The Wild (2006)

I was only interested in seeing this movie because it was the last film reviewed by Doug Walker one year for Disneycember. I think this is actually the lowest rated theatrically released animated Disney movie ever made. He recommended it, so I really did want to check it out and judge for myself. I saw it and I really do disagree with him. I admit there's one or two good jokes but most of this film is just pointless. I remember when the trailers for the film first came out and I knew it would be bad or at least quickly forgotten. It is more or less a ripoff of "Madagascar".I was just thinking about how DreamWorks has been accused of ripping off Disney movies, but this one was actually released later. Then again, I did hear that production on this film actually started before the production of "Madagascar". I guess it doesn't matter because this movie is obviously worse. What really freaked me out was the animation. I mean, they were trying to make the animals look realistic instead of cartoony. Is there an uncanny valley for animals? The funniest bit is when the giraffe says that she deserves to be in kid's books starting with the letter G. Easily the best joke.There just seemed to be nothing original about this movie at all. It was about this son trying to prove himself to his father and a bunch of side characters who were dumb or had interspecies romance. It was mostly just bland. I guess there's a few creative ideas like the cargo cult, but for me, it was just pointless. I think it probably is the worst theatrically released Disney animated film ever made. I can't even believe Disney made this! It looks a lot more like some cheap knockoff film made by some obscure studio. *1/2

Samson the Wild (Kiefer Sutherland) claims to be the king of the jungle. He rules the New York Zoo. His son Ryan can't get the roar right and has a fight with him. The animals play when the zoo closes at night. Ryan goes off in a huff and accidentally gets locked in a trailer container. The containers are being sent to Africa to rescue animals being evacuated from a volcano. Samson sets off to retrieve Ryan with the help of squirrel Benny (Jim Belushi), koala Nigel (Eddie Izzard), giraffe Bridget (Janeane Garofalo), and anaconda Larry (Richard Kind). In Africa, they face off against wildebeest Kazar (William Shatner).This came one year after Madagascar and sometimes being first is being the winner. That's the case in this one. I don't necessarily blame this movie. I certainly don't claim that this movie copied anything from Madagascar. In fact, I'm sure Disney had a minor meltdown when they saw the similarities. This is less wacky than Madagascar. This story may be a slight improvement. The voice work is less wacky comedy although there is plenty of jokes. The animation is 3D semi-realism which makes Samson look like a stuffed toy. No matter any possible improvements or deficits from Madagascar, the comparison is never far behind and the movie suffers from the perceived lack of originality.

This is quite possibly one of the worst films I have ever had the displeasure of seeing, I don't know what made me want to see this, but everyone was saying how terrible it was so I had to see what the fuss was about. And I should have just stayed at home, this wasn't even remotely fun, or funny. The character are awful with no interest or morals. The animation is atrocious, and looks like a five year old did it, I actually a five year old could do better. I mean, my gosh talk about getting all the joy sucked out of me in the very intent the movie comes on. I'm serious avoid this at all costs, unless you want to see what the fuss is about, then go ahead, but I will warn you, this is a 20 dollar bill you will never get back. After this I will say I'm glad I own How to Train Your Dragon, because after watching this piece of horse manure I needed to get my faith back into animation. I needed something to get my mind off this terrible excuse of a movie. Lets hope this is the last time we get an animated film this bad well at least in a long time. And the last thing, should kids see this? No. Not that its bad with inappropriate innuendos or jokes, its just kids will get bored with this. The kids in my theater were running up and down the aisle and a family sitting next to me left the theater. So if the film's target audience is in disarray, then imagine how you will feel, and how I felt watching this awful, disgusting, mess of a film. The animation is unimpressive, story sucks and its not original, there is no memorable scenes or lines, and makes Madagascar, Ice Age and Anastasia look like they never existed. THIS MOVIE SHOULD BE BANNED FROM THE WHOLE WORLD!!!! Oh, and those rodent characters that try to be the minions, I have one thing to say. Screw you!!!! Now to grade. Animation: F- Characters: F Story: D+ For Kids: No Music: C- Voice Acting: F Overall: F-. So yeah. It really is a ripoff of Madagascar, Ice Age, Anastasia and The Lion King!! That's why is sucks GARBAGE!!!!

Decent. This movie-if I were to summarize it in one word-would be decent. Before we progress, I'd like to mention that 5/10 stars is not as horrid as one might suppose. On my charts, it means that I moderately enjoyed the movie. With that in mind, 10/10 is almost impossible to reach, while 9/10 would be reserved to a movie so stellar, that I could watch it one-hundred times and still enjoy it. 1/10 would be so unsatisfactory that the mere sight of such an abhorrent disgrace to cinema would make children cry and grown men cringe. ---If you would like to skip to my summery,thus avoiding my very small spoiler and larger ramble, jump to the final paragraphLet's begin with the characters. Their portrayal was decent, even though for the most part, they were static (the snake, however, was unique… I liked the snake). What redeemed them were their lovable personalities, and the clear synergy between each of them while interacting; I personally enjoyed the odds and end gang. With that said, the dialogue was less diverse. I found myself cringing from time to time on the cliché lines uttered by Ryan and his father in particular, while Nigel was-on occasion-so obtuse that I couldn't help but sigh. But perhaps I'm downplaying this movie, as I've seen it through the eyes of an adult. Kids will probably find the dimwittedness of that particular Koala, Nigel, enjoyable and-unless well read-might not pick up on the clichés. However, we're talking about Disney here, and they have an impressive resume when it comes to making their movies enjoyable to both child and parent, without dumbing it down. This leads me to my next point. Since they were confronted by a shortcoming on some of the dialogue between Ryan and his father, they intended to make the movie appealing to us-the parents or older fans of Disney-through the use of mature humor. Though not as blatant as some other 'children movies' I've watched in the past, The Wild has its fair share. Thus is why I ask, confused, why the movie was rated G, and not PG. As for the latter, I have no say in such things, so let's move on.Now, onto the very fabric of the movie itself: I found it needed a few more original songs, and no, dear directors, 'I'm havin' a... really nice day, really nice day' repeated over and over does not count. I did enjoy the Coldplay song at the beginning, however. The storyline itself was jarring, and the use of transition to cover long durations of time was used too often. To counter my negative comment, however, I do applaud the director for attempting to encompass the viewers in the past and present- thus creating a more intimate connection between character and viewer. You would have achieved this wonderfully if only you fixed the pacing! And this leads me onto my final point. I really enjoyed Samson's background story. It was fresh, and when told fully, connected the dots and linked his strange behavior to a logical outcome of an event that transpired in his own childhood. I won't go deeper than that, least I spoil the story!---To conclude, I gave The Wild a 5/10, which is not so bad. It's animated nicely, has some great character chemistry and a good background story for Samson, but loses a few stars because of its occasional cliché lines, less than satisfactory original compositions, and jarred pace. This is by no means a Disney masterpiece, but rest assured that you and your child will find enjoyment in it!'If there be animals inside, expect a review!'~Mike