Wonder Park

Visually ambitious but burdened with a storyline that is a weird jumble of irritating characters and odd messages, this Nickelodeon Network feature is just another mediocre computer-animated children’s movie. The petite protagonist is Cameron “June Bug” Bailey (voiced by Sofia Mali), who has been encouraged by her parents to use her imagination. That message certainly took, since the youngster has constructed a magical amusement park out of her dreams, a collection of “splendiferous” rides and attractions that she adds to by communicating ideas to its creative director, a chimp named Peanut, who runs the place along with a practical-minded wild boar named Greta, her porcupine buddy Steve, a pair of goofy beavers, and a wacky blue bear with a habit of falling into hibernation mode. When June’s mother (Jennifer Garner) falls ill, however, the girl abandons her imaginative pursuits, only to discover that Wonder Park has fallen on evil days due to her neglect, and has been taken over by hordes of monkey zombies. Naturally, June must rediscover a sense of purpose to join with her animal friends, restore it to its former glory, and get home—where good news, needless to say, awaits. Encouraging children to follow their dreams is a fine message, but Wonder Park advances it too hard, making June more pushy than spunky. Worse, the place she creates is not that interesting, nor are the animals particularly engaging, which perhaps explains why after original director Dylan Brown was fired (for inappropriate conduct), none of the other animators would take credit as director. Optional, at best. [Note: Blu-ray extras include “Boardwalk Caricatures” drawing tutorials (28 min.), and the behind-the-scenes featurettes “The Wonder Chimp Channel” (5 min.), “Making Noises (It’s Actually a Job?!!)” (4 min.), “June’s Welcoming Crew” (3 min.), and “June’s Guide to Wonderland” (2 min.), as well as the brief “The Pi Song Sing-Along,” a deleted scene, and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a lackluster family film.] (F. Swietek)