Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

(2013-06-19 17:11:49)

Another documentary teaching children a dualistic view of the world with good versus evil communities.

Sandie Angulo Chen

(2013-06-18 20:02:10)

Chimp 'adoption' documentary has some scary moments.

David Fear

(2013-06-17 15:29:26)

No one's asking for a somber account of simian life, but perhaps Buzz Lightyear could keep quiet for a bit and let the monkey business speak for itself.

Norman Wilner

(2013-06-17 00:52:17)

It's a little on the anthropomorphic side, and Tim Allen's insistently chummy narration grates. But the developments in the second half are genuinely gripping, and the high-def images are stunning.

Brent Simon

(2013-06-15 22:26:00)

A heartwarming and astonishingly intimate nonfiction feature that engagingly locates the parallel drama, sadness, curiosity and uplift of the animal kingdom.

Iqbali_Noodlepaste

(2013-06-15 16:51:39)

Stunning footage, but better presented in Attenborough's 'Chimp Saga'

I was really looking forward too seeing this movie as it has beenadvertised as a must-see movie for people that love movies aboutchimps. The movie shows different climates and the primates associatedwith them by starting at the North Pole and going down south as themovie progresses. The footage from this movie is often breathtakinglybeautiful and I many times wondered how on Earth they could have takensome of the shots under water or in the sky. However beautiful, a largepart of the footage I had already seen in the TV series 'Chimp Saga',narrated by David Attenborough. I found Attenborough's narration of'Chimp Saga' to be much better than the narration of Chimpanzee.'Chimpanzee' is an easier movie. It skips much of the scientific detailthat Attenborough covers in his 'Chimp Saga'' series. To me, that's animportant difference. That, together with Attanborough's far superiorvoice make Chimp Saga a far better documentary than Chimpanzee. Still,however, I think Chimpanzee is worth watching for the beautiful footageand the fact that it's easier to understand makes it interesting forless intelligent film-goers too.

bce512

(2013-06-15 03:22:40)

visually stunning

What can really be said about this movie.... Its a fantasticdocumentary, and unlike other wildlife documentary's its not overly sador graphic, so parents can bring their kids. The shots and views of the chimps and the rain forest, are absolutelyamazing. All aspects of the lives of chimpanzees are shown, even thenot so glamorous ones. However the filmmakers show the harshness of thelives of chimps while appealing to all ages, and not sacrificingcontent. For example: in one of the few scenes at can be perceived asviolent, an obscured view of the chimps is shown, not enough to masktheir actions, but enough to make it tasteful. Tim Allen does a fantastic job of narrating, being both funny andinformative. He even makes a throw back joke or two. This film is inspiring, fun, and informative. Its fun for the wholefamily, and I am not just saying that. I left the theater thinking howalike humans and chimpanzees are, and would recommend this movie to anyanimal lover.

Benjamin Mercer

(2013-06-14 12:28:33)

Strictly from a nature-doc angle, Chimpanzee is impressive stuff.

Quietb-1

(2013-06-13 21:38:20)

Go ape.

Beautifully photographed almost documentary. Takes liberties for adocumentary. The Chimpanzees are given names. (Why are the bad guys inDisney jungle films always named Scar?) The Tim Allen narrationattempts to convey the chimps thoughts, maybe they were thinking aboutsomething else? It's told from the point of view of the "good" Chimps. Perhaps the treemonkeys didn't find them so good when they hunted them in their treehome, caught one and ripped it apart for a meat meal. The violence isglossed over so not to shock the younger viewers.As you would expect from a Disney Nature film, it's good familyentertainment. The over the end credits showing the production crewwould make for another excellent documentary.

Liz Braun

(2013-06-13 13:38:13)

It's not too surprising that there's plenty of anthropomorphizing going on here. Never mind, if it keeps kids interested.

Ocean_star

(2013-06-12 05:34:59)

Not a serious documentary by any stretch of the imagination

21 minutes and 33 seconds into the film and I was done.What seemed to be a very interesting and potentially engagingdocumentary about the life of a Chimpanzee turned out to be a film thatseems to be have been made for children as the main audience. The musicis childish and Tim Allen's voice-over becomes excruciating prettyquickly. Nothing interesting really happens - well, at-least not forthe first 20 minutes.)We've seen it all before countless times on National Geographic andDiscovery. There's no new content in Chimpanzee that would make me wantto watch this for 1 hour and 18 minutes.Cool, if you're going to watch it with your children but notrecommended for serious adult viewing. You may come out ratherdisappointed and quite frankly, annoyed.

Jeff Meyers

(2013-06-11 19:44:59)

In the end, image triumphs over narrative. [But] does the natural world really need to be shaped into a cartoonish morality tale?

Ty Burr

(2013-06-10 23:10:18)

All audiences stand to be charmed except those grouches who prefer their animals to be valued as animals rather than as furry little people.

David Traversa

(2013-06-10 16:09:02)

A familiar story interpreted by some close relatives of us.

The most striking feature I noticed while watching this film was theresemblance of these creatures to my neighbors. It's incredible howsimilar to us they are!Granted, DoГѓВ±a Carmen and Don JosГѓВ© don't go as far as to deflea eachother while carrying on a casual conversation on a sidewalk, but thesimilarities in body gestures and specially when persistently lookingat the camera lens (it happened several times, whether intentionally ornot) and we could see overwhelmingly human eyes looking at us, can bequite disturbing.Impeccable photography with so many close ups that one wondersconstantly at how they had managed to take those shots withoutdisturbing the animals. I'm sure Disney has the most sophisticatedequipment in the World in order to present such splendipherous depth oflenses and superb sharpness all the time, even from long distances, buteven so, chimpanzees have a very sensitive sense of smell and I'm surethey could detect human presence from afar, but apparently it left themunconcerned and they proceeded naturally with their daily chores.The forest, breathtaking, specially from the air, and the lushness ofall that green carpet we see below seems to go forever on behind thosefar away mountains; when the camera goes down to ground level it'sdisconcerting to notice how very little sunlight reaches these animals.Since it was a Disney film, obviously thought out for children, thenotorious lack of restrain among monkeys and chimps when it comes tobodily functions, including everything related to sex, which is sohabitual to see in zoos in broad daylight, here there is no tracewhatsoever of it, like in those old Doris Day films, where everythingwas squeaky clean. A good film for Eco-friendly fans. P.S.: I gave it a 9 because of the titanic efforts of the whole crewand the tenacity they put into the project, working under such harshand probably dangerous conditions.

Rafer Guzman

(2013-06-10 06:40:03)

Walt Disney himself couldn't have scripted "Chimpanzee" any better.

Adam Markovitz

(2013-06-09 17:08:22)

Chimpanzee gives us a fully smoothed-out story -- about an orphan ape named Oscar -- populated with chimps so cute and Disney-fied that you half expect them to break out in an Alan Menken song.

Yum_yum_now_reviews_movies

(2013-06-09 03:48:41)

Short and sweet

This was cute and sweet and kind and funny. The kids will be safe fromall bloodshed and survival of the fittest shots. It's so sanitized thatI felt a bit uncomfortable considering it a documentary. The scenery is luscious. The animals are captivating. But honestly, themost interesting part of the movie was the behind the scenes productioninfo. Tim Allen was enjoyable...he did a funny thing that I won'tdescribe and spoil for you. I really saw the movie quite by accident. I was in one of theinterchangeable action movies of this summer and had a horribleheadache. The noise and jarring battle scenes were not helping mymigraine, so I switched theaters after about seven minutes. Chimpanzeewas cool and deliciously calming after the first calamity...but it justdidn't quite convince me. I understand that my hero Jane Goodall likedit, so I suppose I should stop my grumbling and focus on the positive.I really wish it had been a bit longer...I could have been persuaded tosee some of the surrounding civilization that has been encroaching onthe chimp territory. Ditto the poachers, who are integral to the taleof the demise of our close brethren. It could have been addressedwithout giving up the G rating, I feel certain.If you have little ones, this is a good movie: not too long. If you arean animal lover, you will enjoy it. If you are a stickler forauthenticity, this is going to grind your gears.

Nell Minow

(2013-06-08 17:20:13)

Combines astonishingly vivid and intimate footage of animal life with narration that sometimes crosses the line between accessible and intrusive.

Dan Hudak

(2013-06-04 13:25:03)

In the absence of narrative, directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield fall back on the prevalent nature-TV escape hatch of anthropomorphizing what would otherwise be dull.

rannynm

(2013-06-03 23:41:20)

Fun Romp with Adorable Star in Disneynature's 'Chimpanzee'

Fun Romp with Adorable Star in Disneynature's 'Chimpanzee'It's unanimous. All three of our KIDS FIRST! youth film critics whoreviewed Disneynature's documentary Chimpanzee (below) loved the film –and the chimps it depicts. Talia Rashba says, "If you aren't a fan ofchimpanzees now, then this film will make you love them!" BriannaBeaton (12) calls the film "amazing" and "heartwarming" as she shares,"I absolutely love how it captures the bond between a loving mother(Isha) and her adorable young son (Oscar)." Morgan Bertsch (7) says,"Chimpanzees are much smarter than I ever thought." And it's spicedwith humor, thanks to narrator Tim Allen.Chimpanzee by Talia Rashba http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zAc4kmGmGYThis is the best nature movie ever! I had a wild adventure in thebeautiful African rain forest, watching a group of chimpanzees livetheir lives. This movie has no human characters — the real stars of themovie are actual chimps that live in the rain forest off the coast ofWest Africa. This film is a documentary, the story is very real. We meet a littlechimp named Oscar, and his mom Isha, who live in the forest with agroup of several other chimps. We see their everyday life and how theyinteract with each other. When they get attacked by a group of rivalchimps, Oscar is left all alone until someone comes to help him.Oscar is a fun, playful and adorable little chimp who always stays byhis mother's side. When you first look at little Oscar, you willinstantly fall in love with him. He sometimes gets confused, especiallywhen he is searching for food. This makes for some very laughablemoments.Isha, Oscar's mother, is a very loving and protective parent who willdo anything to keep her son safe. Freddie is the leader of the troopand is very dependable and strong. He protects and guards the group andhe knows how to do everything that they need.Chimpanzee is narrated by actor Tim Allen. You might recognize him asthe voice of Buzz Lightyear from all three Toy Story movies. Hedefinitely adds a lot of humor to the film and he helps explain a lotof what is happening with the animals.There are SO MANY amazing parts to this movie. The rain forest isabsolutely gorgeous, and the way they get close-ups of tiny creaturesand plants is outstanding. Just the way they capture raindrops fallingonto a leaf or a mushroom blew my mind. The directors of this movie arethe same ones who made the award-winning film Earth, and I think theydid an excellent job with this movie as well.If you aren't a fan of chimpanzees now, then this film will make youlove them! You will see just how smart they are and how much they arereally like us. I give it 5 out of 5 stars! Chimpanzee by Brianna Beaton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkSbH-wBh6gThis is a very heartwarming and lovable film. I absolutely love how it captures the bond between a loving mother(Isha) and her adorable young son (Oscar). Tim Allen narrates thisamazing, heartwarming film, and boy is he doing it well! I like how heuses humor and is really describing the chimpanzees' actions. Myfavorite scene is when Oscar is trying to open a nut with several treelimbs that fail, but then, after much determination, he realizes thatthe rock is the right tool to use to crack it open.Chimpanzee is a documentary set in the deep forests of Africa. It tellsthe story of Oscar, a young and playful chimpanzee that has a good lifewith his friends and family. Oscar is curious and wants to learneverything he can. But when separated from his mother Isha, during afight for territory between their group and a rival group, the learningstops and he has to look out for himself. When everyone else he knowsis rejecting him, the one person that you would never expect to takehim in does — and changes his life forever.Alastair Fothergill (African Cats, Earth) and Mark Linfield (Earth)share in directing this nature film. It gives you an up-closeexperience of what the chimpanzee life is all about. During this film,you will see that chimpanzees have needs and feelings just like humansdo. Chimpanzee is great for ages 7 and up. During the battle seen, it maybe a little too much for younger ages. I give this film 5 out of 5 stars because of all the touching scenesbetween Oscar and his fellow chimpanzees. It left me wanting to knowmore about Oscar. Chimpanzee Reviewed by Morgan Bertschhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwJvMpv0vW0The most amazing thing about Chimpanzee, for me, was the views from thetop to the bottom of the rain forest. You get to see clouds, amazingwater falls, plants and flowers that take weeks to grow that bloom inseconds. I loved the glowing mushrooms scene. Probably one of thecoolest scenes I've ever seen. The cinematography is breathtaking.Now for Oscar's story. Little Oscar is orphaned after a territorial warwith another band of chimpanzees lead by Scar. That was really scarybecause baby chimps cannot survive without the care of their mothers,until the age of seven. Chimpanzees are much smarter than I ever thought. They have to learnhow to use tools to gather food. They use sticks to gather ants andbugs and rocks to crush open nuts. It takes years for the mothers topass along this information to their babies. What will Oscar do sincehe can't feed himself of even know what to eat? Playing with honey beesis not the best choice for one as little as Oscar.I give it 5 tinkling stars.