FernGully: The Last Rainforest Blu-ray offers decent video and solid audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
There's magic in the rainforest and it's called FernGully. Deep in the heart of the forest awaits a paradise filled with tiny sprites, winged fairies and tree spirits who all live in joyful harmony. But when their home is threatened by humans, one courageous spirit gives her all to save it.
In the early 1990s, environmental education was beginning to take hold in both schools and pop culture, with a particular emphasis on the plight of the rainforest, largely viewed as a core problem for Mother Earth's woes. "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" emerged as a sensitive call to arms from a major movie studio (debuting two months after Disney's deeply flawed but interesting rainforest adventure, "Medicine Man"), hoping to entertain family audiences while emphasizing a harsh message of deforestation and pollution threatening to destroy the magic of the world. The feature was met with some success, but didn't exactly create the crater of awareness the producers hoped for, reaching a sizable but not astronomical collection of young minds looking for a little guidance on the issue of planetary protection. Two decades later, "FernGully" has managed to hang on to relevance by its fingernails, growing into a cult hit with twentysomethings raised on repeated VHS screenings, now introducing the animated production to their own kids. Thankfully, "FernGully" retains its power and magical might all these years later. While the craftsmanship is a little rough around the edges, the effort to bring a vivid message of destruction is appealing, captured with a lively voice cast and the creation of a colorful pint-sized world for viewers to get lost inside of.
There's peace in the land of FernGully, with the evil spirit Hexxus (voiced by Tim Curry) sealed inside a tree buried deep within the magical rainforest. Living a carefree life, fairy Crysta (Samantha Mathis) is eager to understand the powers of the land, going to leader Magi (Grace Zabriskie) for tutelage on matters of the spiritual realm, while buddy Pips (Christian Slater) cruises the area on the hunt for adventure. With the arrival of Batty (Robin Williams), a bat who's escaped from a medical testing facility, Crysta is made aware of a catastrophic human threat to the area, arriving in the form of a monstrous deforesting machine called "The Leveler" and its teenage scout, Zak (Jonathan Ward). Panicking, Crysta uses a magic spell to shrink Zak down to fairy size, returning to FernGully with the stranger, creating enormous concern in the land. Zak, learning to enjoy this alien landscape, soon befriends the community, growing to comprehend the severity of his carelessness. However, his illumination may be too late, with the human crew of loggers knocking down Hexxus's wood prison, allowing the dark one to rise again, fueled by new flow of worldwide pollution.
"FernGully," adapted from short stories by Diana Young, largely avoids overt brainwashing methods by creating an inviting microcosm for outsiders to visit. Director Bill Kroyer (who worked as an animator on "Tron") doesn't have access to traditional Disney visual polish, merging CG-animation with brightly painted designs, but the picture has gumption, endeavoring to tell a story of annihilation and personal responsibility in the most entertaining way possible. "FernGully" has a lofty thematic goal, yet the screenplay by Jim Cox ("The Rescuers Down Under") wisely softens the blow, looking to generate a fanciful world of magic and fairy flight before the hammer of reality is introduced, giving younger viewers a necessary shock without traumatizing the wee ones. Characters are broadly imagined and animated with personality, with Crysta a particular triumph in terms of behavioral nuance, while Batty is built with a specific comedic speed in mind, sustaining a run of slapstick to ease the oncoming cruelty. "FernGully" looks inviting without pronounced animated luxuriousness, managing to construct a fantasyland on a miniature scale, touring around to greet the residents of the forest and its places of hidden wonder.
"FernGully" is actually a musical too, aping the Disney way with a collection of songs that haven't aged well (the thin score by Alan Silvestri also disappoints), but remain appropriate to the atmosphere at hand. Williams has some pre-Genie fun with "Batty Rap," getting used to the elasticity of animation before "Aladdin" turned him into a cartoon legend. Curry also wraps his sinister way around "Toxic Love," a satisfying declaration of intent for Hexxus, but a tune with the weirdest lyrics of the movie ("Filthy brown acid rain/Pouring down like egg chow mein"). Artists such as Sheena Easton, Raffi, and Johnny Clegg round out the soundtrack, and it wouldn't be the early 1990s without a contribution from Tone Loc, here playing a hungry goanna lizard ready to dine on Zak, serenading his dinner with the song "If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody (It Might As Well Be You)."
And for those playing at home, you bet James Cameron has a lot to answer for with the similarities between "FernGully" and his 2009 blockbuster, "Avatar." The sci-fi genre is famous for unintentional influences and friendly tributes, but the pictures are nearly identical in theme and setting. Beating a dead horse? Sure, but it's interesting.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sure to be regarded as a vast improvement over the previous DVD release, but this not a title that was exhaustively cleaned up before its BD debut. The print itself is dirty, with noticeable debris and white speckles, while some flicker and judder is detected. There's also the general state of the animation, with the crisp image quality exposing focus limitations, mild sharpening, and dust particles. The film looks alert, with a bright color palette (rainforest activity looks artistic and alive) that offers a few blown-out hues, along with satisfactory black levels (preserving distances and backgrounds), but there's little attention paid to the HD future of "FernGully," leaving the viewing experience acceptable without the necessary steps to make it remarkable. The texture of the animation remains, which is interesting to view, but the image could've been stronger.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix supports the visual experience adequately, preferring a louder barrage of elements over pinpoint accuracy. The listening event is primarily concerned with immersion, from the opening thunderstorm to the more hectic antics of the loggers, creating a hearty sense of circular activity without broad directional movement. Dialogue exchanges sound thin, inherent to the original recording, while remaining pronounced throughout, with diverse vocal personalities easy to detect. Scoring is supportive but never remarkable, touching a few shrill lows that make the track feel shallow. Low-end is alert for beat-happy soundtrack selections and some of the more aggressive confrontations, but otherwise remains stagnant. Musical numbers carry a little extra oomph to make an impression, yet balance isn't thrown off, with good instrumentation and vocal representation.
Commentary with director Bill Kroyer, art director Ralph Eggleston, and coordinating art director Susan Kroyer commences with a pleasing rhythm of information and gentle interplay between the participants. Talk of rainforest research, source material inspiration, and cast temperament are presented, with special attention paid to the antics of Robin Williams, which continued outside the recording studio. The track is primarily technical, pointing out techniques and levels of CGI assist, while explaining certain creative choices during the hurried production.
"Seed of the Story: Script to Screen Comparison" (8:06, SD) walks through several sequences of the film, studying how the script developed into storyboards, and how that crude vision worked its way into final animation. It can be viewed with or without commentary by screenwriter Jim Cox.
"From Paper to Tree" (29:56, SD) is the official making-of featurette for "FernGully," mixing 1991 interviews with material shot in 2005 (perhaps earlier), looking to create a rounded look at the production effort. Interviews with cast and crew are slight but satisfying, while greeting the individual animators carries a little more interest, hearing their thoughts on character design and voice talent. Development and daily work are explored, with emphasis on CGI achievements and the worldwide creative effort to bring the picture to life.
"Toxic Love" (2:41, SD) is a multi-angle presentation of the villain's tune, providing a look at final animation, the animatic, and footage of Tim Curry in the recording studio.
Original Featurette (5:57, SD) is a brief EPK look at the basics of the "FernGully" production, produced in 1992.
"If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody (It Might As Well Be You)" (4:17, SD) is a music video from Tone Loc, mixing animation, film clips, and performance footage.
Trailer A (1:39, SD), Trailer B (2:29, SD), Trailer C (1:16, SD) are provided, along with three T.V. Spots (1:41, SD).
There's not much to "FernGully" beyond a sense of discovery. The film is shockingly short (70 minutes), but that's not a complaint, with Kroyer refusing to belabor the messages of the picture, maintaining a concentration on wonder and action to support ideas on environmental rape and the true price of greed. It's simplistic enough to get through to children in need of illumination, while potent enough to keep adults attentive and concerned. Despite its grim reality, "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" remains a highly amusing feature, which is perhaps most important of all. A spoonful of sugar helps this medicine go down in a fulfilling way, with 20 years of environmental awareness only supporting the importance of the movie's cry for planetary care.
Blu-ray bundles with FernGully: The Last Rainforest (2 bundles)
