The Wild Thornberrys is an animated TV series on Nickelodeon which has been one of the most popular with kids from the ages of two through eleven since its premiere in 1998. In this film version directed by Jeff McGrath and Cathy Malkarian, twelve-year old Eliza (voiced by Lacey Chabert) is visiting Africa with her documentary filmmaker parents Nigel (Tim Curry) and Marianne (Jodie Carlisle). Other members of this traveling clan are her sarcastic sister, Debbie (Danielle Harris), and Donnie (Red Hot Chili Pepper's bassist Flea), an adopted wild child.

Thanks to an encounter with a shaman, Eliza has been granted the ability to talk with animals. However, if she reveals this secret, the gift will be taken away from her. Since this eccentric little girl doesn't get along very well with humans, the blessing comes in quite handy. Her best friend is Darwin (Tom Kane), a somewhat prissy and silly chimp. One day, while babysitting Tully, a cheetah, Eliza strays too far from home and the young animal is snatched away from her by a poacher. Although the courageous protagonist tries to save Tully, she is unsuccessful. This adventure in the wild convinces her parents to send Eliza to a boarding school in England where she can become more civilized. Her grandmother (Lynn Redgrave) arranges the trip.

At the stuffy school, the newcomer is ignored and forced to spend her leisure time talking to squirrels. Luckily, Darwin has come along and now stays in her room, hiding whenever necessary from her snob roommate who finds Eliza quite disagreeable. After a dream in which the shaman speaks to her, this determined young animal lover decides to return to Africa to rescue Tully. When she gets there, she learns that the poachers (Rupert Everett and Marisa Tomei) have come up with a nefarious scheme to get the tusks of a giant herd of elephants. Eliza, capitalizing on some crucial information she once picked up in her conversations with these animals, proves to be a formidable adversary.

The Wild Thornberrys is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough.

The DVD features a music video of Paul Simon singing the Academy Award-nomimated “Father and Daughter” and some Wild Thornberry-themed games that are challenging but have to be downloaded before you can play them.