FernGully: Las aventuras de Zak y Crysta

FernGully is a non-Disney cartoon fairy tale about the importance of protecting forests. It is about a human male shrunk to fairy-size; he learns about fairies, their forest habitat, and soon finds a logging crew he was working with is now threatening their home.

I remember watching FernGully as a kid, I really liked Batty (voiced by Robin Williams) and his song. Rewatching this now, Batty wasn't as hilarious as I remembered but he is one of the better characters of the movie. An insane bat with a radio wired into his head by human scientists, he is quite colourful. The other pretty good character is the villain Hexxus (Tim Curry), who also has a catchy song. He's a poisonous being who apparently thrives on destruction. A shape shifter, he too is well imagined.

Beyond this the fairy characters Crysta and Pips (Christian Slater) and the human Zak are kind of flat. One thing that surprised me is how skimpy Crysta's clothes are (they reveal her hips and midriff)- but I'm not going to pass judgement on whether that's appropriate. Besides flat characters, at times watching this I longed for something more adult. The story was clearly aimed at children. At times this story isn't fully developed- why exactly did Magi disappear? Moreover, the animation is lacking compared to Disney films. Still, 18 years after it came out, families will likely continue to find FernGully enjoyable and its environmental message remains important.

I remember watching this and the sequel as a kid and I have to say, this brings back good memories. Krista is a fairy that learns how to protect the woods. While doing so, she comes across a man who's part of a company cutting down trees. After saving him, she takes him to her home where two worlds collide.

As they try to figure out what's draining their woods, they deal with other characters such as Batty(Robin Williams) a bat that escaped a lab yet still had a machine on its head. The two begin to grow closer while also learning about each other's worlds.

The animation's so vivid. Even today it looks amazing. The characters are decent. Some of them seem a little recycled but to be fair, they still have their own identity. The message is simple yet powerful (and a little heavy handed). It's all about environmentalism. This's a movie I'd recommend you show your kids. It's cool, cute, funny, and has a decent message that couldn't be any more relevant today.

This movie is one of my all time favourites, it is just beautiful and very underrated, if a little short. The songs and score by Alan Silvestri,were very good, and some of the comments were unfair. Batty rap was wonderful, with great ad-libbing thrown into the mix. Toxic Love matched the character of Hexxus wonderfully. Hexxus is slimy and untrustworthy, shown perfectly in the song. A Dream Worth Keeping was my favourite song, and was essential for the relationship of Zak and Crysta. The lyrics were beautiful, and matched the animation surprisingly well. The animation was also beautiful, very colourful and vibrant. The forest was expertly animated like a fairytopia. I remember when I first saw it when I was 9 and being terrified of the villain. Speaking of Hexxus, the character was animated by Kathy Ziellinski, who also animated Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and the Cobra (Aladdin). The voice talents were excellent too. Zak was a nice romantic interest, and Crysta-one spunky vivacious fairy- was excellently voiced by Samantha Mathis. Hexxus was chillingly voiced by the quintessential Tim Curry, and Robin Williams was hilarious as Batty Koda. As for Magi Lune, I mistook her for Angela Lansbury when I first saw the film, and she is a truly fascinating character. The ending was so powerful and poignant, and I love this movie so much, and I am 16. The film also has a good message and a nice story, that isn't at all preachy. The movie's only qualm is that it is too short, and I would've liked Hexxus to be developed a little more. Other than that, I strongly recommend FernGully, and Once Upon a Forest. 9/10. Bethany Cox.

20th Century Fox's animated fantasy film might have been lost in the early/mid-1990s, but its message remains timeless and its substance underrated. Beautiful animation, fitting voice actors and well-thought musical numbers all weave a wonderful story about an Australian rainforest inhabited by fairies, one of which befriends lumberjack Ward who is unwittingly playing a part in destroying FernGully. Mathis is perfectly sweet as the curious fairy who tries to guide her new human friend into understanding the damage his kind is inflicting on the natural world, and what a great importance it is to preserve nature; Williams is hilarious as Batty Koda, though his role now seems sort of like an underwhelming version of Genie from ALADDIN; and Curry is chilling even as a cartoon character! ***½ (out of four)

Ferngully is an example of how to do an educational movie without being boring. It is the story of an Australian rainforest endangered by human development. Zak, one of the worker of a team that is destroying the forest to build a road is shrunk by a fairy (Chrysta) and introduced to the magical world that he was destroying.

The animation is good, with rich colors and gorgeous visuals of the forest. The characters are well designed and funny, the bat Batty being the most hilarious. The music is nice, too, with modern rhythms that mix well with the fast pace of the movie. The best song is the one performed by the bad guy, Hexxus, a literaly slimy demon, that perfectly represents the greed of modern society.

This is a little gem in the Disney-dominated world of animation. Don't miss it.