FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Bill Kroyer

Writers:

Jim Cox (screenplay)
Diana Young (original stories)

Release Date:

10 April 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

"Do you believe in humans?"

Plot:

The magical inhabitants of a rainforest called FernGully fight to save their home that is threatened by logging and a polluting force of destruction called Hexxus.

Plot Keywords:

Fairy | Logging | Rain Forest | Destruction | Beetle

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Tim Curry	...	Hexxus (voice)
Samantha Mathis	...	Crysta (voice)
Christian Slater	...	Pips (voice)
Jonathan Ward	...	Zak Young (voice)
Robin Williams	...	Batty Koda (voice)
Grace Zabriskie	...	Magi Lune (voice)
Geoffrey Blake	...	Ralph (voice)
Robert Pastorelli	...	Tony (voice)
Cheech Marin	...	Stump (voice)
Tommy Chong	...	Root (voice)
Tone Loc	...	Goanna (voice)
Townsend Coleman	...	Knotty (voice)
Brian Cummings	...	Ock (voice)
Kathleen Freeman	...	Edler (voice)
Janet Gilmore	...	Fairy (voice)

Runtime:

76 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | New Zealand:G | USA:G (certificate #31358) | Australia:G | Finland:K-8/5 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U | Singapore:G

Company:

FAI Films

Trivia:

Originally supposed to be released in November 1991 but the release was delayed to avoid the competition with Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991).

Goofs:

Continuity: The window that Zack climbs through to get inside the leveler is shown to be halfway up from the inside but is rolled all the way down from the outside.

Quotes:

Pips: So, what the Mage have to say?
Crysta: She said I should start getting serious.
Pips: 'Bout time.
Crysta: Oh, and stop hanging around with bug-brained layabouts like you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Eegah! (#6.6)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Spis, Li Milke Le

A delightful little animated adventure that takes us into the realm nature in a way we don't normally imagine.

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)