Disney’s ‘Chimpanzee’ enraptures mind, touches heart

Disneynature’s Chimpanzee is a welcome treat for both children and adult moviegoers. The documentary, which feels like a fictionalized film, tells the story of Oscar, a chimpanzee in the African jungle, and his struggles to be accepted amid troubling circumstances. The filmmakers behind the movie follow Oscar as if he were a celebrity, capturing his every move and finding poetry in his life’s story.

Narrated by Tim Allen, Chimpanzee extends beyond Oscar’s story and includes the ups and downs of his entire troupe of fellow chimps. There’s Isha, his mother, and Freddy, leader of the chimpanzee family. Of course, this being a Disney film, there needs to be some type of villain, and that’s where Scar enters the narrative. What transpires between Freddy and Scar is violent and thrilling; what transpires between Freddy and Oscar is a touching story of family bonds that build up and break apart. Throughout the melee, it’s up to Oscar to find a way to survive.

Some critics may deride Disney for essentially working its “Disney formula” on a real family of chimpanzees. Of course, Oscar, Isha, Scar and Freddy are real animals, not characters with perfectly appropriate names. But Allen’s humorous narration and Disneynature’s objectives are easy to accept. Instead of going the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet route with documentary safari footage intended for adults, the movie is meant for a younger audience who appreciates such narrative techniques as climax, suspense and characterization. By giving these animals character names, it’s easier to identify them among the other family members and follow their trajectory.

More wildlife documentaries should hit movie theaters, bumping out the basic and annoying children’s films that too often eat up the screens of cineplexes. Chimpanzee is entertaining and educational, and it never dumbs down the importance of ecology, biology and the animal kingdom. Instead, the film has fun with the potential behind finding such stories in the African jungle.

Other Disneynature films follow bears, birds and African cats. Chimpanzee, because of its adorable protagonist and true drama at its core, may be the benchmark for the company. Having access to a chimpanzee family for so long and with such stunning footage feels like a rare feat among documentaries. The added duration allows the viewer to grow comfortable with these individual animals, supplying visuals beyond mere statistics and blanket warnings about the loss of habitat.

In many ways, Chimpanzee is the antithesis of those commercials asking for a quarter a day to save the rainforest or some threatened species. They are important fundraising campaigns, but we only receive momentary glimpses of the animals. Disneynature’s film, working against the grain, keeps the camera rolling and lets the story unfold.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Chimpanzee

• 2012

• Directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield

• Written by Don Hahn, Fothergill and Linfield

• Narrated by Tim Allen

• Running time: 80 minutes

• Rated G

• Rating: