The Wild Thornberrys Movie
Eliza Thornberry and her simian pal Darwin take on an African safari, evil poachers, and a London boarding school in Eliza's big-screen debut. That's quite a tall order for a 12-year-old--and a movie soundtrack--to handle, but like the dynamic tween,The Wild Thornberrys Moviedelivers.Youssou N' DourandSting,Angelique KidjowithDave Matthewsand Las Hijas del Sol contribute world music celebrations flavored with exotic percussion and soulful vocals, whileBaha Menskid around on the manic pace of reggae-pop with "Accident."Paul Simon's jungle-folk-tinged "Father and Daughter" is more traditional rock, as is thePretenders' cheerfully uptempo cover of Intaferon's 1980s obscurity "Get Out of London," andPeter Gabriel's "Animal Nation," which harkens to the throbbing guitar electronics found on his 1992 albumUs. Even the teen pop-centric tracks are high quality--Nick Carter's sunny keyboard nugget and Sita's irresistible "Happy." Appealing to kids and adults both, without pandering to either crowd,The Wild Thornberrys Movieis an enjoyable delight through and through.--Annie Zaleski