Life's a Jungle: Africa's Most Wanted
Tedious Madagascar rip-off with some crude humor.
Parents say
Based on 3 reviews
Kids say
Based on 11 reviews
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Life's a Jungle: Africa's Most Wanted is a crude and unwatchable rip-off of the DreamWorks film Madagascar. None of the characters are especially likeable and some fall into stereotype territory. In one scene two hyenas pull a prank on a sleeping dog by putting excrement in the dog's paw then tickling his nose so the dog smacks his face with the excrement. There are also shots of this same dog sitting on a toilet, as well as the dog burping to raucous applause from the animals around him.
Community Reviews
Such a beautiful movie
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This is the best film I could have showed my kids.
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What's the Story?
Pip is a blue-blooded dog from Cambridge, Massachusetts who has accompanied his owners on an African safari. When a bump in the road throws him out of the jeep, Pip is lost in the jungle. He meets two hyenas who mock his dandified "big city" ways, but gains acceptance among the jungle's denizens when he figures out a way to get water out of the river via irrigation pipes made out of bamboo, keeping them safe from rhinos and crocodiles. A party ensues, but when the rhinos see the pipes, they are enraged and attack the huts that have emerged around the water vats. It is up to Pip to try and make peace with the rhinos, so he meets a herd of female rhinos, and plays matchmaker in the hopes that love will bring peace to the jungle. Meanwhile, Pip awaits the return of his family, who is desperately trying to find him.
Is It Any Good?
LIFE'S A JUNGLE: AFRICA'S MOST WANTED is an incredibly boring rip-off of the DreamWorks film Madagascar. Even if the computer animation was decent (which it isn't), there are no likeable characters, the action is at least twice as long as necessary, and the attempts at humor fall flat.
Furthermore, in the midst of the tedium, parents watching this will be subjected to computer animated excrement placed onto the paw of a dog by hyenas who tickle the dog's nose so said dog slaps the excrement in his face. Couple this with utterly bizarre jokes involving flatulence and poop, and you have many reasons to avoid this movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about bad movies. What makes a movie "bad" as opposed to good?
Did you notice any stereotypes in this movie? Why do you think filmmakers choose to use stereotypes for characters? Are they funny?
Were there any likeable characters in this movie? What happens to a movie when no one is likeable?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 12, 2012
- Cast: Jeffrey Lee Hollis, Melissa Lattari, Robert D. Hanna
- Director: Robert D. Hanna
- Studio: Phase 4 Films
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures, Wild Animals
- Run time: 100 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: some mild rude humor
- Last updated: October 8, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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