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28 out of 35 people found the following review useful: Spellbinding, 13 August 2004 Author: Claire (soymaid327@gmail.com) from PA, USA
One of my least favorite experiences is to find a movie I loved in my single-digits, rewatch it in wonder, then wait half an hour (at most) and finally concede that it was a real stinker. I may sentimentalize movies from my youth, but not the ones that really don't deserve my affection.This one does.Crysta, a simple, innocent, and at times flippant fairy, is an imperfect but funny heroine, and as genuine as they come. Batty gives Robin Williams another character perfectly suited to his talent -- I watched this movie at a party with highschoolers and he went down great (everyone liked the movie overall, but Batty stole my friends' hearts). He has the genie sassy-but-kind vibe going, and it's hard not to think of him as just as much a main character as Crysta (or more). Zach... well, okay, Zach was unforgivably dumb for awhile, but it was gratifying to see him finally get it. Magi Lune's character was fascinating, a powerful sorceress with just a hint of weakness and sadness (as when she admits of the coming darkness that she "cannot heal it" and "cannot stop it"). She delivers sappy lines and instead of losing the audience emotionally, they resonate deeply. I think this is because the usual sentimentality and condescension you see in kids' movie whenever there's a "message" is totally absent -- Magi speaks her lines with total respect and love for Crysta. It is a deeply spiritual moment.The animation is beautiful, visual joy; the script is full of entertaining flourishes, and Crysta's father is the most humorous roly-poly befuddled dad since the Sultan in Aladdin. I'm a huge Tim Curry fan, and he doesn't disappoint. But what makes this film stand out for me is how it handles its message.The entire film is built around it, but it doesn't seem heavy-handed at all. As a kid, I was inspired by Crysta's comeback, and the idea of there being "magic" in all of us. As a teenager, it reached me even more: Crysta learns that, despite her youthful curiosity, real understanding and real power can come when she applies herself, and takes responsibility. In the beginning of the film, Crysta takes Magi for granted (and not too seriously), and there is a hint of rowdy teenager in the way she sneaks off to hang with a boy she likes. But she comes to understand that Magi is not infallible, and will not always be there to take care of her. She realizes that she loves Magi even though the woman can't always make everything alright, and eventually, Crysta learns that she, too, can take care of others. In short, Crysta matures, and it is insightfully handled and beautiful and affecting for me to watch. this, even more than the idea of conservation, is its message: the inspiration to learn that others cannot always help you, and that sometimes other people even *need* you -- the rainforest is really just another charge, desperately in need of help.
20 out of 24 people found the following review useful: One of my favorites, 15 November 2004 Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois
When I was a kid I loved this movie, and I still enjoy it to this day. The colors and animation are wonderful. Anybody could enjoy this movie. I don't get the low rating. Robin Williams and Tim Curry have the greatest voices for the film. They both add a lot to the film. I would highly recommend this for a family film. Also just for the kids as well. It has catchy toons, nice animation, and a fun story to tell. Also, another addition is that it does have great morals. So, parents don't have to worry. Whenever I babysit my little cousins, this is a movie I'd let them watch on any day. I wish there was a possibility to get a higher rating. But sometimes you just have to deal with it. I feel like this movie deserves at least a 7.0. We can only hope, right?8/10
19 out of 26 people found the following review useful: A treasure with a message, 10 March 2001 Author: kpyatt from In Ferngully, actually! Can you believe it?
I remember loving this when it first came out and I was only about 10 years old. I recently came upon a couple of the books that I had saved of the movie and that got me thinking back on this. I haven't seen it in years, but I just bought it and can't help but love it. I love the visuals, colors and overall look of the film. And of course, Robin Williams as Batty Koda was hilarious. In describing humans, "They walk around like 'Hi Helen!'" I love the message most of all, and it does a good job of representing the greed and destruction of our times through images, actions and dialogue. I especially love how the fairy Crysta is so in touch with nature and its feelings that she can touch a tree and we literally see its energy flow into her. She shows this to the human, Zak, who, like every other human, is out of tune with nature and its feelings. Gradually, though, he too feels it, and all it took was for someone to wake him up to it. That's all it takes for us, too. We needed something like this movie to be made in order to wake some of us up to what we're doing. It may sound cliche or like a lecture, but it's one that needs to be said and for that I'm thankful to Ferngully and the people behind it who believed enough in the message they were attempting to get across. I read it loud and clear.
19 out of 28 people found the following review useful: A delightful little animated adventure that takes us into the realm nature in a way we don't normally imagine., 23 April 2005 Author: schmimic (schmimic@hotmail.com) from Canada
This movie will always hold a special place in my heart. In my younger days, this is the movie that my sister and I watched over and over and over and over. We thought, and still think, it's a fantastic movie.So, the plot goes something like this. Deep in the heart of the last rainforest in the world, Fern Gully, live a society of fairies. Peaceful little creatures that spend all day helping things grow and protecting nature. Long ago, an evil force known as Hexxus tried to destroy Fern Gully. But the fairies sealed him in a tree for eternity. At least they thought it was for eternity.Humans have come back to Fern Gully, and they brought a huge machine with them known as the leveler. The leveler has one purpose. Chop down and process trees. Go figure, this doesn't bode well with the fairies who are trying to protect nature.Zak is a kid likely in his late teens working for this tree felling company as a summer job. And what a hard job. He walks around spray painting trees so the guys running the leveler know which ones to chop down. Really mentally pressing. Then he goes for a little stroll, and comes across a really eerie looking tree. The tree that, unknown to him, contains Hexxus. An insect starts buzzing around Zak, and he has the brilliant idea that he'll kill it with spray paint. Only in the process, he also paints a nice big red X across the Hexxus tree. In a little while, the leveler gets to the tree, chops it down, and Hexxus oozes out from the wood.Around this time, while Zak is walking around, he sees some little blue spark flying around. It's Crysta, his soon to be fairy friend. He catches her in his hands, and as a tree starts falling towards him, Crysta yells look out. He doesn't hear, so she says, "Bless your heart with magic might I give the gift of fairy size! Er, sight!" Apparently the first word spoken for a spell is the one that takes, and Zak is three inches tall, just like the fairies.Zak befriends Crysta, along with her bat friend, Batty (voiced by Robin Williams). The main focus of the movie is the relationship between Zak and Crysta, but also on the potential destruction of Fern Gully as per the wishes of Hexxus.It's a cartoon, so obviously the fairies are going to stop Hexxus. But it's still a fun little movie filled with some very funny lines, brightly colored animation, and great voice acting.Bottom Line: 4 out of 4 (own this movie)
12 out of 17 people found the following review useful: A well executed ecologistic tale, 15 December 1998 Author: Paolo Costabel from Los Angeles
Ferngully is an example of how to do an educational movie without being boring. It is the story of an Australian rainforest endangered by human development. Zak, one of the worker of a team that is destroying the forest to build a road is shrunk by a fairy (Chrysta) and introduced to the magical world that he was destroying.The animation is good, with rich colors and gorgeous visuals of the forest. The characters are well designed and funny, the bat Batty being the most hilarious. The music is nice, too, with modern rhythms that mix well with the fast pace of the movie. The best song is the one performed by the bad guy, Hexxus, a literaly slimy demon, that perfectly represents the greed of modern society.This is a little gem in the Disney-dominated world of animation. Don't miss it.
14 out of 21 people found the following review useful: Another Good Memory., 8 August 2003 Author: Yerkman from Right behind you!
I saw this maybe three times at different ages. I liked it alot, and KNEW I reconized Robin Williams. At a young age I alway thought "Dude, that guy Zak has the coolest haircut." And untill this very moment, I didn't realise that Hexxus was a demon, or was voiced by Tim Curry.It's an interesting movie in a large rainforest inhabited by fairies. They think humans are dead, unti a bat named Batty (Robin Williams)shows up. It's two main characters, Zak the human surfer boy guy, and a fairy named Krysta, who shrinks him to her size. The movie has a pretty cliche, but well said point I think, and good plot. The music is great too, and the villan is great,Hexxus, and old demon, but perhapes a bit frightening at times. (Villains are always the coolest)Basicly, the musics good, the characters are good, the voices are good, the bad guy is good (but frightening and the animation is good. I see nothing wrong with this film, and I recommend it to those who like classics.
5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Overall, an entertaining animated film - with its ups and downs of course..., 10 February 2008 Author: Mightyzebra from Scotland
It may have a strong message, it may have slightly wobbly animation and it may not be your thing. Like it or loathe it, this film is "Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest".The ups are good humour from the one and only Robin Williams (who is a bat and sings a brilliant rap song), good thoughts about the environment (as in the way it is in this film), the setting (an Australian jungle - you would think if it was about fairies it would be set in Britain - wouldn't you?), good background animation (mainly jungle and trees), good songs (a mixture, including the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful) and a good message (to be good to the environment).The downs/flaws is the fact the main character is annoying (yet for some reason everybody likes her) and the film also drags on slightly. Another flaw is the fact that for one half of the film, everything is pretty cool, chilled and like a fun, normal kid's film, then in the second half of the film the tension becomes very heavy and suddenly everything is so precious and beautiful. Both phases of the film are good of course, but the change is too quick and too noticeable. It is like having balanced meals for a week and then suddenly the next week you are scoffing cakes like there is no tomorrow.The plot is: Most of the characters are fairies and they live in the Australian rainforest. They are very kind to the environment and help things grow. Most of the fairies believe that humans do not exist, but when a bat who has been experimented in a lab tells the fairies of humans, there is one called Crysta (a girl fairy) who wants to see the humans for herself...Good for children, mainly, who do not care much about the environment, but also for people who like Robin Williams and animation in general. Enjoy "Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest"! :-)
11 out of 17 people found the following review useful: Maltin-style review, 24 January 2001 Author: Jay-231 (c3lornehop@aol.com) from Southern California
A band of fairies and their human allies must save a primeval rainforest from destruction by a conscienceless lumber company (not to mention a venomously evil entity voiced by Tim Curry). Though basically a Darwinian morality play dressed up in the more palatable medium of a kids' cartoon, FERNGULLY is actually an entertaining and thought-provoking animated masterpiece. Steeped in equal measures Australian mythology and modern-day politics, this movie proves that cartoons need not be about falling anvils and wascally wabbits. Watch out for Robin Williams, who is hilarious as always as a manic bat.
8 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Cute, lively, attractive animation, a bit heavy-handed environmental message., 18 June 2003 Author: TxMike from Houston, Tx, USA, Earth
As often the critic Ebert has a good and complete review. Simple story, the fairies live below the canopy of the rainforest, believing all humans have died. A precocious one flies above the canopy, sees smoke and a mountain in the distance, almost becomes an eagle's snack, then goes on a mission to find out what is going on. She discovers humans destroying an adjacent rainforest to make lumber, they are depicted as uncaring blue collar idiot slobs. Her rainforest, Ferngully is next and she must find a way to stop it. With the help of a few friends. The animation is very colorful and very good, and the vocal characterizations are fine. The DVD picture and sound are first-rate, but the only extras are trailers of other films.
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: A Wonderful Classic; VERY Underrated, 23 August 2008 Author: Dragoneyed363 from United States
I thought FernGully was just so lovable and cute.It was great fun from start to finish, and a 5.8 is WAY too low if you ask me.Like, all the characters were cute and likable, and the story is really different and fresh.I also thought that it was very hilarious at times, and just all around completely entertaining.It was so interesting and fun to watch, and in the end isn't that what a film's supposed to do, entertain?I really don't see why this movie doesn't have a rating somewhere in the 7's at least, because in my opinion it is a classic, that needs to be viewed by a lot more people, for how great it really is.Please see it really soon if you're any bit interested in it, because I swear you won't be let down by FernGully AT ALL.
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