Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Chimp "adoption" documentary has some scary moments.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Chimpanzee
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 18 parent reviews
Based on 10 kid reviews
Kids say that the film is a mixed experience, with its educational value overshadowed by some intense and potentially upsetting scenes, particularly involving violence among chimpanzees and the death of a character. While older children may appreciate the heartfelt moments and the story of survival, some younger viewers might find the content alarming, leading to a shared sentiment that the film is not suitable for all children.
- educational value
- intense scenes
- violence present
- mixed reviews
- older children suitable
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Veteran nature documentarian Alastair Fothergill follows a CHIMPANZEE community in this nature film narrated by comic actor Tim Allen. The first half of the documentary focuses on the everyday life of the African chimpanzees led by alpha male Freddie. The newest member of Freddie's group is an infant named Oscar. After getting a taste for how the chimpanzees eat, hunt, sleep, and play, "dramatic tension" is introduced in the form of a rival chimpanzee group with a menacing elder alpha named Scar. When Scar's chimps engage Freddie's in a vicious fight for territory and food resources, Oscar's mother is injured and eventually dies. Alone and frightened, baby Oscar must be taken in by another caretaker or face certain death. After he's rejected by all of the other females in the clan, Oscar finds an unlikely foster parent in Freddie, who claims Oscar as his own.
Is It Any Good?
Nature documentaries are almost always visually dazzling, and Chimpanzee is no exception. Fothergill's team (as viewers learn in the end credits) endured all manner of inconveniences and injuries to capture these intimate shots of the chimpanzees and their surroundings. Whether it's a close-up of the chimps lazily grooming each other, an action sequence of them executing a Colobus monkey hunt, or just a sweeping pan of the entire forest landscape, the camera work is precise and evocative of a world that most of us will never see in person.
Where Chimpanzee falters is its narration. While Allen's joke-filled monologue will please some viewers, those who prefer less made-up animal "dialogue" and more straightforward, observational narration will find Allen a tad gimmicky. His narration doesn't just explain what's happening -- it inserts conversations and thoughts like "What an idiot" that are a bit over the top and unnecessary. Ultimately, not much "happens" in Chimpanzee, but it's still an amazing look at the rare bond between an alpha male and his youngest kin. It's delightful, if at times heartbreaking, to watch a society of chimpanzees collaborate and interact in ways that are incredibly similar to human beings.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the popularity of wildlife documentaries. What attracts families to nature films?
How is the narration in Chimpanzee different than that of other documentaries? Do you prefer the straightforward approach or Tim Allen's jokier one?
"Alpha chimp" Scar and his crew are depicted as antagonists for wanting to start a confrontation with Freddie's clan, but aren't all the animals just acting like animals? Both groups of chimpanzees just want to survive, so is it fair for the documentary to portray one group as the "good" guys and their rivals as menacing enemies?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 20, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : August 21, 2012
- Cast : Tim Allen
- Directors : Alastair Fothergill , Mark Linfield
- Studios : Disneynature , Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : STEM , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Run time : 78 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate