Chimpanzee

Locations
Call Number: DVD 599.885 Ch
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD 599.885 Ch	1-week checkout	On Shelf

Videodisc release of the 2012 motion picture.
DVD bonus features: See Chimpanzee, save chimpanzees; Disney's conservation legacy; Disney's Friends for Change; .
Narrated by Tim Allen.
Oscar, a baby chimpanzee, is enjoying his life with his mother in the jungles along the Ivory Coast. Without warning, young Oscar is orphaned during an attack from a rival group of chimpanzees. Afterward, he attempts to survive on his own, and to be accepted by the other chimps. Oscar struggles until he is adopted by the alpha male of his group.
DVD: NTSC, region 1; widescreen (1.78:1); audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Visually stunning and heartwarming submitted by yugure on March 11, 2013, 3:15pm Disney's Chimpanzee is visually stunning and particularly well showcased in the Blu-Ray format. Getting a glimpse into the lives of wild chimpanzees is quite a treat, and I was continually struck by how similar they are to humans, yet they are still wholly themselves. And, of course, Oscar is delightful to watch. Tim Allen's narration is a nice addition, and I like the subtle humor he adds. The budding relationship between Oscar and the alpha male of his group is intensely heartwarming.

What I was less impressed with is the implication involved in casting Scar (head of rival chimpanzee group) as a bad guy. I think it's important to keep in mind that the movie is shot with the intention of telling a story, and Disney is notorious for casting black-and-white villains with little depth. Noticeably, Scar is the only chimpanzee in his group given a name and semblance of a personality (and it's a negative one), and there is no word on whether or not there are females or baby chimpanzees in his group. He is portrayed as the head of a vicious, masculine fighting force, bent on destroying Oscar's little family group, but who knows what the reality of the situation is? My guess is, it's a lot more nuanced than Disney suggests.

But still, chimpanzees! Beautiful rainforests! Incredible slow-motion/fast-motion shots of insects and water droplets and growing fungi and all manner or life! Definitely worth a watch.