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The new Disneynature documentary “Chimpanzee” follows an ape named Oscar. C’mon, Disney! We’re not falling for that one … no awards are forthcoming.
Still, this G-rated outing may prove a “gateway drug” of sorts to get young kids interested in nature and science-themed documentaries, and on that level, its stylistic crimes are probably excusable. Like most docs of its ilk, “Chimpanzee” allows information to take a back seat to manufactured drama, ruthlessly constructed to maximize short attention spans.
Co-directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield took their cameras into the African jungle to capture impressive fly-on-the-tree footage of a baby chimp in his formative years. “Oscar” begins in the company of mother “Isha” but (spoiler alert) when a Disney-style parental tragedy separates the two, Oscar bonds with alpha male “Freddy” in what the film breathlessly brands “an astonishing turn of events.” This gender-role breakthrough would seem to be as rare as the filmmakers claim, though it’s hard to trust them when they’re so desperately intent on convincing us that this is a story “full of drama, sadness and joy.”
Such claims sell short the inherent interest in how these animals live on a daily basis. Much of the footage does detail the chimps’ use of stones to prepare food; as he learns the ropes, monkey-see-monkey-do-style, wee Oscar finds that every nut is a tough nut to crack. We also see the chimps snacking on fire ants and grooming, and there’s a fascinating bit showing how a chimp can swiftly make a bed in a tree. To the filmmakers’ credit, they also include a sequence in which the chimps hunt and eat monkeys, which — though discreet — may not exactly endear the chimps to kids.
“Chimpanzee” most eagerly seizes on the narrative potential of a rivalry between two groups of apes. Oscar’s group protects a nut grove that ensures its survival, but a “rival army” sets its eyes on the nut grove, and “the enemy has a formidable leader — Scar!” The narration, read by Tim Allen, would love to turn “Chimpanzee” into “The Lion King,” and it’s full of anthropomorphisms about “our boy Oscar.” Before you can sing a chorus of “I Wan’na Be Like You,” former “Home Improvement” star Allen is calling rocks “power tools (grunt, grunt, grunt).”
Sometimes the commentary is downright puzzling. Following a climactic battle, Allen intones, “Teamwork has beaten brute force” (what movie is he watching?). Decide for yourself if the narration is a necessary concession for kids: It’s a take-it-or-leave-it proposition that doesn’t make but also doesn’t quite break “Chimpanzee.”
Rated G. 1 hour, 18 minutes.
By Peter Canavese
Rated G. 1 hour, 18 minutes.
By Peter Canavese
Rated G. 1 hour, 18 minutes.
By Peter Canavese
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Rengstorff Park “scenario 1” with the Community Center in yellow and Aquatics Center in orange. Image courtesy of the City of Mountain View. -
Rengstorff Park “scenario 2” with the Community Center in yellow and Aquatics Center in orange. Image courtesy of the City of Mountain View. -
Rengstorff Park “scenario 3” with the Community Center in yellow and Aquatics Center in orange. Image courtesy of the City of Mountain View.
