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A ministry of the ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP Ministry) A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Christian Ministry. www.capalert.com/ Entertainment Media Analysis Report A service to His little ones through you in His name by His Word MAR26029  (2006), G [PG-G*] (1hr 20min) The #1 Christian entertainment media analysis service on the Internet. We give you OBJECTIVE tools NO ONE ELSE CAN to help YOU make an informed decision for yourself whether a film is fit for your family. Over 1000 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
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(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Cast/Crew Details Courtesy Internet Movie Database Production (US): C.O.R.E. Feature Animation, Contrafilm, Hoytyboy Pictures Distribution (US): Buena Vista Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures Director(s): Steve 'Spaz' Williams Producer(s): Jim Burton, Ed Decter, Beau Flynn, Clint Goldman, Jane Park, John J. Strauss Written by: Ed Decter, Mark Gibson, Philip Halprin, John J. Strauss Music: Alan Silvestri Film Editing: Scott Balcerek, Steven L. Wagner Casting: Corbin Bronson, Jen Rudin Production Design: Chris Farmer Art Direction: Chris Farmer, Michael E. Goldman Viewed At: Driftwood Theater 6 Wow! A G-rated "kids" film with "I'll kill 'em myself", threats to eat other characters and a long sequence of threat of harm and death. Maybe the Big Bad Wolf threatens to eat Little Red Riding Hood in the famous fable, but was your first encounter with the fable simply in words? Or in a little book? I'll bet the Big Bad Wolf's head wasn't twenty feet tall. In comparison with the films in the CAP comparative baseline database (see CAP Methodology, The Wild contains enough issues of violence to be equivalent to the violence envelope of some R-rated films. Not so much in the boldness or extreme of any specific example(s) as is the typical device of R-rated films but in the sheer number of "lesser" examples of violent matters. See our CAP Rule of 1000 for more information on the relatively new technique of filmmakers to load down the content of films with "tons" of lesser examples of ignominy to get the same magnitude or effect as the fewer but more bold and graphic examples typically found in R-rated films but yet avoid the R rating. Indeed, I find that many of the lesser kind of assault on morality and ethics in a given time can have a more indelible negative or harmful impression than fewer but more invasive assaults. And practicing psychologist Steve Kossor, our Director - Psychological Support and executive director of a behavioral analysis service concurs. Young lion cub Ryan (voice of Greg Cipes) has not yet experienced the voice change of adolescence. His father, Samson (voice of Kiefer Sutherland) has been telling Ryan for years that the wild, of which Samson claims to be master, will put the roar in the roarer. So, Ryan breaks out of the New York Zoo to go to the green boxes that take animals to the wild. There he will find his roar that will make him as great as his father. The story is of the shenanigans of Samson and his friends; Nigel the koala (voice of Eddie Izzard), Bridget the giraffe (voice of Janeane Garofalo), Larry the snake (voice of Richard Kind) who accompany him through the streets and sewers of New York City to get to the green boxes and rescue Ryan. Once they find the green box with Ryan in it, the ragtag vagabonds are unable to board the ocean freighter and find themselves aboard a tug boat. But does that sway Samson from continuing his quest to rescue Ryan? Only in animation can a lion pilot a tugboat across the Atlantic Ocean ... and make it. When it is almost over, Ryan tells one of the bad guys "I'm sorry you didn't have a father like I have." While this film indeed presents some truly positive features, some are not so positive and might be of interest to you before you decide whether to set down with your tykes to view this film. As pointed to in the beginning of this Summary/Commentary, The Wild is quite violent. Not in a gory or evil way but definitely in as realistic a way animation can portray. Sometimes the bad guy, when twenty feet tall and growling with 1000 watts of audio power, is larger than life to the small viewer. The theater is not a TV. And when the bared teeth of that red-eyed 20-foot bad guy grow to be 20-foot tall themselves as that bad guy threatens to kill or eat the good guys, the impression is made and might be indelible. Not so? Did you have to fight back the lacrimal fluid when Travis shot Old Yeller? When the hunter killed Bambi's mother? The content of PG-13 films has been steadily oozing into the "R" realm (see R-13). "G" oozing into a more severe stratum is no exception. This film earned a final score of 71 which falls deeply into the range of scores earned by PG films (68 to 86 out of 100) in the comparative baseline database, making it a PG-G. It will be very interesting when we can afford to compile the massive data we have accumulated from over 1000 films over eleven years to see how much the G and PG rating have decayed as has the PG-13 rating. The strongest reasons this film earned the score of 71 were violence and impudence. Several instances of slapstick violence such as slapping around another character, a hit to the face, attempted murder, animal attacks, brutality toward the young, "I'll kill them myself", kidnapping and the long sequence of threat of harm and death drained the starting 100 points in Wanton Violence/Crime severely. [Prov. 16:29] And, for the young, that the film was animation does not diminish the influence. Indeed, it focus the influence on the young. Among other issues, crude and toilet humor took more than half of the starting 100 points in Impudence/Hate. Instances such as a character on a commode, a character's head up the left nostril of another and several matters of mischief, flatulence, lying and running away to find glory were together expensive to the starting 100 points in Impudence/Hate. [Eph. 5:4] On a positive note, there were no uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary noted in the entire 80 minutes of the film. The Sexual Immorality score was not that good due to the sexual humor such as the crotch hit, heavy attention to the posterior, the comment of Bridget to the squirrel "Stop looking at my spots. I'm up here" and the two instances of inappropriate touch (buttocks). [Again Eph. 5:4] Though bad enough, God's name was used in vain only once and without the four letter expletive. [Deut. 5:11] And the bad guys practiced false god worship [Ex. 20:3] and ritual sacrifice. As another positive note, there were no noted instances of drugs and/or alcohol or tobacco or murder/suicide. A complete listing of the observation findings is provided in the Findings/Scoring section of this report. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ] or bold. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. CHAPTER/VERSE ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry*** As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
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 Wanton Violence/Crime (W) Impudence/Hate (I) Sexual Immorality (S) Drugs/Alcohol (D): Offense to God (O) Murder/Suicide (M) |
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| There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our more than eight years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
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