THE WILD

by Jane Louise Boursaw

Should you bring the kids? Yes. This fun, mostly-clean movie has a good message for kids aged 3 and older. For more info on age-appropriateness, see "Bringing the Kids" below.

THE STORY: The animals in the New York City Zoo tend to go a little crazy after dark, partying like mad as soon as the gates are locked. One of the lions, Samson (voiced by Keifer "we're running out of time" Sutherland), loves regaling the other animals with tales of the old days, when he was king of the jungle.

But his son, Ryan (Greg Cipes), isn't exactly following in his father's paw prints. The young lion's roar sounds more like a frightened house cat. Downtrodden and feeling like he doesn't belong, Ryan hops into the back of a truck and is accidentally loaded onto a ship headed for the jungle. The panicked Samson rounds up his friends, and together, they embark on a dangerous rescue mission to find Ryan and bring him home.

The odd assortment of pals includes a quick-witted giraffe (Janeane Garofalo), a dim-witted anaconda (Richard Kind), an acerbic koala (Eddie Izzard), and a street-savvy squirrel (Jim Belushi). Beyond the borders of the zoo, they discover that the city truly IS "a jungle out there." And once they get to the real jungle across the ocean, it seems that Samson isn't quite the mighty king he led everyone to believe.

THE WRAP-UP: While this movie sounds suspiciously like 2005's "Madagascar," the story is actually much different. For one thing, the central relationship is between a father and son, and their bond forms the emotional core of the movie and offers good lessons in forgiving and acceptance. It lags a bit in the middle, but both my 8-year-old daughter and I agreed that this movie is much better than "Madagascar."

"The Wild" also has a more cutting-edge look than other CG (computer-generated) movies, thanks to the dynamic duo of director Steve "Spaz" Williams and producer Clint Goldman, the brains behind CG films like "Jurassic Park" and "The Abyss." The characters seem so real; they practically jump off the screen as they squish and stretch their way through a variety of predicaments. The background is also entertaining, with plenty of well-placed ads for Quaker Oats, Pepsi, and Toys R Us as the animals tool through Times Square and other NYC locales.

BRINGING THE KIDS:

PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): While this movie carries a G rating, there are a few jokes that border on crude. In one scene, the squirrel slaps his behind and says, "Betcha didn't know I could ride geese, did ya? Bareback!" Yikes. In another scene, the animals interrupt a critter on a wilderness "toilet," and he says something to the effect of, "Doesn't anyone ever knock anymore?" But other than these few scenes, little ones will love the cuddly critters with lots of personality.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): This movie is all about having faith in yourself, accepting others for who they are, and forgiving others for past mistakes. These are all good things for kids of any age to learn, but especially grade-schoolers as they head into their clique-filled teen years. The characters all want to be something they're not, but by the end, you feel like they've made peace with themselves and learned to accept each other. That's especially true for Samson and his son, who learn to overlook each others' faults and forge a meaningful relationship.

TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+): As with grade-schoolers, older tweens and teens will get the subtle messages in this movie: Be yourself. And don't follow the crowd into dangerous territory, just because it's the cool thing to do. Because this movie doesn't contain the in-your-face innuendoes of many other teen movies, it's a good one to see with friends. The voices are superb (including William Shatner as a surly wildebeest), the storyline meaningful, and the animation top-notch. It also boasts plenty of hip tunes by Coldplay, Everlife, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, as well as the original song, "Really Nice Day," by former "Monty Python" member Eric Idle and songwriter John De Prez, the team behind the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Spamalot".

SCORE: 3 out of 4 Reels.

Jane's Reel Rating System:
One Reel: Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.
Two Reels: Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels: Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.
Four Reels: Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies!

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