Written by: Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

There's a definite sense of déjà vu about this animated fantasy/adventure for kids. The lost-child theme is borrowed from "Finding Nemo"; the father/son relationship can be traced back to "The Lion King"; and there are plot elements lifted directly from "Madagascar." All fun films, mind you, but originality should count for something.

The story begins in at the New York Zoo, where a rebellious adolescent lion Ryan (Greg Cipes), after hearing stories from his father Samson (Kiefer Sutherland), yearns to experience "the wild" for himself and develop an intimidating roar like his dad. Stowing away in an animal-shipping container, Ryan gets carted away, screaming, "Help me!"

Samson sets out in hot pursuit, followed by their friends: Benny the street-savvy squirrel (James Belushi), who adores Bridget the clever giraffe (Janeane Garofalo), a cowardly koala called Nigel (Eddie Izzard) "from the streets of London," and a dim-witted anaconda Larry (Richard King). As they romp through Manhattan to rescue Ryan, they encounter a pair of sewer-dwelling alligators who admit, "It's a jungle down here."

Eventually, the zoo-mates make their way to an island, where they find a tribe of menacing wildebeests, led by the ambitious Kazar (William Shatner) who is so determined to rise to "the top of the food chain" that he's become carnivorous.

Director Steve "Spaz" Williams ("The Mask") and his four screenwriters Ed Decter & John J. Strauss, Mark Gibson & Philip Halprin rely too much on slapstick, forcing the animals to run wildly until they bump into something and topple over. Unless you're devoted to Saturday morning cartoons, this gets stale quickly. While the animation is life-like, the vocal work is oddly uninspired.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Wild" is an all-too-familiar 5. It's mild, not wild.