A year after DreamWorks releasedMadagascar, Disney released its own animated movie with a near-identical plot,The Wild. Released in 2005,Madagascarstars Chris Rock as Marty, an ambitious zebra at the Central Park Zoo who dreams of leaving behind his enclosure and exploring the outside world. The cast is rounded out by Ben Stiller as Alex the egocentric lion, Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria the confident hippo, and David Schwimmer as Melman the hypochondriac giraffe, who all escape with Marty and end up stranded on the titular island.
Madagascarwas a big hit with audiences and ended up launching a blockbuster franchise.Madagascarwas followed by two sequels and a spinoff, and ended up becoming a lucrative property for DreamWorks. Just one year later, Disney tried to replicate that success by releasing a movie so similar that it could’ve been a remake. Unfortunately for the Mouse House, their version was nowhere near as popular asMadagascar. It’s unclearifMadagascar 4will happen, butDisney made its own unofficialMadagascarmovie in 2006.
Disney’s The Wild Is Very Similar To DreamWorks' Madagascar
The Wild Is Another Animated Movie About Central Park Zoo Animals Heading To Africa
In 2006, Disney releasedThe Wild, whose plot is almost identical toMadagascar. LikeMadagascar,it revolves around a bunch of animals at the Central Park Zoo — led by a tenacious lion — who break out of their enclosures and end up running free in the wild. The reason they escape is slightly different: the lion’s son gets accidentally shipped off to Africa, so the lion and his friends go looking for him. But other than that, it’s more or less the same movie.
10 Pairs Of Movies With The Same Premise That Are Incredibly Different
Despite having the premise, movie pairs like Finding Nemo and Taken or Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror are still very different in tone.
This wasn’t the first time thatDisney and DreamWorksreleased very similar animated movies a few months apart, but DreamWorks’ version usually comes out after the Disney version (and is usually the inferior one). In 1998, DreamWorks releasedAntza few months after Disney releasedA Bug’s Life. In 2004, DreamWorks releasedShark Talea year after Disney releasedFinding Nemo. WithMadagascar’s story of runaway zoo animals,DreamWorks finally managed to beat Disney to the punch.
Which Movie Is Better? The Wild Vs. Madagascar
Madagascar Is The Superior Movie By Far
The Wildhas its moments, butMadagascaris the superior movie by far. Its animation is better-looking, its storytelling is tighter, its humor is more effective, its voice cast has better chemistry, and it’s much less derivative.The Wilddoesn’t just rip offMadagascar; it also borrows elements fromFinding Nemo,The Lion King,The Jungle Book, andCats & Dogs— it’s one of the least original animated movies ever made.
The Wild
Cast
The Wild is an animated adventure film released in 2006 featuring a young lion unintentionally sent from the New York Zoo to Africa. His diverse group of animal friends undertakes a journey across continents to rescue him and return him safely to their urban sanctuary.
