Release Date: April 14, 2006
MPAA Rating: G
Directed by: Steve "Spaz" Williams
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Greg Cipes, Jim Belushi, Janeane Garofalo, Richard Kind, William Shatner, Eddie Izzard
Plot:
In this computer-animated comedy-adventure, an assortment of animals from the New York Zoo - including a lion, a giraffe, an anaconda, a koala, and a squirrel - discover what a jungle the city can be when one of their own is mistakenly shipped to the wild and they embark on a dangerous mission to rescue him. The film has a vocal ensemble - Kiefer Sutherland (as the respected lion leader, Samson), Greg Cipes (as Samson's son, Ryan), Jim Belushi (as Benny, the street savvy squirrel and Samson's best friend), Janeane Garofalo (as a quick-witted giraffe), Richard Kind (as a dim-witted anaconda), William Shatner (as a wicked wildebeest), and Eddie Izzard (as Nigel, an acerbic koala).
Review:
The Wild is Disneys latest animated feature, in which one can notice its resemblance to last years Madagascar. In this adventure there is a lion, snake, koala, giraffe and a squirrel heading to find the lions son who is shipped from the New York Zoo to Africa, accidentally of course. Across the way they get tangled up with other animals wanting to kill them and some that actually help them. There is some good animation in The Wild, but at times the animation almost makes the characters look like stuffed animals rather than real animals.
In order for an animated film to work it certainly has to be visual appeal. The best in animation without argument is done by Pixar. Disney sometimes impresses, but with The Wild the animation is at times fuzzy and looks rushed. Another thing an animated film needs is a decent story. Unfortunately, The Wild has a very weak story without a climax. The story is as simple as a group of animals trying to find another miles away from them. That is weak in all points, but that isn't to say that the obstacles they come across aren't interesting.
While these animals go on their adventure they come across many obstacles which includes a bit of what is the third thing needed for an animated film to work and that is humor. The Wild is indeed funny, but only half the time and in chuckles. One thing that The Wild is not weak on is the dialogue between the animals. There are words said with meaning behind it and very intelligently written. However, this film is rated G, mainly aimed at youngsters and many of them will not understand what the characters are saying a good amount of the time.
The Wild's large vocabulary will have the children confused at times or laughing at the silly things the animals do. Whether or not children will understand, most of them will probably be paying attention to their actions rather than their words. Solid characters is one thing that this film does not fail on because they are cute and innocent. This film goes overboard with its characters and the dialogue. The Wild becomes annoying because there is hardly one second of silence throughout its running time.
There is a lot of blabbering in this film and there is no sense for a breather. Instead of this being a result of comedy, it actually become very annoying. This is the case for adults, but of course children can care less. This film has the response and the silliness to satisfy children, but it will have their parents glancing at their watches every few minutes. That is as far as an entertainment standpoint. The Wild, as a whole, doesn't do much in the animated department that we haven't seen before.
The Wild doesn't push the bar on animated films and its actually disappointing. The characters are enjoyable, but its not funny enough nor impressive enough as a whole to warrant a recommendation. Its weak story also drives it down in being far from original and something that has already been seen. There are no scenes in The Wild that are greatly memorable and the memory of this film will quickly be washed away once exiting the auditorium. The Wild has its moments where it shines and makes you smile, but overall its a disappointing entry into the animation genre.
