The film opens with various birds singing "The Ancient Song of the Elephants". Marabou, a marabou stork, states that the elephants have long forgotten the meaning behind the words of the song over the years; the birds, however, remember as they have been around for the same period of time as the elephants. Marabou provides a brief introduction to the story that is about to unfold, which begins with a historically significant event: the birth of Babar the elephant.