We try to have a family movie {or t.v.} night each week. Sure, we all watch t.v. but usually at different times. It’s nice to sit down together to watch a good family friendly movie. Last week, my pick was Disneynatures’ CHIMPANZEE. This new Disney movie just came out on DVD and Blu-ray combo pack on August 21st and I was excited to watch Oscar’s story with my family.
I have to be honest, my family was not as excited as I was. When I mentioned what the movie would be, the kids said they didn’t want to watch it. I gave them my best mom “WHAT?!” and let them know it would be a fun movie to watch. Finally, I am glad to say that I convinced everyone to take a chance on CHIMPANZEE and we ended up truly enjoying our family movie night together.
The story begins with Oscar’s birth in the depths of the African rain forest. Oscar is part of a small — of chimpanzees who live in a rich environment. Led by a large and burly chimpanzee named Freddy, Oscar’s group is lucky enough to have a large nut grove in their territory. In the film, you can see that Oscar is well loved and taken care of by his mother, Isha. I especially enjoyed the tender moments shared between Oscar and his mother, she was so gentle with him. The patience of a chimpanzee mother is evident in this film and I envied her for it!
Oscar’s life is filled with lessons on how to survive and “make his living” in the dangerous, yet bountiful forest. His mother teaches him the ways of their group and Oscar begins to learn what he will need to do to become a useful member of his family. The scenes where Oscar is learning how to crack open a nut are fun and giggle-worthy. The kids both smiled and even laughed at a few spots. I am still amazed at how the cameramen captured these moments!
When a rival group of chimpanzees led by Scar decides to try and take over the nut grove, Freddy’s group suffers a terrible loss when Isha does not return after the attack. Oscar spends days searching for his mother. It is heartbreaking. When he cannot find her, he tries to gain the attention of other members of his group, without success. Oscar starts to fade and when all hope seems to be lost, he finds a friend in the most unlikely chimp. Freddy.
The remainder of the movie shows the strong bond that forms between the intimidating leader and the tiny orphaned oscar. Through another attack by Scar’s group and everyday life, the tenderness and care that Freddy shows to Oscar is truly amazing. I am glad to have been able to witness such a beautiful part of nature through this Disneynature film. It is unheard of for an alpha male such as Freddy to take such an interest in a small, orphaned member of the group. This is what creates such a unique and heartwarming story line — seeing that there can be good in all things, when given the chance.
Besides the story of Oscar, the film also includes some absolutely stunning time lapse video of the rain forest that I greatly enjoyed. The music was also very nice. We were surprised to hear Tim Allen‘s voice as narrator, then pleased once the kids decided to say that “Buzz” was telling them a story. If there was one thing I HAD to complain about, it would be that I wish they would have chosen a different name for the villain. Other than that, Our family loved this film, I know I will be watching it again to see what I missed the first time!
We don’t own a Blu-ray so we were not able to watch all of the special bonus Blu-ray content that is available on that disc. We did find the information about the “See ‘Chimpanzee,’ Save Chimpanzees” conservation program very interesting and we’re glad to hear of Disneynature’s support of this amazing program.
ABOUT THE JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE
Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall’s pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior started more than 50 years ago—research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian program for youth of all ages, which has groups in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org.ABOUT DISNEYNATURE
Disneynature was launched on Earth Day 2008 with the mission of bringing the world’s top nature filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife stories on the big screen in order to engage, inspire, and entertain theatrical audiences everywhere. Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, which earned eight Academy Awards®. Earth (2009), Oceans (2010), African Cats (2011), and Chimpanzee (2012) are four of the top five highest overall grossing feature-length nature films to date, with Chimpanzee garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre. Conservation has been a key pillar of the label, and Disneynature films empower the audience to help make a difference. Through donations tied to opening week attendance, Disneynature has planted 3 million trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest; established 40,000 acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas; protected 65,000 acres of savanna in Kenya; and contributed to efforts to educate schoolchildren, care for chimpanzees, and protect 129,236 acres of wild chimpanzee habitat in the Republic of Congo.ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
For more than 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney On Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!ABOUT THE “SEE ‘CHIMPANZEE’ SAVE CHIMPANZEES” CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Disneynature will contribute $.50 to the Jane Goodall Institute for the Disneynature Tchimpounga Nature Reserve Project per Blu-ray DVD Combo Pack and Digital purchase through August 27, 2012, with a minimum of $30,000 pledged to this program. Information concerning the Jane Goodall Institute can be obtained, without cost, by writing to JGI, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22203, or by calling 703-682-9220, or by visiting www.janegoodall.org. This purchase is not tax deductible.
Where to buy the Blue-Ray DVD Combo pack!
Disneynatures’ Chimpanzee is available from your local and online retailer, you can also purchase Disneynature’s Chimpanzee on Amazon.com. You connect with Disneynature on the Disneynature Facebook page, @Disneynature on Twitter, learn more about the movie and watch previews on www.Disney.com/Chimpanzee. Plus, check out the Q & A Interview of Chimpanzee director/producer, Alastair Fothergill.
About the Author
My daughter loves “MONKEYS” so much!! Every time the commercial came on for this movie she’d go crazy! I’m glad you gave it a good review. I think this may be our next family movie :)