The Wild Thornberrys Movie film review

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THE WILD THORNBERRYS MOVIE

The Thornberrys are a remarkable yet dysfunctional family who travel the globe in their quest to preserve endangered species. Parents Nigel and Marianne present and film nature documentaries, travelling deep into the jungle in search of their beautiful subjects.

They take their bickering children - Debbie, Eliza and Donnie - with them on safari, hoping to educate the little ones about the environment and the dangers to wildlife posed by mankind. Needless to say, the children's grandparents, Cordelia and The Colonel, are not entirely happy with the idea of the youngsters running amok in such dangerous surroundings.

During a visit to Africa, 12-year-old youngest daughter Eliza meets Shaman Mnyambo and is gifted the ability to talk to animals - a special power which will disappear if she tells anyone about it. The gift allows Eliza to chat to her pet and best friend, a monkey called Darwin, whose love of fine foods and home comforts is rather at odds to his animal nature.

Girl and simian become inseparable. After a near-death altercation with poachers, Eliza's meddling grandmother sends her to England to boarding school where she will be safe from the natives. Debbie is glad to see her younger sister go - the pair simply don't get on - even though it means she will be lumbered with looking after Donnie.

Across the Atlantic, Eliza is relieved to find Darwin has smuggled himself along for the ride. She needs all the friends she can get - her snooty room mate at boarding school, Sarah Wellington, won't give her the time of day and the other girls are standoffish. Eliza's heart belongs in Africa and she secretly heads back to the sun-baked plains, where she stumbles upon the same nefarious gang of poachers, who are planning to kill a herd of elephants. Together with her trusty chimp Darwin, Eliza sets out to save the animals.

The Wild Thornberrys Movie is the first full-length animated feature based on the popular Nickelodeon television series of the same name. Made by the same people responsible for The Rugrats, this is a delightful light-hearted romp for the entire family.