History Main / KidsWildernessEpic

* The ''Literature/StephanieHarrington'' series is about an adventurous girl, the daughter of two scientists, who is a colonist on the planet Sphinx. Something of a {{Reconstruction}} of the genre, as her first adventure in the wilderness results in her almost being killed, and the adults see to it that she is beter supervised and receives the type of training that will allow her not to die a senseless death in the [[DeathWorld vast wilderness of Sphinx]]. The local natives also pull double-duty as the cute animals Stephanie must protect from the poachers who [[WhatValueIsANonHuman refuse to consider the 'cats as sentient beings.]]

* The ''Literature/StephanieHarrington'' series is about an adventurous girl, the daughter of two scientists, who is a colonist on the planet Sphinx. Something of a {{Reconstruction}} of the genre, as her first adventure in the wilderness results in her almost being killed in a glider crash and she barely avoids being eaten by a local predator due to the intervention of the natives. Afterwards, the adults see to it that she is beter supervised and receives the type of training that will allow her not to die a senseless death in the [[DeathWorld vast wilderness of Sphinx]].

* ''LifeOfPi'' is like [[Literature/BriansSaga Hatchet]] except it's set on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean and [[RecycledInSpace has a tiger]]. The protagonist's family is killed, and he resorts to acts of increasingly extreme savagery and brutality in order to survive.

* ''The Wild Thornberries'' (1998 - 2001) is basically the animated-series version of this genre, but for a [[LighterAndSofter slightly younger demographic]].

* ''The Coral Island'' is both a book, and much earlier than any of these (1857), but fits the basic description. It's what ''LordOfTheFlies'' was intended as a {{Deconstruction}} of.

* ''LordOfTheFlies.''

A movie genre common in TheNineties, although it originated many years prior to that. You know the type: A group of modern-day kids end up somewhere in the remote wilderness and have a thrilling ComingOfAgeStory out there. Common plot elements include:

* ''TheRescuers Down Under'' (1990) althoug it should be mentioned that unlike many other examples, the boy protagonist of this movie actually lives in the Australian outback and is therefor fully aware of how to take care of himself in the wilderness.

* ''TheRescuers Down Under'' (1990)

* ''LifeOfPi'' is like {{Hatchet}} except it's set on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean and [[RecycledInSpace has a tiger]]. The protagonist's family is killed, and he resorts to acts of increasingly extreme savagery and brutality in order to survive.

* ''{{Hatchet}}''

* In a roundabout way ''HoneyIShrunkTheKids'' (1989) is sort of one, except the "wilderness" in a backyard... but the kids [[IncredibleShrinkingMan have been shrunk]] and a few other "classic" elements of this show up.

* ''Alaska'' (1996): Complete with BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins-wearing, MagicalNativeAmerican mentor.

* The villains are {{Evil Poacher}}s. They come in two varieties: menacing killers and ''Home Alone''-esque [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily idiots]] (it ''was'' the '90s, after all). If the poachers don't speak English, the likelihood of them being the idiot variety goes up at least 500%.

* Literary example: ''MySideOfTheMountain'', presents the most realistic wilderness epic (with a happy ending) possible. A very long time is spent recounting the vast amount of research the main character did to prepare for his stay in the woods.

* ''[[{{ptitledmeb3te9}} Brian's Saga]].'' All of the books deconstruct this trope.
** ''Hatchet'', where the kid, Brian, nearly dies many, many times and is left psychologically warped for it afterwards, even though he does adapt.
** ''The River'', which involves a government agent asking Brian to show him survival techniques... by stranding themselves out in the wilderness on purpose which later invokes the WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong trope when the agent [[spoiler:is struck by lightning and goes into a coma, stranding Brian once again in the wilderness, completely alone with no contact. Also a RaceAgainstTheClock so the agent doesn't starve to death while in a coma and unable to eat.]]
** ''Brian's Winter'', which invokes the AlternateHistory trope. Instead of [[spoiler:being rescued at the end of Hatchet]], Brian is forced to live in the wilderness over the winter months, making his tale even more grisly.
** ''Brian's Return'' Brian returns to the wild for good after realizing how he can't return to the city after being out in the wild for so long, it acts as the beginning of a {{Reconstruction}} of the series.
** ''Brian's Hunt'' The final book, here Brian finally bonds with the wild since Brian's Return and hunts a bear that killed the parents of the family that rescued him in Brian's winter,

'''Deconstruction:''' Films or books which deconstruct this trope

** ''Brian's Return'' Brian returns to the wild for good after realizing how he can't return to the city after being out in the wild for so long, it acts as the beginning of a {{Reconstruction}} of the series
*** ''Brian's Hunt'' The final book, here Brian finally bonds with the wild since Brian's Return and fights with a bear that killed the parents of the family that rescued him in Brian's winter,

** ''Hatchet'', where the kid, Brian, nearly dies many, many times and is left psychologically warped for it afterwards, even though he does adapt.\\

* ''{{Hatchet}}.'' The kid, Brian, nearly dies many, many times and is left psychologically warped for it afterwards, even though he does adapt.
** In addition, some of it's sequels deconstruct this trope:
*** ''The River'', which involves a government agent asking Brian to show him survival techniques... by stranding themselves out in the wilderness on purpose which later invokes the WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong trope when the agent [[spoiler:is struck by lightning and goes into a coma, stranding Brian once again in the wilderness, completely alone with no contact. Also a RaceAgainstTheClock so the agent doesn't starve to death while in a coma and unable to eat.]]
*** ''Brian's Winter'', which invokes the AlternateHistory trope. Instead of [[spoiler:being rescued at the end of Hatchet]], Brian is forced to live in the wilderness over the winter months, making his tale even more grisly.
*** ''Brian's Return'' Brian returns to the wild for good after realizing how he can't return to the city after being out in the wild for so long, it acts as the beginning of a {{Reconstruction}} of the series

* Literary example: ''My Side of the Mountain'', presents the most realistic wilderness epic (with a happy ending) possible. A very long time is spent recounting the vast amount of research the main character did to prepare for his stay in the woods.

* The kids befriend a local native, who is AlwaysMale. He shows them his ways, helps them survive and tells them about how [[GreenAesop the poachers are ruining the environment]]. The kids learn that Other Cultures Are Cool Too.

*''The Wild Thornberries'' (1998 - 2001) is basically the animated-series version of this genre, but for a [[LighterAndSofter slightly younger demographics]].