The
Jungle Bunch is one of those quirky films that seems to have been spliced
together from several other popular movies. A computer animated, all-animal
spectacular, it brings together happy penguins, jungle slapstick, sliding
ice-capades and a collection of cute creature characters who bicker and
wisecrack their way through the film's hour-long running time.
To achieve this, a back-story is set up, chronicling how a lost penguin's egg winds up in dense jungle, leading to a penguin who thinks he's a tiger (complete with stripes) and two Antarctic penguins, Ping and Pong, seeking the mythical "tiger warrior" to save them from some rather nasty walruses. You can see where this is all going. The producers have to be credited for creating a film that combines elements of Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Ice Age and Happy Feet, all within 58 minutes.
While the animation isn't Pixar quality, The Jungle Bunch barely
pauses for breath and the script is well above average. Toby, nearly eight,
enjoyed the film as much as four year old sister Pippa, although both noted its
passing resemblance to other movies.
Behind the scenes DVD extras are especially generous and the short running time means it will get some regular replay value.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
The Jungle Bunch [DVD]
is available from Amazon.