Wild America

Three brothers from Arkansas, Marshall, Marty and Mark Stouffer, share a fascination with animals and homemade movies. One summer they borrow money from their father and set off across America with a used camera, hoping to film wildlife in its natural surroundings and turn their hobby into something bigger.

The film is based on the real experiences of the Stouffer brothers, whose footage of alligators, bears, moose and other animals later reached wide audiences. William Dear directed, working from a screenplay by David Michael Wieger. It was Dear's fifth feature, arriving between Angels in the Outfield and Santa Who?, and among its producers were James G. Robinson, Irby Smith and Mark Stouffer. Jonathan Taylor Thomas plays Marshall, Scott Bairstow plays Marty Jr., and Devon Sawa plays Mark, with Frances Fisher and Jamey Sheridan as the boys' parents and Tracey Walter in a supporting role. The production, released in July 1997, drew a modest worldwide box office of around 7 million dollars against a credited crew of 134.

Audience responses on IMDb and TMDB are mild and close to each other, at 6.4 from roughly 8,700 votes and 6.1 from about 111 votes respectively, while a critics' rating of 4.4 from 20 reviews is clearly lower. The film sits within the family adventure and comedy genres, running 106 minutes.