If you were a kid in the '90s, the animated movie FernGully: The Last Rainforest likely has a special place in your heart.
It may not have set the box office on fire when it premiered in 1992, but over time, its reputation has steadily climbed. Thanks to home video releases and a strong sense of nostalgia, it’s found a much larger and more appreciative audience in the decades since.
Now, Amazon MGM will look to recapture that magic as the studio has announced plans for a live-action remake.
Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) is set to direct, as well as write the script.
The original animated film centers on Crysta, a curious young fairy who lives in a lush Australian rainforest watched over by the wise Magi Lune. During one of her explorations near the forest’s edge, she crosses paths with Zak, a human working with a logging crew that’s cutting down the surrounding trees. When a tree comes crashing down and nearly kills him, Crysta instinctively uses her magic to shrink Zak to her size, saving his life in the process.
Now reduced to a tiny scale, Zak begins to see the rainforest from a completely different perspective. Surrounded by its beauty and fragile balance, he starts to understand the damage caused by his own world. But things take a darker turn when the loggers unknowingly unleash Hexxus, a long-imprisoned spirit of destruction sealed within a tree.
The film is now looked upon favorably due to its all-star voice cast, which included Robin Williams, Tim Curry, Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis. The film also featured new and original music from Elton John, Raffi, Sheena Easton, and Jimmy Buffett.
Reaction to the project's announcement has been somewhat mixed as millennials are drawing comparisons to James Cameron's Avatar movies and the fact that it will be hard to recreate the original cartoon's magic without Williams andthe same mix of eclectic music.
“Our goal isn't simply to make a new film,” said producer Jon Sheinberg per an official press release. “It's to honor a timeless classic and extend its powerful themes and musical legacy across every platform."
The press release also adds that the project aims to, "protect and promote the legacy of the film FernGully and broaden its reach across the generations."