CHIMPANZEE

2012, Disney

Live action

Rating: G

Approx. 78 mins.

THE STORY:

Narrated by Tim Allen, this documentary chronicles the early life of a young chimp named Oscar. Although his life starts out fairly idyllically, nurtured by a loving mother and protected by a community of chimps, he soon suffers tragedy when-- SPOILER ALERT!-- his mother is killed in a fight with rival chimps. Oscar struggles to find his way alone until, remarkably, he finds support in the form of his tribe's alpha male. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  idiot
• death, dead, killed

VIOLENCE:

• Some fighting between chimps and the death of one chimp
• No gore

TEACHING POINTS:

• A remarkable peak into the everyday lives of wild animals
• Life can be brutal, but life goes on 

THE UPSHOT:

Absolutely amazing cinematography-- watch the credits for some clues as to how they got the incredible shots. It is great to be able to get a view on how animals really act and interact, particularly from the same studio that gives The Lion King, etc.  

I was given a heads up about Oscar's mother dying and was able to take pre-emptive action by talking about it with the 5 year-old in the room and then skipping through that scene. Tragic, inconsolable tear-addled experience (et tu Charlotte's Web...) has taught me that she would not have been able to handle that. It is handled tactfully, however, and less sensitive little ones will have no problem.  

4.5/5