The decade lasting from 1990 to the new millennium saw some of the biggest and best animated films to have ever been released. Classics like The Lion King and The Iron Giant are still high up on the list of my favourite films ever made, and both still make cry as much now as they did when I was young. I can honestly say that this era of animation has shaped my life, inspiring me to take film studies in school before getting a degree in animation. They have such a magical energy about them, animated masterfully to provoke childlike wonder in anyone who watches them, and I know that they will retain this magic for generations to come.
In my family, there is one film that stands out from the rest. We used to watch it near obsessively, but at some point we all collectively forgot about its existence. Nearly a decade later, I managed to track down a DVD for Christmas and reignite the spark. That film is the incredibly strange and not particularly popular FernGully: The Last Rainforest.
This film has it all. Magical princess fairies, surfer dudes and even Robin Williams as a sassy bat. It’s the perfect alchemical cocktail of pure cinematic gold. However, I can and will admit that there is something slightly off about the film. The art style is interesting and vibrant, but can vary between being beautifully drawn and looking somewhat rushed. The voice acting and script aren’t terrible but seem far more dated than other animated movies of the era. I haven’t heard anyone be called a ‘bodacious babe’ in far too long and I really hope it’s a phrase that comes back into fashion.
Despite its shortcomings, the film does have one thing that makes it a masterpiece in the eyes of my family and that thing is the legendary Tim Curry voicing the antagonist. As with all of his roles, Curry excels at the dramatic and the outrageous and really stands out from the other characters. I cannot imagine my childhood without his voice, be that the evil nemesis in FernGully or the extravagant Nigel Thornberry, who remains the greatest cartoon character ever created. The man is hero, and single handedly takes this film from an average 90’s cartoon to a family favourite that we’re still talking about almost 30 years after its initial release.
So, is FernGully a good film? Probably not, but I’m not sure that matters. It is eclectic, chaotic and confusing, and makes my whole family smile just to think about. I’m sure every family has those films that are special to them, and that personal bond is part of the reason I love the film so much. I have never seen anyone else talking about this film, and have introduced many of my friends to its colourful delights. It feels like a family secret recipe, a pot of gold that we can share with those we hold dearest. I cannot recommend FernGully as a cinematic masterpiece, but I can entirely recommend it just for the feeling of warmth it brings to me. I hope my rose-tinted glasses for this film never fade, and I hope me and my sister crowd around the screen in another 30 years to watch it again.
