The Wild

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This article is about the 2006 animated film. For other uses, see Wild (disambiguation).
The Wild
The wild.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Steve "Spaz" Williams
Produced by Clint Goldman
Beau Flynn
Screenplay by Ed Decter
John J. Strauss
Mark Gibson
Philip Halprin
Story by Mark Gibson
Philip Halprin
Starring Kiefer Sutherland
James Belushi
Greg Cipes
Eddie Izzard
Janeane Garofalo
Richard Kind
William Shatner
Patrick Warburton
Christopher Edgerly
Bob Joles
Colin Hay
Don Cherry
Music by Alan Silvestri
Editing by Scott Balcerek
Steven L. Wagner
Studio C.O.R.E. Feature Animation
Hoytyboy Pictures
Contrafilm
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date(s)
  • April 14, 2006 (2006-04-14)
Running time 82 minutes
Country Canada
United States
Language English
Budget $80 million
Box office $102,338,515[1]

The Wild is a 2006 Canadian American computer animated family film, directed by Steve "Spaz" Williams, produced by Clint Goldman, assistant produced by Jim Burton and C.O.R.E. Feature Animation. It was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures on April 14, 2006, in the United States.

Contents

Plot [edit]

 This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (August 2012)

In New York Zoo, Samson the Lion tells his son Ryan stories of his adventures in the wild. Ryan attempts to imitate his father's roar, but all he can manage is a squeaky growl. During the night, when the zoo closes, all the animals are free to roam. Samson heads off to join a game of "Turtle Curling", while Ryan is goes with his friends Eze the Hippo and Duke the Kangaroo to stalk the gazelles like his father. Meanwhile Benny the Squirrel tries to get Bridget the Giraffe to go out with him, but she is not interested. Along with Benny, Bridget, a koala named Nigel, and an anaconda named Larry, Samson competes in the Turtle Curling Game against a team of penguins. Meanwhile, Ryan's friends sneak into the gazelle exhibit. Ryan tries unsuccessfully to stop Eze and Duke with a growls. This wakes the gazelles into a stampede, which ruins his father's game. An angry Samson scolds Ryan for spending all day sulking. Ryan retorts by saying he sulks because he would feel much better being a loser if his father wasn't "Samson the Wild".

That night, Ryan accidentally gets shipped into the "Green Boxes", which legend tells will take him to the wild. With the help of a pigeon, Samson and Benny go after him, sneaking into a garbage disposal truck with Nigel, Bridget, and Larry coming as well, accidentally throwing Benny off the truck. After passing through Times Square and nearly being crushed in the garbage disposal, the group encounters a pack of rabid stray dogs. Samson leads them through the sewer. There, they take directions to the docks from two street wise alligators.

The next morning, the four friends steal a tugboat during a hectic escape from several bulk carriers entering and departing New York harbor. With a little help from Larry, they drive the boat and reunite with Benny, who has enlisted some Canada geese to help lead the crew in the right direction of Ryan's ship. Days later, Nigel goes mad with the heat and thirst, and under the impression they have hit an iceberg, jumps overboard. The boat has run aground in Africa. The group quickly discovers that all the animals in the area are being evacuated by the carriers, as a nearby volcano erupts. They witness Ryan escaping, but he runs into the jungle. Samson attempts to find him, but it is quickly revealed that he has in fact never been in the wild before. The rest of the group head back to the ship, but Samson decides to keep trying to find his son.

While walking Samson starts seeing plants and rocks changing colors. Nigel is captured by a group of wildebeests who dwell in the volcano, and their leader Kazar, pronounces him king, based on an 'omen' he received when he was young: about to be devoured by lions, a toy koala fell from the sky (actually from a plane) and scared the lopns away, saving his life. Kazar wants to change the food chain; he would rather see "prey become predators" and vice versa. For this, he needs to eat a lion. Bridget and Larry are also captured and held prisoner.

Ryan is sheltering in a branch of an old tree, but he is attacked by a gang of vultures led by Scraw and Scab acting under orders from Kazar. The branch breaks and traps his paw. Ryan attempts another failed roar. Samson hears Ryan's cries and runs to save him, scaring off the birds. The two reunite, but are interrupted by a pack of wildebeests. Ryan is shocked when Samson tells him to run. The two retreat to a tree where Samson reveals the truth. He was born in the circus and like Ryan, couldn't roar. Samson's father was bitterly disappointed and allowed his son to be sent to the zoo, where Samson lied to avoid the shame. The wildebeests discover them and, in the scuffle, send the tree over the cliff, with Samson still hanging on. Ryan is taken to the volcano.

Benny finds Samson, and together they use a chameleon camouflage cover to slip into Kazar's lair. Nigel tries his best to stall the wildebeests from cooking his friends, and eventually Samson appears to fight Kazar and protect them, but Kazar overwhelms him. Ryan, seeing Samson in danger, climbs onto a catapulting device and launches himself. Ryan finally finds his roar while in mid-air. Ryan lands on Kazar's back, but is quickly thrown off. Samson attacks Kazar and manages to defeat him. Ryan tells Samson that he is happy to have him for a dad. The other wildebeests are touched by this and refuse to serve Kazar any further. Samson gains the courage he has needed, and roars powerfully enough to push back a charging Kazar. After Kazar is caught in the volcano's eruption, the other wildebeests accompany Samson and the others back to the New York Zoo.

Characters [edit]

Main characters [edit]

  • Sampson the Wild: A male lion and the main protagonist of the film, who sets out to retrieve his missing son.
  • Benny Squirrel: A street-smart Eastern grey squirrel with great knowledge. He is Sampson's best friend and is the only one who knows Sampson's secret.
  • Bridget: An insecure and easily pampered masai giraffe and the only female in the group. She is quick-witted and wants to be seen as strong and independent. Benny has a huge crush on Bridget.
  • Ryan: Ryan is Sampson's son, who wishes to make his father proud of him.
  • Kazar: The main antagonist of the film, Kazar is a wicked blue wildebeest who doesn't want to dwell at the bottom of the food chain anymore.
  • Nigel McFratzenberg: Hallucinating and always unpredictable, Nigel is a British koala who's recognized by the New York Zoo's famous plush toy and is tired of being "cute".
  • Larry: A dim-witted yet very good hearted green anaconda who tries to keep up with Samson and the gang, despite his lack of hands or legs.
  • Blaggar "Blag": Kazar's poor assistant is always in trouble for the tiniest things.

Additional characters [edit]

  • Cloak and Camo: Covert agent chameleons who aid Samson to sneak into Kazar's lair.
  • Stan and Carmine: Two street wise American alligators.
  • Scraw, Scab and Skreech: Two vultures who make quick cameos while finding Ryan out in the jungle and attack him on Kazar's orders.
  • Hamir: A crazy and insane pigeon who Sampson and Benny go to for when they want to know where to go somewhere. He has a pink pigeon wife name Jennifer and two pigeon sons name Garry and Barry.
  • The Pigeons: They inform Samson where Ryan is headed, to "the lady with the spikes".
  • Eze and Duke: A mischievous hippo and red kangaroo, they are Ryan's two best friends at the zoo who try to make him go "wild".
  • Colin: A rock hyrax that Samson meets one and tries to eat it, but can't.

Release, reception, and merchandise [edit]

The Wild opened in 2,854 theaters. According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned 9.5 million dollars in its first weekend at the box office, ranking #4.[1] Its promotion was small, with only the following promoters: Kraft, McDonald's, Amazon (selling the products and mini promotions on its site), Buena Vista Games, Buena Vista Records, and Buena Vista Book Publishing Worldwide. As of November 5, 2006, the movie grossed a total of $37,384,046 in the United States box office and $102,338,515 worldwide. Its production budget, in contrast, was $80 million.[1] The Wild was ranked #1 of the top DVD sales twice in Entertainment Weekly. (The first time for October 6–12, 2006, the second time for October 13–19, 2006).

The Wild received overwhelmingly negative reviews. It had harsh reviews even before the trailer premiered. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 19% of critics gave the film a positive review with an average score of 4.5/10, based on 111 reviews. The consensus says, "With a rehashed plot and unimpressive animation, there's nothing wild about The Wild."[2]

Madagascar similarities [edit]

The Wild's similarities with Madagascar were criticized of being too close of a plot line to Madagascar, by many critics. Similarities include its setting in New York's Central Park Zoo, similar animals as characters, and the primary plot of introducing zoo animals to the wild. The name of the film and the tag line, "Start spreading the newspaper", a play on the opening line from the "Theme from New York, New York", were both used as integral plot points in Madagascar.

Soundtrack [edit]

The musical score is composed and conducted by Alan Silvestri. The song "Real Wild Child" is performed by Everlife. The song "Good Enough" is performed by Lifehouse; "Clocks" is performed by Coldplay; "Really Nice Day" is performed by Eric Idle and John Du Prez; and "Big Time Boopin'" is performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. "Come Sail Away" is performed by Styx.The scores "Tales From The Wild", "You Can't Roar", and "Lost In The City" are only a few of the scores on the soundtrack. The soundtrack is available from Buena Vista Records.

Video game [edit]

A video game for Game Boy Advance based on "The Wild" was released to coincide with the film. Players get to play as Benny the Squirrel and Samson the lion as they go through New York, the sea, and Africa to find Ryan, while battling the wicked wildebeest Kazar. The video game is rated "E" (for "Everyone") by the ESRB, with a note for Cartoon Sexual and Cartoon Violence

Voice cast [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c "The Wild (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 August 2011. 
  2. ^ The Wild at Rotten Tomatoes

External links [edit]

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Wild&oldid=554730591"