Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Tedious Madagascar rip-off with some crude humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Life's a Jungle: Africa's Most Wanted
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 9 kid reviews
Kids say the movie is a significant disappointment with a boring storyline, poor animation, and unconvincing voice acting, often described as a crude rip-off of better animated films. Many found it inappropriate for children due to its use of crude humor and shallow jokes, leading to strong recommendations against watching it.
- poor animation
- boring storyline
- crude humor
- strong disapproval
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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 , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some mild rude humor
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate