THE WILD (*)
In the 90s, Walt Disney could do no wrong when it came to animated films. It revitalized the genre with THE LITTLE MERMAID and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, and continued its dominance through the decade with classic after classic But after its last such masterpiece in TARZAN, it lost focus. Animation’s balance of power started shifting from hand-drawing to CGI, with audiences drawn to new vibrant images not possible before. Disney still produced a few memorable pictures, but the exodus had begun.
Pixar, a small company focusing solely on CGI animated films, became Disney’s special effects’ godsend. It produced the first full featured CGI animated film in TOY STORY, and since then has only gone to make the same kind of classics Disney (its film distributor) used to make. It’s secret to success isn’t so much its technical virtuosity (which is masterful), but its storytelling, which in animation circles is rivaled only by Japanese masters Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon. While other CGI animated films focus on being unrelentingly cute and frenetically topical, Pixar chooses to be reticent and poetic.
Which leads me to Disney’s latest offering THE WILD, which falls squarely in the “other” corner. With its countless in-jokes, unfunny slapstick, and recycled storylines, it has no ambition to be anything but another attempt to cash in on family audiences still “wowed” by CGI imagery. It’s amazing that if we wouldn’t laugh at human stories involving corny dialogue, bumbling tomfoolery, schmaltzy relationships, and hackneyed characters, why on earth should we do so for those in a CGI animated film?
If you must know what it’s all about, the film tells the story of a Zoo lion named Samson (Kiefer Sutherland) who loses his cub Ryan (Greg Cipes) due to a misunderstanding. To the rescue he and his neighbors go! Surprise! Surprise! Their journey leads them through a city (guess which?) and eventually a jungle. Does he save his son? Does a lion pee in the wild?
The movie’s animal escapes (MADAGASCAR) and patching of father-son relationships (FINDING NEMO) have been done before (and better). “Wink-wink” moments pollute the story leaving younger children wondering what their grownups are most likely groaning over. The plot is as predictable as Arctic weather (and about as interesting). And emotional cues are so revoltingly insulting to one’s intelligence, that you can almost hear BRUCE ALMIGHTY’s Jim Carrey screaming, “Cue the cheesy music!”
The movie has a handful of funny moments, such as those storied reptiles lying in the sewers of New York (start googling), and a good joke about Canadian immigration policies. Visually, its animal renderings and lip synchronization is outstanding. But to what end? Bereft of ideas and of spirit, THE WILD is a less than half-hearted exercise, all for the money and nothing for the mind. Its visuals amaze, but its tale is soulless. And any film that can make a koala bear irritating or wildebeest break-dance deserves to be damned.
Posted by FLIPCRITIC at May 8, 2006 07:46 PM