ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
For the past few years, it has become an Earth Day tradition to watch the latest Disneynature film and this year’s film focused on a rather familiar primate – orangutans.
“Orangutan” (which is narrated by future Disney legend Josh Gad), follows Indah, an orangutan nearing adulthood who prepares to leave her family and enter the majestic world of the rainforests of Southeast Asia.
Like the other Disneynature films I’ve watched, the cinematography is absolutely stunning throughout, and it really shows the sheer scope of Indah and her family’s jungle home – everything is so lush and crisp and I almost felt like I was getting lost in the jungle with everyone else. Even the few scenes that take place at night are amazing. When it comes to the cinematography, whether it’s a shot of the orangutans’ canopy home, or some of the other jungle residents interacting, everything is just so vibrant, and the crew that gathered the footage DEFINITELY knew what they were doing, so they deserve a lot of praise.
Something that really surprised me about “Orangutan” was how important sound ends up being throughout the film, and I was absolutely not expecting that. Viewers get to hear a lot of different animal calls and learn just how far those sounds carry throughout the massive expanse of jungle the movie takes place in. One scene in particular that really stuck with me takes place around sunrise and focuses on a group of gibbons calling to each other (and probably waking up the rest of the jungle), and I found it kind of hauntingly beautiful in its own way. I also loved how the movie incorporated songs like “I Wanna Be Like You” (which I should have expected), “Days Like This” and “When We’re Together,” which were just so sweet and soulful and really helped tell the story. I also have to give props to Nitin Sawhney for his score throughout the movie, because it also ends up being pretty stunning, whether it’s a sweeter scene or a scene featuring more tension. The sound also includes the narration, and Josh Gad also does a wonderful job narrating the movie, with his bright and bubbly personality making him absolutely perfect for a project like this. Overall, the crew in charge of the sound design and music did a wonderful job and also deserve a big shoutout.
In terms of the story, there are multiple cute scenes featuring the main orangutans’ daily life, especially the interactions between Indah and her little brother, Bimo. Those interactions reminded me of me and my younger sister when she was growing up, and it definitely took me back to the end of middle school and how I felt about becoming a big sister. There are also multiple scenes reminiscent of human behavior that made me absolutely crack up and joke to myself “Am I sure I’m not just watching a group of humans?”
That being said, while “Orangutan” is overall adorable, the movie as a whole rather does feel somewhat bland due to it being another coming-of-age tale and there already being so many primate-focused documentaries, including two alone in the Disneynature library. I finished the movie wanting more of an “oomph” factor to help really distinguish it. Overall, the movie definitely has many cute and heartwarming moments, but the story needed something to help the movie REALLY stand out from other similar movies - maybe next year’s Disneynature outing will help break that mold.
Overall, I enjoyed Disneynature’s “Orangutan” and would give it a B-plus grade. The cinematography is solid throughout, just like other Disneynature offerings, and I was also extremely surprised by the sound design and how important it ended up being to the movie. However, while the movie is solid as a whole, the coming-of-age story is a bit repetitive of other past Disneynature movies and other primate-focused documentaries/media, and I hope next year’s Disneynature film breaks that mold. If you’re a fan of the other Disneynature outings, “Orangutan” is a good one to cue up on Disney+.
