Whispers told her. She then gives Groove some water so that she could follow along, but collapses, unable to follow along. Groove tells her sister to take care of Whispers just before she dies, causing Whispers to mourn her death.
Following Groove's death, Half Tusk and the rest of her herd walk across the African savanna with Whispers following along during a long journey. After a long journey, Half Tusk and her herd find water as marked by a flock of birds, just as she and the rest of the elephants were able to find water. During the moment, Half Tusk and the rest of the herd were able to splash and play in the water.
Furthermore when the poachers arrive at the spot where the elephants are present, Whispers warns them about the poachers attempting to hunt them down, and begins trumpeting in front of the elephants, causing Half Tusk and the rest of her herd to run away in panic, noticing the poachers attempting to hunt them down. Whispers puts his courage in saving the herd from the poachers, while Half Tusk evacuates the elephants to safety, telling them to swim faster. Throughout the events, the poachers were unable to hunt down the elephants, causing them to walk away in retreat and disappointment.
After the poachers leave, Half Tusk and all the other elephants praise Whispers for being a hero who saved them from the poachers. Whispers, Half Tusk, and the rest of the herd encounter Gentle Heart, Whispers' long lost mother who is happy to see her son back. Half Tusk later accepts Gentle Heart to be part of her herd.
Trivia[]
- Half Tusk's position as the matriarch of her herd reflects the fact that real-life elephant herds are always led by a female.
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