Chimpanzee is the latest documentary from Disneynature, following on from the likes of Earth, The Crimson Wing and African Cats. Getting up close and personal to a group of Chimpanzees living at the heart of the African jungle, it tells the slight but nonetheless enchanting story of Oscar, a very young chimp who is growing through his toddler years with his mother and surrounding tribe.
This particular doc is clearly aiming for the heart, or specifically the heartstrings, more than it is the head and thus we come away with that warm hug feeling rather than feeling like we’ve learned anything particularly new. It crucially never feels like a thorough exploration of the chimps’ way of life but its surface “aww!” moments are abundant.
It’s nicely narrated by none other than Tim Allen, perhaps a little too nicely, ever-keen to add in little jokes about the chimps’ cute actions or boxing those actions into a narrative at odds with the rest of the documentary feel. Although evidently aimed at a younger audience it would have benefited from a little more subtlety when it comes to explaining what’s occurring on-screen.
However, it’s an affable and welcoming watch, with much of the pleasure coming from simply observing these chimps in their natural habitat, albeit in a heavily edited and therefore relatable story form. Filmmakers Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield make impressive use of their cameras – it took over four years of shooting to get the footage they needed – and they’ve moulded a genuinely compelling, pleasant watch even if it skims on some of the very real danger that befalls our protagonist.
There’s a rather forced subplot involving a rival gang of monkeys that veers into the realm of the ridiculous –without a word of a lie they’ve nicknamed the baddie leader Scar – that’s somehow both a major threat and frustratingly pushed aside as if hampered by not being able to show anything graphic.
Nevertheless Chimpanzee is a cute, winning film that sits half way between documentary and coming-of-age narrative. There’s undoubtedly something fascinating about watching the chimps go about their daily lives and the film finds some much needed humour in that (scenes of Oscar trying to copy the adult chimps when cracking open nuts is particularly funny). But a bit more probing into the scientific aspect wouldn’t have gone amiss as it would have made it a vital watch rather than the endearing, visually beautiful diversion it ultimately is.
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Chimpanzee is released in UK cinemas on May 3rd.