Home :: DVD :: Animation :: Anime & Manga  

Anime & Manga

Comedy
Computer Animation
General
International
Kids & Family
Science Fiction
Stop-Motion & Clay Animation
FernGully - The Last Rainforest

FernGully - The Last Rainforest

List Price: $9.98
Your Price: $9.98
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 >>

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not the best cartoon about Australia
Review: I have seen better cartoons about Australia, 'Fern Gully' is a funny and dramatic, but sometimes slowly and long musical experience, that could have been cut down.
An old treewitch is released, and now it's up to the beautyful fairy Crysta, and her friends to fight it with their magical power.
It's worth watching for some, if you like the natural message of this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great for kids
Review: I have to say that some of the previous reviews seem a bit jaded. I first saw this movie as a kid, and I still love it today. Yes, the plot isn't brilliant, yes it's predictable, but it's a movie *for kids* who don't tend to over-analyze that stuff like adults do. The music is fun, the characters are entertaining and the basic principle is good. Yes the animation is "two dimensional" but it's done in the old style, hand drawn, so you have to appreciate the work that went into it. All in all, it's a great movie to watch with kids, or as a family event. Don't take it to literally and you'll enjoy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best!
Review: I love this movie. It is great! I was around 8 when this movie came out and I have loved it ever since. All of my family watches it and my little brothers think it is hillarious. The characters are great. It really has a lot of imagination in it but truth about the forest and logging. You shouldn't miss it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sexy Tim Curry as Pollution- What could be more tantalizing?
Review: I remember watching "Fern Gully" as a mere child, and being fascinated. I mean, c'mon! There were animals, cool faeries, a crazy bat, and an awesome smog guy. And not only that, it actually had a positive message.

This is probably one of the only children's films to ever have an actual POINT. (*gasp*)

The plot is simple for the younger children, but can be enjoyed by all ages. I know this, for I purchased it just a few months ago, hoping it would leave me with the same fascinated feeling. It DID.

Plot: Idiotic humans are chopping down trees in the rainforest while magical spirits are oblivious. (They don't believe in humans. :) In drops a psychotic bat (voiced by Robin Williams) whose insane antics are due to labratory testing. Trust me, the song "Batty" rap will leave any animal lover feeling cold. Take into consideration these lines: /I've been brain-fried, electrified, infected and injectified/and fed pesticide/ my face is all cut up cause my radar's all shut up/ Nurse?/ I need a check up from the neck up cause I'm BATTY./

Disturbing, no? Children probably won't heed the lyrics, but will feel sympathy for this character who obviously distursts mankind.

Meanwhile, a young human named Zach cuts down a tree. But it's not just ANY tree. It is a tree that the faeries used to capture an evil demon named Hexxus, who is the father of pollution. Hexxus starts out whispering his name like some deranged Pokemon, but soon morphs into a well-built, smokey man who belts out a great number about killing the earth. Hexxus is brought to life by Tim Curry's sinister, drawling voice. Beautiful. (Maybe a bit too sexy, though.. There are a few sublininal messages, I believe- due to listening to the unedited soundtrack.. But please, I';m not trying to pull a Dobson!)

Anyway, stupid humans. Now it is up to Crysta, a cute young faerie, to save the day from Hexxus' acid rain and the destruction of Fern Gully.

SPOILER: One downfall is the fact that Pips (Crysta's boyfriend) and Zach end up finishing the fight. This stereotype should not have appeared in the film- it really does not fit.

Above all, the music is the most enjoyable thing. Tim Curry, Robin Williams, Sheena Easton, rapper Tone Loc, Johnny Clegg, Elton John, and others make up the soundtrack.

I myself found the main characters, Crysta and Zach, to be a bit vexxing but still likable. More understandable are Pips and Batty.

And Hexxus is just an excellent villain.

If you're a fan of crazy animated films, you'll love "Fern Gully."

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A movie that can scare the heck out of you
Review: I saw this movie when I was little, and it scared the crap out of me. The bad guy, the demon "Hexxus", who represents the evil of men the kills trees, really freaked me out. I mean, when I was in second or third grade and we watched it in class, I asked to not watch it because it was just too darn scary. Even when all the big red X's start appearing on all the trees, that was enough to give me nightmares. And I'm not the type of person who gets scared really easily, and I'm older now, and haven't seen the movie since. I'm sure it wouldn't scare me now, although it might bring back bad memories, but it's just... freaky. Yeah, it has a good message, take care of the rainforrest and what not, but I wouldn't consider it the greatest children's movie, considering some people can get horrified by it. So yeah, that's my review. Watch Finding Nemo or something instead.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Child's/Teen's Opinion
Review: I think that this is a great movie! For children, families...I'm a teenager now, 15, and, I still watch it. So do my friends. I loved it when it first came out, mind you, I was a little afraid of Hexxus (the toxic blob) but, that's the point of vilans! It's a movie with a great message. And, now I can understand that. When I was younger I just loved it because it was very entertaining, and funny. (Mainly because of Robin William's voice talent as Batty Koda, the lovable lab Bat) Honestly, this movie still makes me think, about the environment, and believeing in myself. "All the magic of creation exists within a single tiny seed." I think it'd be a crime, not to buy this for your family. ;) I've read the reviews adults give the movie, they say "It's just ok", and, I don't agree with them, it's a cartoon, for children, listen to a child's opinion. I remembered the songs and some lines for years! (Without having to watch it a billion times) It's fabulous! Plus, the animation, standard one cell it may be, but, it's beautiful! :) Ok, ok, I think I made it clear, this is a good movie! Get it! Plus, can you really beat the price?? Also, I own the soundtrack, it's great too!! With songs by Sheena Easton, Raffi, Tone-LOC, and the hilarious Batty Rap (Robin Williams) etc. :)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Funny, touching, good message, great characters
Review: I'm 32 years old and a fan of good "children's" movies. When asked to list favorite movies, this one is always on the list.

Voice talent - fabulous. What more can one say? Robin Williams and Tim Curry naturally shine and the rest of the cast, while not necessarily as vocally *distinctive*, are all well-cast and give very solid performances.

Story - perfect for kids (and not so bad for adults). The plot is simple - save our home from the bad guys who want to destroy it. The ecological theme comes from the fact that the characters live in a rainforest and the main bad guy personifies pollution.

Music - varied in style, well executed. The music generally introduces tangential themes - animal experimentation and the food chain come to mind - that don't necessarily advance the main plot. Instead they add depth and encourage thinking about related issues.

Dialog - Williams still has the best lines. :)

Animation - artistic but still simple. The film uses bright colors and light to good effect.

An interesting twist - in FernGully, fairies are real and humans are mythical. "Aren't you a little old to believe in human tales?"

My single most important criterion for a truly great film, though - this movie is one of the few that still makes me cry every time I watch.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Dissapointing on many levels...
Review: I'm surprised to read the almost unilateral approval of this movie in the previous reviews (with a few exceptions whose biggest complaint was the fear factor). I saw it initially years ago, and wanted to like it. Believe me, as an environmentalist and unabashed tree-hugger, I REALLY wanted to like it. I remember being disappointed then, and having just given it another chance, my vague dissatisfaction has blossomed into outright disappointment.

The animation holds some anime appeal, though the primary characters feed into unrealistic body complexes (male or female), and the secondary characters are Comedia del'Arte caricatures of themselves. The secondary animation was phoned in.

Plot: Predictable. The protagonist is a supremely irritating naïve ingénue. She's the unfocused protégé of the fairy matriarch (Magi). The latter sacrifices herself inexplicably prior to the climax, in a weak attempt to "empower" her community (it was a bit "Ben Kenobi-ish"). She's built up as a wise and powerful sage. In which case, it's unbelievable that any such character would choose to depart thusly (with a cryptic and unsatisfying farewell to her successor, leaving her to battle the arch-nemesis virtually alone).

The rest of the fairy community is pathetically unmotivated and particularly unhelpful in the defense and restoration of their home. As far as I can tell, they serve as little more than Christmas tree lights, lending a hand only in a power-building scene, and hiding in tree crannies when there's real work to be done. If I were Chrysta, I'd have been pissed.

Pip's character is possessive, juvenile and competitive; his character arc is flat and predictable. Crysta and Pip's apparently monogamous relationship undergoes a crisis with the introduction of the "Zack" element. The two male characters rut for Crysta's attention (to which she appears completely oblivious) and ultimately become pals when the chips are down. When the battle wages, Pip's jealousy miraculously dissipates and they become allies (another tired theme). When Zack returns to his milieu, the conflict between Crysta and Pip is suddenly resolved. Yeah, ok...whatever. However, the love scene has some comically amusing elements, but not in the pre-teen way the writers intended. The subtle Barbarella sex reference will be obvious to older viewers.

The climax battle scene is tired (though the dénouement and epilogue dialog is even more so. Seriously--yikes). Of course, you can see where this is going when Crysta's character is introduced; she'll have to face the ultimate challenge and defeat it. Come on--didn't we get enough of this theme with Luke Skywalker?

To add insult to injury, the writers included a phoenix-like resurrection, where Crysta suddenly emerges from her chrysalis, a fully-capable forest healer. I know this is a fantasy geared toward children, but there's no logical character arc and the resolution is too miraculous. She suddenly transforms into a realized adult. It's like Spock's accelerated puberty, without the creative backdrop. Well, no-I take that back-there's a bunch of ridiculous secondary fairies which complete this particular picture.

The humans are hopelessly doltish, short-sighted, and incapable of understanding their environmental impact until they essentially "wake up" in the end only after obliterating the ecosystem. While the ending is hopeful, the fairies are left to clean up the mess. What lesson are children supposed to take away from this? "Toss your trash into the woods and wreak havoc; don't worry, so long as you repent in the end, someone else will clean up your mess." Nice takeaway for a supposedly environmentally-friendly message.

I'd also like to mention the complete absence of Australian accents, despite the fact that they all reside in Australia. I find it hard to believe that the directors/producers couldn't scrounge up some decent Aussie talent, at least for the human characters. Perhaps they were hoping that we'd overlook that little detail.

Meanwhile, we're hammered over the head with the theme of "planting a seed" of environmentalism. I doubt that most kids would need THAT much emphasis. And if they're that young and impressionable, they probably shouldn't be exposed to the evil character (Hexxus) in the first place. I could see where he could spawn some nightmares. Nonetheless, the lack of nuance is ridiculous.

The voice talent is average overall. Tim Curry and Jack Nicholson (oops, I mean Christian Slater) do an adequate job with marginal material. The notable exception is Robin Williams' Batty Coda. However, it should be noted that Batty bears a remarkable similarity to the Genie in Disney's Aladdin (also released in 1992). Perhaps Robin was offering a 2-for-1 special on voiceover talents that year.

To summarize, the creators' hearts were in the right place, but they should have waited and added more production value. The execution was sloppy, and the story really suffers to the point of distraction. The end result is a disappointing, hurried mess with trite dialogue and too clean a resolution.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tim Curry, Rain Forests? Who can go wrong?
Review: I've always been a big fan of Tim Curry (aka Dr. Frank N. Furter, from Rocky Horror Picture Show.) Seeing him in 'The Hunt for Red October' was nice, seeing him in Clue was nice, hearing his voice always sends shivers up my spine... he's so fine...

Okay, homage to Tim overwith... It's actually an excellent creation. A strong environmental message that children and adults can understand, not be bored with, not feel hit over the head with, sandwiched inside a wonderfully done frolicy cartoon.

Good movie. Own it for the kids.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: mother nature be blessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: in this film,some rain forest destroyers lose one of thier workers as he shrunken down to fairy size.he finds some other creatures about and they teach him that hurting the rain forest is bad.meanwhile the other workers are still going to slash and burn thier neck of paradise.kids can all learn about environmentaly friendly ways from this highly entertaining film.the scenery is breathtaking.the music is entertaining also.theres a part where the shrunken guy is being chased down by a lizard who[in ton locs voice-wild thang and funky col medina-]sings a song called if im gonna eat somebody,it might as well be you.another fun one was when a bat flies in who was experimented on by humans making him,well batty flies in and sings a song about his mental issues.[robin williams voice].its a one of a kind and a definate keeper.i would say it is emotionaly charged.the human who gets shrunk is obnoxious as he tries to steal away the fairy chick even though she has a boyfriend.the message is obvious.the rainforest is precious,so dont screw with it!


<< 1 2 3 4 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates