Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Eddie Izzard, animation
Likes: Keifer Sutherland, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner
Dislikes: The glut of CG cartoons
Hates: Most recent Disney flicks, Kids movies made only for kids

The Movie
I reviewed Madagascar for DVDTalk, and upon seeing the trailer for The Wild, I immediately thought we had another Antz/A Bug's Life situation. Two CG-animated movies playing in the same playground, confusing audiences, but in the end, two very different films. After watching both of them, I was right. Though the subjects are remarkably similar, these are two different movies, and viewers will have two completely different opinions about them.

The story is rather straight-forward and will be familiar to anyone who's seen a few family films from recent years, as it trades on the oft-used themes of responsibility, loss, love and redemption. Samson, a majestic lion and star of the show at the New York Zoo, regales his fellow zoo animals with tales of his exploits in the wild, impressing everyone, but depressing his son, young Ryan.

Ryan has not yet found his "roar," and because of that, he feels like he's a disappointment in trying to live up to his father's expectation. Tired of trying to stack up to the legend, he decides to go to the wild, like his dad, and become a man (or actually, lion.) Afraid he'll never see his son again, Samson, and his animal buddies, take up the hunt, as animals can do only in animated films.

The hunt is your usual comic misadventure, with the zoo pals providing plenty of chuckles, mainly from Nigel the koala, voiced wonderfully by Eddie Izzard. If anyone was born to give life to a koala, it's Izzard, whose energetic and emotional delivery makes him a scene stealer. Similarly, the choice of Keifer Sutherland as Samson is great, as his growly voice fits well as a lion. Even Janeane Garofalo, cast as Bridget the giraffe, works, despite not being the first person you'd think of for a kid's movie.

Though the film intends to provide comedy first and foremost, there's a great deal of action and drama, with the third act filled with a climactic battle and some explosions. The little ones in the audience may get overwhelmed by the fights and scary moments, making this a better pick for a slightly older crowd who will get more enjoyment from the action and story.

Thankfully, for the parents who have no choice but to sit through it, The Wild does offer more than just Izzard's oddall dialogue, throwing in some over-the-kids'-heads jokes and providing fun celebrity voices like James T. Kirk himself, playing a bigger lunatic than ever before. It's always appreciated when a film entertains multiple audiences. After all, one of the most universal ways to judge a film is whether it holds your interest or not. Though it helps that the film is very short at just 82 minutes, it rarely, if ever, bores. I doubt it would be so entertaining without Izzard though, so if don't like him, it may affect how you view this movie.

A note about the animation: the computer-generated images in this film are gorgeous, with tons of subtle features, well-rendered movement and impressive expressions, to the point where it feels like the movie is live-action in spots. But sadly, in my opinion, the chance was missed to create something really special. The first thing you see in The Wild is this incredibly fluid and dramatic piece of animation that's like a CG take on the style of Fantasia. If the entire film was done in such a dynamic look, this film would possibly be considered a landmark in animation, instead of another in a line of realistic-looking animated films.

The DVD
A one-disc release with a chapter-stop insert, The Wild is packed in a standard keepcase with an embossed slipcover that repeats the cover art. The disc has an animated main menu offering a choice to play the film, select scenes, adjust languages, view special features and check out previews. Language options include Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English, Spanish and French, along with English subtitles and English closed captioning.

The Quality
This anamorphic widescreen transfer on this DVD is one of the finest I've seen in recent history, with beautiful, vivid color, top-notch detail, and not a speck of dirt, damage or digital artifact. You could put this image side-by-side with your average HD broadcast, and most people would have a hard time telling which one was standard definition. This DVD is simply great-looking.

The audio is nothing to sneeze at either, as the 5.1 track is nicely powerful, with good delivery of the dialogue, solid enhancement in the surround speakers on the music and sound effects and an overall crisp sound. The massive battle near the end of the film shows off how good this track is, showing off an impressive sound design at work.

The Extras
Getting things started, almost five minutes of deleted/extended scenes are available to watch in one group or separately. Most are either unnecessary, incorporated elsewhere in the film, or edited down, and are presented in a mix of early animation, renderings and sketches. Only "Thumbman" is a much-watch, as it's more of Izzard's work. All five scenes can be viewed with audio commentary by director "Spaz" Williams and producer Clint Goldman, who provide explanations for the scenes and some background info. Why they weren't allowed to do a commentary for the film itself is a question someone should ask of Disney.

A pair of short featurettes make up the rest of the extra. First up is "Eddie Izzard Unleashed," which is 3:30 of Izzard riffing in the recording studio. Almost 90-percent of what Nigel says in the movie was ad-libbed by Izzard, and here you get to see him at work. For fans, it's a pretty funny segment. It's followed by "Meet Colin: The Rock Hyrax," (2:20) in which the animation studio staff talks about Colin Cunningham, a staffer tabbed to voice one of the film's more annoying characters. It's supposed to be a mock documentary, but it gets annoying quick, like the character.

The disc wraps with yet another Radio Disney band, this time Everlife, covering a song, this time Buddy Holly's "Real Wild Child," for a technically solid and inoffensive soundtrack video. There's also a bunch of previews included, with trailers for Twitches, The Fox and the Hound 25th Anniversary Edition, Cinderella III (good lord), Get Ed, The Little Mermaid, Cars, Meet the Robinsons and Airbuddies.

The Bottom Line
I can't blame anyone for making the Madagascar comparison, but you really should give The Wild a chance. The film has a bit of everything, including great animation and a stand-out star in Izzard, and has something for everyone as well. It just feels more enjoyable than the earlier film. The DVD looks and sounds terrific, but comes up very short in terms of extras, letting down Disney DVD fans. Older kids, and the parents watching along with them, will likely enjoy this film, as well as fans of funnyman Eddie Izzard. A rental should tell you everything you need to know.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.