Favorite Flicks: The Wild Thrnberrys Movie

© 2002 Paramount Pictures
Running time: 85 min. Rated PG
Features the voices of Lacey Chabert, Tim Curry, Rupert Everett, Marisa Tomei, Lynn Redgrave, and Flea

PLOT

Based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series, The Wild Thornberrys Movie follows 12-year-old Eliza Thornberry’s latest adventures. Thanks to her efforts to rescue a shaman, animal-lover Eliza was rewarded with the gift of speaking to animals. The movie takes place in Africa, where Eliza’s parents are filming a nature documentary. While playing with a trio of cheetah cubs, Eliza witnesses one of the cubs snatched by poachers. Fearful that their daughter will recklessly pursue the poachers, Eliza’s parents and grandmother send her to a boarding school in London. Eliza promptly escapes from the boarding school, convinced that her destiny is to rescue the cub. Back in Africa, she meets Bree and Sloan, who claim to be studying Africa’s endangered wildlife. Not is all as it seems, however, and Eliza finds herself struggling not only to rescue the captured cub but also to prevent the slaughter of thousands of elephants for their tusks. When she temporarily loses her ability to talk to the animals, Eliza must rely on her courage and common sense to save the day.

Be advised that the movie offers plenty of kid-pleasing jokes based on flatulence, food fights, horse manure, baboon bottoms, and the "Wedgie Dance."

HUMANE MESSAGES & OTHER GOOD POINTS

• Depicts people defending and speaking up for animals. Eliza puts her life on the line to rescue Tally the cub, the injured rhino, and the herd of elephants. Similarly, her parents express constant joy and amazement at the animals around them. Nigel Thornberry refers to his own history of rescuing animals in danger.

• Portrays animals as individuals and suggests that they have strong emotions. For example, Akela, the cheetah, is a caring mother who sets limits for her cubs and is distraught at her cub’s capture.

• Encourages empathy by showing that animals can experience emotions, such as joy, sadness, anger, and fear. Scenes that highlight animals’ feelings include the following: the capture and return of Akela’s cub, the rhinoceros’s suffering as he explains what happened when he was attacked by poachers; the elephants’ fear when they realize the fence they’re heading for is charged and dangerous.

• Raises the issues of poaching (illegal hunting) and the fur trade. Bree and Sloan seek to make money by turning the cheetah cub into a fur garment and to kill elephants for their ivory tusks.

• Shows loyalty and courage in action. Despite Debbie’s tough-teen exterior, she is devoted to Eliza and risks her own comfort and safety to help her. Similarly, Eliza sticks to her promise to rescue Tally and risks danger to rescue the elephants.

• Sends important messages about conservation of species and the power of activism without becoming preachy or boring. Serious moments are interspersed with comic relief to keep children engaged and entertained.

POINTS TO PONDER

From a humane perspective, few movies are perfect. Following are potential problems with the film that you may wish to address with your children or students.

• Darwin, a chimpanzee, lives with the Thornberrys. In keeping with the cartoon’s overall feel, he is more like a hairy human than an actual chimp. You may wish to remind students that while we share 98% of our DNA with chimps, we are different in many important ways. Like all wild animals, chimps do not make suitable pets and belong in their natural habitats. For more information about the problems associated with captive chimpanzees, see www.janegoodall.org.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Start talking. Ask students to pretend that, like Eliza, they are able to talk to animals. Assign each student an endangered animal to interview and have them write up their interviews. (To find a listing of endangered animals, visit www.animalinfo.org). Questions to ask include: What is your name? What country do you live in? What is your home like? What do you eat? Do you help care for your babies? If so, how? Why are you endangered? What do you wish you could say to people? Compile their interviews—and illustrations of their animals, if you wish—in a bulletin board labeled “The Inside Scoop on Endangered Animals.” You may also wish to send students’ interviews to us at KIND News, 67 Norwich Essex Turnpike, East Haddam, CT 06362-0362. We may publish them in KIND News, our monthly newspaper for kids in grades K-6.

A real talker. Explain to students that Dr. Francine Patterson has been working with Koko, a female lowland gorilla, for the past 25 years. She has taught Koko to communicate with American Sign Language. So far, Koko understands 2,000 English words and can make 1,000 signs. To learn more about Koko’s fascinating story, have students visit www.gorilla.org. In addition to updates, photos, and videos, the site also includes a special “Kids Club” section, where children can send notes to Koko and e-cards to their friends.

Tune into the Thornberrys. The Wild Thornberrys airs in half-hour episodes on Nickelodeon. Virtually all of the shows have positive messages about animals and can be used as springboards for discussion about animal protection issues. Consider taping a few episodes and showing them in your classroom. For local listing times, visit www.nick.com.