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Author Daniel Defoe’s story of Robinson Crusoe has been told and retold time after time ever since it was first published in 1719. And in the latest animated adaptation, The Wild Life, the legendary castaway gets a new adventure—and some help from some native…animals.
The Wild Life offers a new twist on the classic tale. When the bumbling voyager is discovered by pirates, he begins to tell them his tale of survival on a deserted island. But his feathered friend, a macaw that he’s named Tuesday, has a different story to tell. His version involves a shipwreck and an awkward man who’s abandoned on the island with nothing but his dog and some cookies. Though Tuesday sees the man’s arrival as his chance to escape the island and explore the outside world, it soon becomes clear that Crusoe won’t survive without the island’s friendly animals, who help him battle four-legged villains and build a new home in paradise.
This latest take on the beloved Robinson Crusoe tale has a little bit of adventure, a band of pirates, and plenty of likable characters—but it just doesn’t have a whole lot of personality. From the clueless castaway to the band of animals who aren’t quite sure what to think of him, they’re all cute enough, but none of them are especially memorable. There aren’t any daring heroes or quirky sidekicks, and their actions aren’t particularly inspiring or exciting or laugh-out–loud funny, either.
The story, too, is unremarkable—and rather bland. There’s simply not much here to hold viewers’ attention. It’s a pretty straightforward tale about a lovably bumbling newcomer who survives a shipwreck and is forced to fend for himself (and his dog). The only real conflict comes from a couple of mangy cats, who are still harboring some kind of feelings of resentment toward their former shipmate. But their grudge seems rather pointless—and no matter how much trouble they may cause along the way, they never seem like a serious threat. Instead, they’re just a bizarre complication in an otherwise simple and harmless and completely forgettable animated adventure.
The Wild Life isn’t a terrible movie. There’s nothing about it that’s blatantly horrible. The writing, the animation, the production…it’s all…decent. But it’s far from a great movie. So while it may keep the kids occupied for a while on a rainy day, they probably won’t remember anything about it by the next morning.
