| The Wild | |
|---|---|
 New York, Samson, and his friends are going to The Wild to find Ryan, Samson's son | |
| Directed by | Steven Williams |
| Written by | Ed Dector |
| Produced by | Clint Goldman |
| Starring | Kiefer Sutherland Jim Belushi Greg Cipes Eddie Izzard Janeane Garofalo Richard Kind William Shatner Patrick Warburton Bob Joles Chris Edgerly Don Cherry |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures Buena Vista Pictures |
Release dates | April 14, 2006 |
Running time | N/A. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70,000,000 |
The Wild is a computer-animated film directed by Steven 'Spaz' Williams, produced by Clint Goldman and C.O.R.E. Feature Animation, and scheduled to be released by Walt Disney Pictures on April 14, 2006. The story was written by Ed Dector.
Story
After the New York City zoo closes, all the animals play a game of turtle-shelling except five, who are looking for their leader's son Ryan, who has been shipped to Africa. Along the way, they encounter dogs, crocodiles, geese, and chameleons who think they're covert agents. At sea, thanks to Larry, they escape a crash with a cruise ship. In Africa they encounter a wicked wildebeest named Kazar, voiced by William Shatner.
Characters
Samson the lion
Samson is a male lion whose son Ryan is lost after yelling at him for not being wild. While he has been always known to be wild, he is really a circus lion cub, and mature zoo lion at heart!
Benny the squirrel
Benny is a street-smart squirrel with great knowledge. Of all the animals who help save Ryan, Benny is Samson's favorite. He also has a crush on Bridget, and is not afraid to admit it.
Bridget the giraffe
The only female in the group, Bridget can easily be pampered, yet she feels insecure. According to Benny, she's the most beautiful and exotic animal in all of the Big Apple.
Nigel the koala
Nigel is a koala who's tired of being "cute," and never leaves his little plastic torch on the ground! His life is somewhat changed, however, when he's worshipped by the wildebeests.
Larry the anaconda
A dim-witted anaconda who tries to keep up with Samson and the gang, but it's tough with no hands or legs! Though he does help, being the stretchiest animal in the U.S., he can be many things, such as a turtle shooter at turtle curling!
Ryan the Lion Cub
Due to his father accidentally saying he's worthless at being wild, Ryan is accidentally shipped to Africa. Now, because of him, the greatest rescue mission since Finding Nemo is taking place.
Kazar the wildebeest
A wicked wildebeest, who no longer wants to dwell at the bottom of the food chain.
Blag The Wildebeast
Kazar's poor assistant is always in trouble for the tiniest things, though during Kazar's combat, he gets his sweet revenge he has always desired.
Additional Characters
Cloak and Camo The Chameleons
Covert agents or not, they were caught by Benny and shown to Samson, since they might know a thing or two about where Ryan is.
Scab and Scraw The Vultures
Two vultures who make quick cameos while finding Ryan out in the jungle, however, disappear, during Samson's mini combat.
Donald The Turtle
The turtle used for turtle shelling at the zoo.
Team Penguin
The competition team for turtle shelling at New York.
The Pigeons
Plays a major part in telling where Ryan is headed, to the lady with the spikes.
Stan And Carmine The Crocodiles
Looking ferocious, they might be deadly, but when settled, they can help. And so they do, while helping Samson and the gang get out of the sewers.
The Canadian Geese
New friends of Benny that help at sea to find the ship that's holding Ryan.
Duke And Eze
Ryans friends at the zoo who try to make him go wild!!
Not Wild about Madagascar
The Wild received some harsh responses even before the trailer premiered. One site (1) described it as "Madagascar meets Finding Nemo with The Lion King thrown in for effect."
The movie has many similarities to Madagascar including its setting in New York, similar animals as characters, and the primary plot of introducing zoo animals to the wild. The name of the film and the tagline, "Start spreading the newspaper", a play on the line from the song "New York, New York (On The Town)", were both used as integral plot points in Madagascar. Because of this, some people believe that the movie is a possible rip-off or plagiarized version of Madagascar, a Jack Bauer-meets-Madagascar film. [1] [2]
This would not be the first time two films with a similar theme were released in close proximity. In the fall of 1998, Dreamworks released its talking bug film "Antz" mere weeks before Disney/Pixar released "A Bug's Life."However, there is strong evidence to show that The Wild was in production first. Animators from the film have come forward on internet communities and stated openly that they had been working on The Wild already when they first saw the trailer for Madagascar. Several even believe that Marty's line "I want to go to the Wild!" is a direct mocking of their own efforts. When released in 2005, Madagascar was criticized by some critics for its underwhelming story and relatively shoddy animation. Director Steve "Spaz" Williams has said he first received the script in 2001. His contract with Disney stated that C.O.R.E would animate, and this contract was green-lit in 2003. The Wild has reportedly been in some form of production for a decade, first being called "The Big Break", then "Wildlife", and finally The Wild.
[3]
Soundtrack
The musical score is by Alan Silvestri, and the end title songs are performed by All-4-One. The song "My Last Forever" is performed by Bryan Adams, and "Come Sail Away" is performed by Sting. The soundtrack is available from Walt Disney Records.
Video games
A video game for Gameboy Advance based on The Wild is already out. 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 a wicked wildebeest by the name Kazar.
The video game is rated E for Cartoon Violence.
There are also games on the official website. Theo nly one avilable at the time is [www.thewildmovie.com this crocidile game]
Trailers And Clips
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kiefer Sutherland | Samson the Lion |
| Jim Belushi | Benny the Squirrel |
| Greg Cipes | Samson's son, Ryan |
| Janeane Garafalo | Bridget the Giraffe |
| Richard Kind | Larry the Anaconda |
| Eddie Izzard | Nigel the Koala |
| William Shatner | Kazar the Wildebeest |
| Bob Joles | Cloak The Chameleon Covert Agent |
| Chris Edgerly | Camo The Chameleon Covert Agent |
| Patrick Warburton | Blag The Wildebeast |
| Don Cherry | Turtle Curling Penguin MC |
Crew
- Directed by [4]]Steve "Spaz" Williams
- Written by Ed Decter, Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin
- Produced by John Burton
- Co-producers Jane Park and John J. Strauss
- Music by Alan Silvestri
- Edited by Scott Balcerek and Steven L. Wagner
- Production designer Chris Farmer
- Art director Chris Farmer and Michael E. Goldman