I'm not writing any more reviews here until they've sorted out all of the problems, although I'll ke...
I'm not writing any more reviews here until they've sorted out all of the problems, although I'll keep up with alerts (if I get them - nudge me if you think I've missed one). For those concerned, thankfully the flooding is half a mile away from me!
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We were meant to be going to a party last night, but unfortunately it was cancelled. Hubby and I went onto plan B - DVDs, pizza and a bottle of vodka and diet coke! We went to Blockbusters and bought DVDs from the 3 for £20 range of ex-rentals (therefore costing £6.66 per DVD). We bought 3 each, and one of my 3 was "The Wild" - Disney's 46th Animated Classic (according to the DVD box). In general hubby and I love animated films - I had heard some not so good comments about this film, but I was prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Background
If you've seen the film "Madagascar", you will immediately notice similarities…..animals in Central Park Zoo in New York…escape to experience being in the wild. However, the story is a little bit different, and I certainly think it's worth seeing "The Wild" even if you have already seen the (in my opinion better) film of "Madagascar". The whole situation has similarities to the "Antz" and "A Bug's Life" rivalry in the late 1990s!
The film is directed by Steve 'Spaz' Williams (I
have no idea or desire to know why the 'spaz' part in his name), and produced by Kevin Wilma, Will Vinton, and Stefan Simchowitz.
The Story
Basically the story is this… there is a daddy lion Samson (Kiefer Sutherland), and his son Ryan (Greg Cipes) who live in the zoo. Samson has brought Ryan up telling him dramatic stories about his days in the wild. Ryan is going through a phase in his life (adolescence!) where he is feeling he cannot live up to his father's expectations - for a start he can't roar - he sounds more like a little pussy cat! Ryan decides that he will go to the wild in one of the green boxes (which conveniently goes to the wild) where he will prove himself as a lion….however, at the last minute he decides that he doesn't really want to go…but of course it is too late!
Thus Samson and his friends - an unlikely bunch consisting of a giraffe called Bridget (Janeane Garofalo), a squirrel called Benny (James Belushi), a snake called Larry (Richard Kind) and a koala called Nigel (Eddie Izzard) - go on a quest to find Ryan.
Of course as in these films they have various adventures along the way….meeting dogs in the alley way, alligators in the sewer, and hijacking a boat to follow the boat that Ryan's green box is on (led by pigeons). When they reach the island they find that animals are actually being evacuated from the island due to the volcano's imminent eruption. Therefore time is of the essence as Samson looks for his son, and the group gets separated.
Nigel the koala is the highlight of the film, and had hubby and I laughing out loud in places - not to mention the bain of Nigel's existence, the cuddly koalas which say "I'm so cuddly I like you!" (the best selling merchandise from the zoo). The animals meet with a group of wildebeests who inhabit the island. The wildebeests are led by the nasty Kazar (William Shatner) who performs some interesting dance routines. Kazar believes that "The Great Him" will arrive and enable them to eat lions, rather than be eaten by lions as they been in the past. Much to Nigel's surprise and pleasure he is "The Great Him" - can he save his friends and save the day?
The film is predictable as these children's films invariably are - it turns out that Samson did not have a happy childhood, and his tales about the wild are all made-up. There are various subplots such as the vultures, the chameleons, and the love relationship between the giraffe and the squirrel - to quote hubby "that is just wrong on so many levels"! Ryan finds his roar and proves himself as a lion, and finds peace with his father, and they all live happily ever after - la la la!
My Verdict
I don't think I've given away anything that you wouldn't guess from the start unless you are 5 years old. This is essentially a kid's film, and has a "U" rating. It lasts for 78 minutes, which is just about the right length for this sort of film. I did enjoy "The Wild", the animation was (in my opinion) very nice - I wanted to give Samson a big hug because his mane looks so soft. Nigel the koala on the other hand is a little bit scary to look at, but I think the film is worth a watch just for what Izzard brings to it.
Ok, it's certainly not the best animated film - it is no Ice Age or Monsters Inc. But it certainly isn't the worst! I definitely think that kids (both young and not so young like myself) will enjoy it. I would give it 6 ½ /10. It's worth buying to add to the collection, but only if you can find it at a reasonable price. It still seems to be pretty expensive to buy, at the moment it's on Amazon for £11.98 - this is far too much. I think that for £6.66 it was reasonable. If you see it in a bargain bin, then pick it up!
DVD Extras
Deleted scenes - several deleted scenes in various states, from those with just black and white sketches, to those which were pretty much complete.
"Real Wild Child" music video performed by Everlife - this is actually a not-too bad song.
Backstage Disney: Since Eddie Izzard is in my opinion the highlight of the film, the 'comedian's bloopers and blunders reel' is quite amusing. It's amusing seeing Izzard doing the voice-over for his character Nigel the koala. Certainly worth watching this extra, it's only short! There is also short feature about 'meeting Colin' (the rock hyrax - a minor character), and the voice behind his character Colin Cunningham) - not too sure what the purpose of this extra is!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
In this wild and outrageous computer-animated comedy-adventure an odd assortment of ... more
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 mis...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: based on a true story, has a very personal and touching feel to it, good performances Disadvantages: Long/drawn out so may bore some, where he ends up may seem a little convenient
IzzyS 05.10.2008 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Into The Wild (DVD)
![The Wild [DVD] [2006]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78483027.jpg "The Wild [DVD] [2006]")
Feb 10th, 2007
(Oct 30th, 2008)
exceptional by (10%):
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