Chimpanzee

Released under the "Disney Nature" banner, Chimpanzee follows the likes of The Crimson Wing: Mystery Of The Flamingos and African Cats in the attempt to get a younger audience more interested in nature and wildlife. Narrated by Toy Story's Tim Allen, Chimpanzee focuses on the story of Oscar, a three-month old chimp enjoying life with his mother and their big family in the lush jungles of The Ivory Coast. But when a rival troupe of chimps attacks them, Oscar finds himself suddenly orphaned, and left entirely at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Directors Fothergill and Linfield reveal some truly stunning images when showing the story of Oscar and his clan; The Ivory Coast is a vast expanse of beautiful vistas, gorgeous foliage and wildlife, and breath-taking waterfalls. Unfortunately they don't have the same naturalism when it comes to actually telling the story of Oscar and his clan. Tim Allen's narration isn't the worst, but he's obviously been fed lines that are soaked in sugar and ham, not to mention the endless "gags" about tools that are obviously a reference to Allen's TV show Home Improvement, which hasn't been on the air in over 14 years.

Watching the immeasurably cute Oscar and his pals jump and run about the place was never going to be anything less than enjoyable, but there's nothing here for audience member's to sink their teeth into. Yes, it's aimed at children, and if Chimpanzee does manage to get younger kids more interested in animals and nature, then that's fantastic. But what happens when they stick on something a bit more "adult" from David Attenborough and they see the lovely cute chimps savagely attacking other animals. Or worse, MATING!

The entire endeavour, clocking in at a scant 78 minutes, feels a shade too manufactured; the jaunty jazz soundtrack, the superimposing of personality via voice-over, the endless antropomorphizisms. While it's doubtless that kids under a certain age will react the way the filmmaker's intended, any accompanying adults are sure to feel cheated.