 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
- Review Date: May 18, 2003
- G
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 1992
Common Sense Media says
Family favorite features strong environmental message.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has some tense and scary moments, though lots of humor takes the edge off. The movie promotes a strong environmental and conservation message, along with an anti-animal testing message, though kids might not catch all the lessons thanks to the distraction of the magical creatures and jolly songs.
What's the story?
In FERNGULLY: THE LAST RAINFOREST, an evil and destructive spirit named Hexxus (voice of Tim Curry) is imprisoned in a tree by Magi, the leader of the fairies, who believes that all humans have been destroyed. Many years later, as Magi is teaching Crysta, her apprentice (voice of Samantha Mathis), they find that the humans have returned, and are cutting down all the trees. Crysta shrinks one of the humans, a young man named Zak, to save him from being hit by a falling tree, and teaches him about the importance of preserving the forest.
Is it any good?
Ferngully features an all-star cast and some top-notch animation. Highlights of the story include Robin Williams voicing the aptly named "Batty Koda" and gravel-voiced rapper Ton Loc as a Goanna lizard singing "If I'm Goanna Eat Somebody, It Might as Well Be You."
There are some very scary moments, and the magic characters may distract kids from the lesson about environmental conservation, but it does provide a good opportunity for discussions that may help increase sensitivity to environmental concerns.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the importance of conserving the Earth's natural resources, and research the role that trees, and other plants, play in the environment. How do you feel about movies that have a strong message? Does it distract from or enhance the entertainment value?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Worth getting through the scary beginning to get to the good stuff
The beginning scene was a little scary for my almost 4 year old, but once we made it through the beginning, he really loved it, and I really loved the chance to a chance to talk about the importance of nature with him. There are references that are outdated that may confuse older children-- like a walkman and "acid rain."
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AGE
Educational fairy filled Disney classic
Fantastic Disney adventure contains one or two midly scary moments.
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AGE
Scary for younger children & doesn't make it's point!
The first half of the movie seemed to emphasize that humans are bad. While there were several "hints" that the rainforest was being cut down, that was never clear. It would have been much better had the writers stated clearly that the rainforests were being cut down and what we can do about it (recycle paper and cardboard, use hand dryers instead of paper towels, etc.). Kids miss the point and are left feeling helpless. Additionally, the evil spirit was too scary and could have been left out all together!
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AGE
My 4 year old was terrified during some of the scary parts. There is a scene where the fairy is shown nearly entering the blades of a sawmill. I had to turn this off. I felt really bad subjecting him to this movie.
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Kid, 11 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
Good message for everyone
My 6-year-old son loved this movie, even when he was 4. The villain is indeed quite creepy, but making oil the villain was quite imaginative (good discussion topic). One message was clear as crystal to me and my son--the rain forests are being cut for human convenience and use, without a care for the forest or its inhabitants. The rest of the message was clear as well, a group of different "people" can work together to stop the damage; and a previously uncaring young man learns that he can be a key to change when he returns to his normal size. The bat character grinds in the message that humans can be heartless and evil, but I don't think my son made the connection with lab testing. If you talk with your kids as or after they see this movie, you can help them understand the issues. This is a great movie that will stimulate a lot of discussion--don't let your kids watch movies in a vacuum.
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AGE
Yea...
i watched this movie when i was young :3
i loved batty and all the charachters it was so amazing that i just found out for several years ive been searching my highlights of my child hood and i seriously loved this film
im 18 and i still watched this :D
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AGE
AWESOME MOVIE!!!
This is an all time favorite in my household. Even my husband and I enjoyed it.
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AGE
A good, underappreciated film
This is a very good and very well-animated film with some descent musical numbers and some funny moments. The story is also very good. It can get silly at times but, hey, it's a family film. Here is my biggest gripe: This film doesn't do a good job emphasizing its message. It hints at the destruction of the rain forest but never really makes it clear but what's more is that it doesn't tell us how we can save the rainforest. Everything is solved with magic. The humans do nothing about it and that gets to me.
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AGE
No!
I watched this movie when I was about 7 or 8 and it scarred me for life. The song that Batty sings disturbed me. The subject of animal testing should never be in a children's movie. It was very scary. It depressed me very much. Don't let your child watch this!
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AGE
Suggested MPAA Rating:
PG for sensuality, violence, and scary scenes.
Now that I think about this movie... this movie is freakin' creepy! just plain WEIRD!
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AGE
Scariest G movie we've seen.... :(
The scary parts were too much for my 5 1/2 year old- she asked me to turn it off. Enough said!
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AGE
Way too scary!
The "bad guy" is in the form of a shape shifting ghost that appears as a really scary skeleton several times. This movie had some really scary parts and my extremely brave 6 year old was terrified. I felt awful for showing it to my kids!
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Kid, 7 years old
April 8, 2012
AGE
Fern Gully good for second graders and up
I really liked Fern Gully when I saw it in my 2nd grade class. It has a tiny bit of violence. I would say no younger than 7 years old because there is a scary ghost in it but the problem gets resolved in a creative way. There is a lesson in the movie to learn that there's people who are trying to cut down the rainforest and trees and that's not okay.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures, wild animals |
| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Bill Kroyer |
| Cast: | Christian Slater, Robin Williams, Tim Curry |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 75 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 10, 1992 |
| DVD release date: | February 19, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
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