AllMovie

This Nickelodeon series follows an eccentric family throughout the rainforests and wilds of the world as Nigel, the patriarch, films his travels for a future nature documentary. Unbeknownst to him, Nigel's 12-year-old daughter Eliza (voiced by former Party of Five star Lacey Chabert) is the one with the inside scoop on the wild kingdom at hand -- she can quite literally talk with any animal that crosses her path, most notably Darwin, her pet chimpanzee. Eliza's travels inevitably lead her into trouble; in each episode she is faced with saving her family and a host of wild animals from various terrible fates. Complicating the matter is Eliza's pact not to tell anyone of her mysterious gift, lest she lose her abilities. The series includes some interesting voices -- besides Chabert, Tim Curry, Flea, Marisa Tomei, and Lynn Redgrave have lent their vocal chords to the long-running Nick toon.