Review

Chimpanzee

Common Sense Media says

Chimp "adoption" documentary has some scary moments.
Age
6
Quality
 
  • Educational value4
    Kids will learn about how chimpanzee social groups work and how they live communally and band together to hunt, gather, and defend their territory. Children will see how an orphaned chimp is at the mercy of the other females in his clan: If Oscar can't find someone to help feed him and teach him about life in the forest, he'll die. Kids will also learn that it's unusual for an alpha male to make a "maternal" connection with a defenseless member of his group.
  • Positive messages3
    The message here is about how orphans need love and how an unlikely animal steps up to save an orphan from certain death. The unique relationship teaches us about how, even in the animal kingdom, a child doesn't have to be left behind just because its biological mother is gone. That said, unlike other nature documentaries, there's no call to action or conservation in Chimpanzee (although some proceeds will support the Jane Goodall Institute); it's more of a glimpse at the life of chimpanzees and how they must protect their own territories and natural resources in order to survive.
  • Positive role models2
    It's always tricky to evaluate animal behavior with human sensibilities and values, but from a human perspective, Oscar's mother always acts with the selflessness and attentiveness that humans expect from their own mothers. Freddie acts completely out of character but for the benefit of little Oscar, even though it might have been better for the clan for him to concentrate on tactical issues to protect his territory than to invest in the younger member of his society. By bestowing his protection on Oscar, the alpha chimp paves the way for others to do the same.
  • Violence & scariness3
    Some children will be upset by the scenes of suspense and peril during the various confrontations between the two chimpanzee groups. Scar and his much larger and stronger family attack Freddie, but the violence is edited quickly, so you can't really tell what's going on or which chimpanzees are injured. But the narration explains that Oscar's mother is hurt and can't get off the forest floor. Then, during a frighteningly loud thunderstorm, a leopard is shown, yells are heard, and the narration says that Oscar's mother "will never return." Her death is then referenced several times. The chimps also plan and execute a successful monkey hunt, but audiences don't see the dead animal.
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Chimpanzee is a beautifully filmed, African-set nature documentary about how a chimpanzee community must defend its territory to survive. The central "character" in the story is a baby chimp named Oscar, and some children will be disturbed when a confrontation with a rival chimp clan leaves him orphaned (his mother's death is referenced several times), lonely, and desperate for affection. The violence is edited so quickly that younger viewers aren't likely to pick up on anything bloody happening, but the narrator does say when animals are killed -- including a Colobus monkey the chimpanzees hunt together. Kids interested in animals will learn about the way chimpanzees live and interact, as well as witnessing a unique relationship between a juvenile and alpha male chimp.

This review of Chimpanzee was written by
Age
7
Based on 15 parent & educator reviews:
  • 80% say it's educational
  • 67% say there are positive messages
  • 53% say violence is an issue
  • 47% say there are positive role models
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Most useful reviews by all members

Parent
April 21, 2012
6
OK for kids & up
 
Well done documentary.
Both my 6 year old and 8.5 year old were rapt in attention throughout. There are moments of implied violence, though none actually shown. There is loss of life implied, but also not shown. Ultimately, it is a nice combination of teaching, excitement, and natural beauty. The final moments (during credits) also give the viewer a brief idea of how difficult documentary making is.
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Parent
April 23, 2012
8
OK for kids & up
 
Know your kid before taking.
I just took my monkey loving 5 year to see this movie. We ended up having to leave half way through because he really really lost it when the mother Chimp died. They kept talking about how Oscar would not survive without his mommy and he did not like that. I tried to tell him to give it another 5 minutes and one of the Daddy chimps would help him but he was way too upset to wait and see at that point.
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Parent
April 22, 2012
6
OK for kids & up
 
Really sweet documentary.
My 10 year old daughter and I really enjoyed it. There is nothing in the movie that is inappropriate for little ears. The only caution would be that there is implied violence (you don't see them killing and eating a monkey, but they do -- you don't see the mother Chimp get killed but she does). I would have taken my daughter to this movie at 5 or 6. Some children may be scared by the violence (but they really keep it pretty minimal and implied). The cinematography is really amazing. The story is so sweet. I really enjoyed it and would see it again. I was not put off by Tim Allen's narration. It made the movie nice for the kids (my daughter was smiling throughout).
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Kid, 12 years old
April 22, 2012
4
OK for kids & up
 
Not for monkey lovers
Overall it was great, it does state that oscar's mom is eaten by a jaguar, but my seven year old sister didn't get it so younger kids should be fine. There is conflict between neighboring groups of chimpanzees, but it is not really violent. However, if you know an animal lover that might be traumatized by a monkey being ripped apart and eaten by chimps, you might want to keep them at home. However, it is not bloody. I thought it was kind of slow at the beginning, but it picked up speed. It was good, but preteens/teens might get bored.
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Educator and Parent of 10 and 10 year old
April 23, 2012
11
OK for kids & up
 
You wll love it
Excellent Movie!
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Teen, 14 years old
April 25, 2012
6
OK for kids & up
 
Movie for Chimpanzee
I think that this is something that kids want to learn these days. Most kids love animals. Parents won't be worryed about language or anything like that. This movie is very nice. I love monkeys and im 14 the reason is because just when i was born my father called me Monkey and he still does!
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Parent
April 26, 2012
7
OK for kids & up
 
Beautiful!
This was an amazing movie and I would recommend it to any family. Be warned that there are at least 2 violent scenes. The first was the monkey hunt and the second was the rival pack's attack and the subsequent loss of Oscar's mother. It could be disheartening for younger children to witness the rejection of Oscar by his pack. There is a happy ending that takes this edge off. My children are 7 and 5. My 5 year old was not as interested and acted a bit squirmy throughout the movie. (She usually sits very still if the movie captures her.) My 7 year old (who never sits still) was enthralled. This movie is well worth the money in the first week since some of the proceeds were shared with the Goodall Foundation to help save this endangered species. The photography is amazing. The artists that made this movie are very incredible people and should be commended for their dedication.
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Adult
April 26, 2012
8
OK for kids & up
 
Sweet and inspiring movie
The commercials warn of intense scenes so I was a little worried but honestly it was quite tamer than I had thought it would be. Unless your child has an issue with thunder and lightening, I would not worry about sharing this movie with kids. It was a very sweet, funny and enjoyable film that actually inspired my child to want to help chimpanzees as soon as we got home! He's 11 but I think this may suitable for as young as 6 when children learn to deal with loss.
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Parent of 7 year old
April 26, 2012
6
OK for kids & up
 
Beautiful story but way too slow to keep young kids' attention
The two best things about this movie/documentary are the cinematography and the story of Oscar itself. Now for the bad. When CSM's review tells you that nothing much happens in this movie, they were not kidding. I enjoy nature documentaries and even I found the movie to be a bit too slow. My 7yo son got really bored and stopped paying attention half-way through. As for Tim Allen's narration, it almost ruined the movie for me. I felt like it was Disney's attempt at inserting entertainment/humor in what is basically an educational experience. He almost sounded like an annoying tween character in one of Disney Channel's shows. It wasn't an awful movie but it was disappointing because I expected so much more.
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Kid, 9 years old
April 24, 2012
6
OK for kids & up
 
Review
Its such a amazing story of life in the rain forest its wonderful!
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