The Wild Review

The Wild


Release Date: 28th September 2006 - Australia


Production Companies
C.O.R.E. Feature Animation
Contrafilm
Hoytyboy Pictures
Nigel Productions

Sir Zip Studios
Walt Disney Pictures (presents)

Distribution 

Walt Disney Studios Motion 

Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/

Comedy

Rating: G

Runtime: 94 minutes


Budget: $80,000,000

Box Office Gross:

$102,338,515 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
When Ryan, a lion cub
living in a zoo, wants to go
to the wild, where his dad
Samson once lived. One
night, he wanders off and
accidentally gets shipped

to Africa, where animals

get released into the wild.

His father, Samson, gathers
some animal friends and
sets out to save his son. But
when they reach Africa,
the animals find themselves
in danger. They have to
battle an evil wildebeest
named Kazar.

But that's nothing compared

to the island's other danger -

a volcano on the verge of

eruption. With so little time

left, can the animals find

Ryan and escape Africa

before the volcano erupts?


Voice Cast
Kiefer Sutherland - Samson
the Lion
Dominic Scott Kay - Young Samson
Jim Belushi - Benny the Squirrel
Greg Cipes - Ryan the Lion Cub
Janeane Garofalo - Bridget the Giraffe
Richard Kind - Larry the Snake
Eddie Izzard - Nigel the Koala
William Shatner - Kazar the Wildebeest
Patrick Warburton - Blag the Wildebeest
Kevin Michael Richardson - Samson's Father
Chris Edgerly - Cloak
Colin Hay - Fergus Flamingo
Miles Marsico - Duke

Jack De Sena - Eze

Don Cherry - Penguin MC

Christina Argueta - Hamir
David Cowgill - Hamir
Lenny Venito - Stan
Joseph Siravo - Carmine
Colin Cunningham - Hyrax
Jonathan Kimmel - Scab
Eddie Gossling - Scraw

Clinton Leupp - Mama Hippo

Nika Futterman - Dung Beetle #1

Julianne Buescher - Dung Beetle #2

Chris Edgerly - Cloak
Bob Joles - Camo/Ringleader

Steve 'Spaz' Williams - Guard Dog (Cameo)

Crew
Additional Story Material/Director -

Steve 'Spaz' Williams
Story/Screenplay - Mark Gibson
and Philip Halprin
Screenplay/Co-Producers - Ed Decter
and John J. Strauss
Additional Story Material - Bill Wolkoff,
David Collard, Matt Lopez and Lloyd Taylor
Executive Producers - Kevin Lima,
Stefan Simchowitz and Will Vinton
Producers - Beau Flynn and Clint Goldman
Co-Producer - Jane Park
Production Designer/Art Director - Chris Farmer

Visual Development - George Hull
Art Director - Michael E. Goldman
Additional Art Director - Gary Mundell
Supervising Character Designer - Erich Rigling
Character Designers - Marshall Almeida

and Eirik Paye
Character Supervisor - Ken Ouellette

Lead Story Artist - Jeff Dickson

Lead Character Modeller - Ian Hulbert

Supervising Producer: C.O.R.E. Feature

Animation - Bob Munroe

Supervising Lead Animator - Warren Leathem

Lead Animators - Stephen Barnes,

Rob Bekuhrs, Andrew Grant, Paul Hunt

and Glenn Sylvester
Animation Supervisor: Reel FX - Ken Duncan
CG Supervisor: C.O.R.E. Feature Animation -

John Mariella
Animator/Layout Supervisor: Reel FX - Bryan Engram
Editors - V. Scott Balcerek and
Steven L. Wagner

Additional Editor - Robert Fisher Jr.

Sound Designer & Supervising Sound Editor -

Andy Newell

Additional Sound Design - Robert L. Sephton

Co-Supervising Sound Editor - Larry Schalt

Re-Recording Mixers - Terry O'Bright

and Keith Rogers

Dialogue/ADR Editor - Bruce Lacey

Additional ADR Editor - Michael Silvers

Foley Artists - Ellen Heuer and

Marnie Moore

Foley Mixer - Frank Rinella
Music - Alan Silvestri


Review
THE WILD had some good humour, but unfortunately, the movie was way too similar to Madagascar, which the former came out one year before THE WILD. The plot had low originality, taking some ideas from The Lion King and Finding Nemo. The animation is fine but a bit too uncanny and uninspiring. It had a terrific voice cast, particularly Eddie Izzard, who did a fantastic job voicing the koala, and even Jim Belushi (whose voice sounds almost like Seth Rogen) does the same for the squirrel.

I'm pleased Disney didn't make this film, as they only distributed it. This movie could have been a disadvantage for C.O.R.E's animation studio. However, it is their only animated feature to date. THE WILD should have been in the hands of Pixar or Blue Sky. This movie would have been more appealing if it had a better storyline and humour with more punchlines or sarcasm. In recommendation, it is a below-average animated flick for one-time viewing.

Star rating: (3/5) Average

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