Chimpanzee (2012)
Average Rating: 6.4/10
Reviews Counted: 94
Fresh: 70 | Rotten: 24
Chimpanzee often anthropomorphizes its subjects, but it's a beautifully filmed, remarkably intimate look at the lives of a family of primates.
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Critic Reviews: 28
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 8
Chimpanzee often anthropomorphizes its subjects, but it's a beautifully filmed, remarkably intimate look at the lives of a family of primates.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 96,350
Movie Info
In theaters Earth Day 2012, Disneynature's newest True Life Adventure introduces Oscar, a baby chimp whose playful curiosity and zest for discovery light up the African forest until a twist of fate leaves Oscar to fend for himself with a little help from an unexpected ally. -- (C) Disneynature
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Cast
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Tim Allen
Narrator, Tim Allen, N... -
China Anne McClain
China Anne McClain, Na...
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Chimpanzee Trailer & Photos
All Critics (95) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (70) | Rotten (24)
Those hungering for rare footage of our cousins playing and foraging, fighting or fleeing are in for a number of treats.
Top CriticOf course, if you're a fan of old-school Disney True-Life Adventure tales like "Joker: The Amiable Ocelot," then you're used to this sort of sanitizing of the world's rougher edges.
Walt Disney himself couldn't have scripted "Chimpanzee" any better.
Resurrects some of the worst traits of the studio's True-Life Adventures series of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, dubiously shaping some amazing footage with cornball narration that relentlessly anthropomorphizes its simian subjects.
It's really a wonder of nature, a reminder of how we are bound to other species and how valuable and special and downright magical their lives are. It may be a bit corny at times, but it's also downright enlightening.
One wonders whether more than a few viewers won't want to take home a baby chimp after seeing the film.
It's beautifully photographed, whimsically narrated by Tim Allen and keeps completely schtum about the rough sex and the cannibalism.
As a primate primer for the younger end of the family market, Chimpanzee does a good job of inspiring awe in our closest cousins and doesn't stint on harsh "circle of life" lessons ...
The presentation makes one wince, and the most striking footage is some behind-the-scenes shots that accompany the credits.
Chimpanzees share 96 per cent of our DNA and a common Pan Prior ancestry. We'll bet they're embarrassed to admit as much when they see this.
With no sign of Tarzan there's little genuine drama in Chimpanzee and this film probably won't save any rainforests, but it's heartfelt, beautifully shot and you'll never use a nutcracker without thinking of little Oscar.
Cuteness proximity alert! Cuteness proximity alert!
Words (narration by Tim Allen) and syrupy music let it down but it's still great to watch.
The final five minutes give location interviews with the hardworking camera crew, and this is the only time when this plasticky film comes alive.
Even by the standards of sentimental nature documentaries, Disney's Chimpanzee borders on the pathetic.
The chimpanzees play to their stereotype in this charming documentary that's beautiful to watch and often funny, however Tim Allen's jovial voiceover can be rather irritating after a while.
Clever editing enhances the drama, while time-lapse sequences and crystal-clear photography complete a captivating picture of jungle life.
Linfield and Fothergill, colleagues from the BBC Natural History unit, who worked together on the series Planet Earth, remain cheerful throughout. Their passion for Mother Nature shines through in every frame.
Scenes of chimps bending and weaving tree-branches to create makeshift beds, or the touching moments of Oscar's first attempt to climb a tree unaided will provoke wonder and fascination in adults and children alike.
Gives us a hero to root for, but it's not coy on the tougher side of the natural world either.
It's more aww-inducing than awe-inducing, but there's plenty of chimp-powered charm to go around.
Chimpanzee intermittently veers into Disney-esque cheese - seriously, a 'bad' monkey named Scar? - but is otherwise a delight.
Disney finally found a voice for this series, and they did it by going back to what made them successful in the first place.
For some reason, Disney thought it would be a brilliant idea to have overrated and "shoot me in my face" irritating actor/comedian Tim Allen to talk over the ape action. What a horrible idea!
We get a dumbed-down narration (by Tim Allen) that telegraphs what the audience should be feeling at every second.
Has the makings of a great nature documentary … If only Allen didn't keep elbowing us in the ribs to make sure that we get it.
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Movie: ID: 770740017 Title: Chimpanzee Release Date: 2012-04-20 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 1 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Schimpansen (DE)
- Chimpanzés (FR)
Good Disney Nature movie! Gorgeously filmed and just the right length to keep smaller ones from getting bored, I was amazed at the footage that the filmmakers got of these chimps. I am one of those who has trouble leaving the primate area of the zoo and it does make you marvel at their similarities with humans.You'll feel like you just went on a trip to the rain forest of Africa, and I can't imagine a child or teen not liking this. Or an adult for that matter.
Oscar, a baby chimpanzee is enjoying his life with his mother in the jungles along the Ivory Coast. Without warning, young Oscar is tragically orphaned during an attack from a rival group of chimpanzees. Afterwards, he attempts to survive on his own, and to be accepted by the other chimps. But Oscar struggles, until he is surprisingly adopted by the Alpha Male of his group.