According to Disneynature, chimpanzees are basically people. Though this year’s Earth Day-coordinated release is heavy on the cute factor, it straddles an awkward place between documentary and fiction, ascribing human values to primates—which may not be the best way for people to learn about the species. No doubt there are similarities between chimpanzees and humans—and it’s even uncanny, if not humbling, to observe this sameness. But this movie is just a platform for some great footage and dorky Tim Allen narration (yes, there’s even a power tools joke thrown in to allude to his Home Improvement days). Assigning the baby chimp star of the show a name like Oscar makes the whole thing a little cheesy. If you don’t over-think it, there are worse ways to spend an hour and twenty minutes.
This article appears in Apr 19-25, 2012.