The Wild Thornberrys Movie

Far more imaginative and ambitious than the trivial, cash-in features Nickelodeon has made from its other animated TV series', The Wild Thornberrys Movie is a funny, original, whimsical, and ultimately meaningful story about an intrepid 12-year-old girl's adventures in Africa. Packed away to an English boarding school after getting in trouble with her globetrotting family, nerdy freckles-braces-and-braids heroine Eliza (who has the ability to talk to animals) escapes back to the hot continent with her monkey best friend on a mission to rescue a baby cougar and a herd of elephants from poachers. The movie's caricature-like animation blends gracefully with realistically drawn animals and locations, while a magical, palpably aboriginal ambiance is created with the help of a great soundtrack featuring songs by, among others, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon. But the movie's best asset is its unexpectedly tart sense of humor that has just the right tenor for kids and adults, especially in the form of Eliza's amusingly sarcastic, totally "omigod!" teenage sister who braves the icky jungle to help find her runaway sibling. Sporting a strong voice cast that includes Brenda Blethyn, Lacey Chabert, Tim Curry, Rupert Everett, Lynn Redgrave, Marisa Tomei, and Alfre Woodard, this sell-through priced title is sure to be popular and is warmly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include widescreen and full screen versions, the music video for the Oscar-nominated song “Father and Daughter” by Paul Simon, a trailer, previews, and DVD-ROM features (including a Wild Thornberrys Movie PC game demo). Bottom line: a rather slim extras package, but the full screen/widescreen option is nice, and the film itself is a refreshing cut above most children's fare.] (R. Blackwelder)