Chicago Tribune by Michael Wilmington

It has a good director, snazzy visuals and some really funny animals, and that's at least half the battle.

The New York Times

While the kids are giggling at gambling pigeons and psychedelic chameleons, parents can enjoy a screenplay sensitive to the travails of single fatherhood and the evils of oppression. In The Wild, the most valuable weapons are honesty, tolerance and the ability to be oneself.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker

It's a bright, swiftly paced story with some spirited humor.

Washington Post by Desson Thomson

Adult humor in kiddie films -- of which there is plenty in The Wild -- is not only welcome but, for many adult viewers, essential.

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

Lifting a concept isn't exactly foreign to the world of animation (what's "The Lion King" if not "Bambi" with manes?), but it isn't often a rip-off gets as blatant as The Wild, a flat-out regurgitation of "Madagascar."

Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov

About as pedestrian as you can get.

Variety by Justin Chang

Uninspired character animation and obnoxious banter aside, The Wild is ultimately done in by the persistent stench of been-there-seen-that.

The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck

The film is a relentlessly loud and ultimately exhausting exercise only partially leavened by the usual heavy doses of wisecracking humor and visual gags.

The A.V. Club by Tasha Robinson

There may be nothing new under the sun, but there are at least films that dress up old tropes in new ways. This isn't one of them.

L.A. Weekly by Ella Taylor

The animation is cheesy; the banter isn't funny; the score is noisy and grating; and the critters look like stuffed animals. The best that can be said for The Wild is that it's a most insincere form of flattery. The worst is that it's a sincere form of theft.