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Add Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys to the short list of popular animated TV series that have successfully made the leap to the big screen. In this entertaining wilderness adventure, the Thornberrys criss-cross the African continent in their Winnebago. Nigel (voiced with true Brit by Tim Curry) and his American wife, Marianne (Jodi Carlisle), make wildlife television documentaries. Their elder daughter, Debbie, is a sarcastic, self-absorbed teen who would be more at home in a mall than the veldt, while the younger daughter, Eliza (Lacey Chabert), is, thanks to an African shaman whom she saved, an adolescent Dr. Dolittle. Eliza can talk to the animals, and her best friend is a stuffy, loquacious chimp named Darwin. If Eliza reveals her secret power, though, she will lose it. The most untamed member of the Thornberrys is the adopted Donnie, a feral child whose grunts are supplied by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. Eliza embarks on the adventure of a lifetime after poachers snatch a cheetah cub entrusted to her. Her parents ship her off to a very proper girl's school, but Eliza is determined to rescue the cub and runs away. She crosses paths with two veterinarians (voiced by Rupert Everett and Marisa Tomei) who may not be what they seem. Before the sun sets on the African plains, Eliza will have to foil a plot to trap a herd of wild elephants for their valuable ivory tusks. With its authentic soundtrack (which includes Paul Simon's Oscar-nominated song, "Father and Daughter"), a sophisticated script that supplies wit for the adults and some mildly rude humor for the kids, eye-popping animation, and truly exciting perils for plucky Eliza, young and old will be wild about the Thornberrys. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

The Nickelodeon cartoon series The Wild Thornberrys gets its first feature-length animated film, directed by show creator Cathy Malkasian with a screenplay by Kate Boutilier (writer of Nickelodeon's Rugrats in Paris). The main character is 12-year-old Eliza Thornberry (voice of Lacey Chabert), a braces-and-glasses-wearing eccentric girl in an adventurous family of travelers. Due to an interaction with a shaman, she has been granted the special power of communication with animals, as long as she promises not to tell anyone about it. Her powers are challenged when her parents, Nigel (voice of Tim Curry) and Marianne (voice of Jodi Carlisle), decide to take the family on an African safari to make a nature documentary. Also along for the trip is snobby sister Debbie (voice of Danielle Harris), feral youngster Donnie (voice of Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers), and pet chimpanzee Darwin (voice of Tom Kane). After her new Cheetah cub friend is stolen by poachers, Eliza is determined to get involved. However, the stuffy Thornberry grandparents get in the way by sending her to boarding school. It's up to Eliza and Darwin to defeat the poachers and save the cub. Also featuring the voice talents of Brenda Blethyn and Lynn Redgrave. Andrea LeVasseur

Product Details

• UPC: 097363397649
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:25:00
• Sales Rank: 13,670

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