The Wild Thornberrys Review
by Jon Popick (jpopick AT sick-boy DOT com)December 20th, 2002
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The Wild Thornberrys Movie is a feature-film version of a popular animated Nickelodeon program with which I am completely unfamiliar. I can report, however, that its animation style is very similar to Rugrats, which can also be found on the very same cable network (there's a movie in the works featuring both Nick-based families).
Not knowing a thing about any of the characters didn't hinder my enjoyment (or, at least, potential enjoyment) of Thornberrys. There's a brief synopsis at the beginning that explains how our protagonist - a 12-year-old with braces, pigtails and glasses (one can only imagine this description fits the film's target demographic as well as its main character) named Eliza (Lacey Chabert from Party of Five) - did something with a warthog and a shaman and ended up with the Dr. Dolittle-like ability to converse with animals. But the special power comes with one important caveat: Tell anyone else about it, and the power will instantly vanish.
As you can imagine, the not-telling-anyone part leads to all manner of comedic situations - especially when Eliza's parents have carted the entire family off to the Serengeti to make a nature documentary. The bulk of the film's plot revolves around Eliza playing with a trio of cubs but ultimately having one snatched away from her by poachers. Filled with dread and grief, Eliza's circumstances become even grimmer when her parents (Tim Curry and Danielle Harris) decide to send her to a stuffy boarding school.
There is plenty of interaction with the film's other characters, too. Eliza's best friend, Darwin the monkey (Tom Kane), is constantly by her side. Her tea-swilling grandparents seem unfazed by being in Africa and provide some comic relief, but not nearly as much as Eliza's adopted baby brother Donnie (Flea), who presumably was raised by apes and does something called the Wedgie Dance. All told, Thornberrys is safe family entertainment for the holidays. It's nothing special (aside from the soundtrack, which features Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel), but it's not as God-awful as some of the crappy non-CG kiddie pics we've been subjected to over the last few years.
1:22 - PG for some adventure peril
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