S.O.S. - Environment
The Wild Thornberrys Movie

The ecological wave was responsible for the birth all over the world of Non-governmental Organizations that do a lot of noise to protect the environment and species of animals or plants that are endangered of extinction.

There were also a revalorization proccess and huge investments made by the biggest television networks (free accessed ones or paid) in Europe and in the United States on the field of documentaries about animals, inhabits and plants. Magnificent works have been produced by TV networks like the british BBC or the north-american Discovery Channel.

Another sector that expanded because of the growing world interest in the preservation of environment was the industry dedicated to the natural products, the ones that don't affect nature, that preserve the soil and its properties. In supermarkets of the whole world we can find food produced without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Just like in the old days. Everything done in behalf not only of the preservation of environments but also, to help the health of the consumers (but not of their pockets since this products are, usually, more expensive than its competitors produced with the help of science).

Could children be left aside from this fight in regard of the survival of species? (would it be merely a coincidence or the fact that we are aware that the disappearence of plants and animals will lead, necessarily, to our own extermination, forced us to be interested in enviromental causes?). They weren't! Cartoons with themes associated to the environmental issues were created (as well as subproducts related to them). Among all of them, there are no doubts that one of the richest and more interesting productions is Nickelodeons' The Thornberrys.

The Thornberry family is not a normal family, as they say on the presentation of the animation TV series version. It is formed by the father (Nigel), the mother (Marianne), two daughters (Elisa and Debbie), a wild boy (Donnie) and a monkey (that is nicely named by the family as Darwin). The centre of attention is Eliza, that acquired the ability of speaking with animals from the different places where they go. Their parents are film-makers, specialized in documentaries about animals and wild environment (They are always travelling through Africa, America, Australia,...).

The transposition of the television series to the big screen of the movies originated a new adventure, in which we can see Eliza and Darwin risking themselves to save animal species endangered by the ambition of the hunters.

The Movie

In a visit to África, the Thornberrys are making another documentary about wild animals, with Nigel in front of the câmeras hosting the productions that are signed by his wife Marianne. Eliza, Debbie and Darwin (the family monkey that speaks with Eliza) are with them, each one of the girls looking at this opportunity in a different way. Debbie (the older daughter, a teenager) keeps complaining that she is miles away from the civilized world (specially from other boys and girls of her age) while Eliza, for her turn, enjoys greatly everything that surrounds her, in this fantastic wild world that she is getting in touch.

In this trip, Eliza finds out that a group of smugglers of wild animals are interested in bigger and more profitable businesses. They intend to lock and kill a huge group of african elephants so that they can extract its ivory and sell it in the international market. They expect high profits because this ivory is rare and, consequently, it is highly evaluated everywhere. To cease the action of this eco-terrorists, Eliza has to escape from the school (their parents and grandmother sent her to a London school for girls to be educated in an appropriate way) and get more information of the bandits' plans.

With the help of Darwin (her closest friend), she gets lost in the middle of the african continent and her family start to look for her. They are not aware of anything regarding hunters and elephants. To worsen her situation, she loses her ability of speaking to animals because she broke a promise that she made to the witch that gave her this quality. How can she alert her parents without a radio or a telephone? How could she stop the elephants so that they don't fall in the traps made by the smugglers? These are some of Eliza's and Darwin's problems...

With a lot of action, the music-theme made by Paul Simon and showing us a bit of the sightseeings and the animal life of Africa, "The Thornberrys" will get the attention of the children as well as of their parents that rented the video or the DVD. It is for children of all ages.

For Teachers

1- Much more than just fashion, the concern for the environmental question must be constantly stimulated by the teachers among their students. It can be explored and studied by all areas of knowledge worked at school. The possibilities iniciate with researches that explain the meaning of the most important words related to the theme such as environmental question, greenhouse effect, ecology,...

2- Afterwards teachers can tell students to search for data and general information about the actual state of the planet, the animals that are endangered of extinction, the sighseeings that have suffered the worst effects from the devastation made by men or even, any other subject from the varied list related to the environmental question. From statistics to images that present a recent picture of the themes studied, from explaining texts to analysis created by specialists that have been trying to alter the situation and save species. Everything that can guarantee an actualized panel and interpretations that can lead actions to be taken by the students themselves.

3- Students can be stimulated to get in touch with the major non-government organizations that work with these issues. Throughout e-mails or letters, by telephone contacts or even visitations to the offices of those groups (the ones that are stablished close to your schools or cities), everything is valid to bring students closer to the tension, the daily routine, the fight and the idealism of the people that labor in behalf of the environment.

4- Which environmental questions are happening closer to your inhabit (school and city)? Look for information regarding the disappearence of animals that live in the woods and forests that are around your town. Find out what is happening with the original vegetation of the place in which you live. Verify if there are groups working for the preservation of the nature or the animals that live in your city. Contact them, ask for reports about the situation, try to help this work. This is your share in this important and vital question!

João Luís Almeida Machado
Master Degree in Education, Arts and History of Culture (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, in São Paulo); Professor at Faculdade Senac in Campos do Jordão; Middle and High School teacher; writes weekly columns for the website Planeta Educação

Send e-mails, comments, suggestions and critics for:
profjoaoluis@planetaeducacao.com.br

Technical Information

The Wild Thornberrys Movie

Country/Year of production:- USA, 2002
Lenght of time/Gender:- 85 min., Animation
Director: Cathy Malkasian e Jeff McGrath
Screenwriter: Kate Boutilier
Cast (voices):- Tim Curry, Rupert Everett, Flea,
Melissa Greenspan, Brenda Blethyn, Jodi Carlisle, Lacey Chabert,
Marisa Tomei, Danielle Harris.

Links

- http://www.nick.com/all_nick/movies/wildthornberrys/ (english)
- http://e-pipoca.cidadeinternet.com.br/filmes_critica.cfm?id=1525 (portuguese)
- http://www.adorocinema.com/filmes/thornberrys/thornberrys.htm (portuguese)
- http://www.cineguia.com.br/index.shtml?cod_filme=CNA26415&rg=0 (portuguese)