‘The Wild Life’

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's


wildlife
The Wild Life is a new take on the Robinson Crusoe tale and it’s filled with fun and imaginative characters. The story is told through the perspective of the animals and tells the tale of a shipwrecked Crusoe who gets stranded on an island with an interesting group of residents: Mak (named Tuesday by Crusoe) the parrot, Rosie the tapir, Epi the echidna, Pango the pangolin, Scrubby the goat, Kiki the bird, and Carmello the chameleon.

Each character has a unique personality but they work together to help Crusoe build an island tree house with a functional fresh water system and other cleverly designed aspects. For instance, Scrubby the nearly blind goat gets a pair of glasses.

While the islanders are living and working together, a group of cats is intent on revenge. They had originally been on Crusoe’s ill-fated boat and they believe he mistreated them. They want to get back at him and all his friends. But once they make their way onto the island, they are up against a formidable group as the animals and Crusoe work to fend off the evil cats and defend their home.

Bonus features include a “making of” featurette with the cast and filmmakers. There is also a look at the characters from the perspective of their voice actors. The “Tips for your Trip” featurette has helpful advice if you ever get stranded on an island. And there is a cute “Musical Adventure” which is a visual synopsis of the film set to music.

Spoiler alert: Crusoe is originally stranded along with his dog Aynsley however early in their adventure on the island the dog is killed. So keep this in mind if you have sensitive children.

This is a good opportunity for parents to teach their children about the animals, even though in this case they are all animated. However, they are based on real life species so it could be a fun for kids – and adults – to research the real animals. After all, how much do you know about a tapir or a pangolin?

The Wild Life is rated PG for mild action, peril, and some rude humor. It’s available on combo pack (Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD) or as a single DVD beginning November 29, 2016.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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