It’s not only Disney that’s remaking its classic animated films in live-action. According to a report from Deadline, Amazon MGM Studios is remaking FernGully: The Last Rainforest, with Marielle Heller writing and directing. Millennials will fondly remember this as the environmentally conscious fantasy cartoon about fairies who band together to protect the rainforest from the logging business and an evil pollution entity. Yes, this is very much from 1992, so the same era as Captain Planet. The original movie featured the voices of Robin Williams, Tim Curry, Christian Slater, and Samantha Mathis, with songs by Elton John. You can read a statement from FernGully producer Jon Sheinberg below:
Our goal isn’t simply to make a new film. It’s to honor a timeless classic and extend its powerful themes and musical legacy across every platform.
The most recent film by Marielle Heller was Nightbitch, starring Amy Adams. So this is a complete 180 from that quirky indie film. FernGully wasn’t as big as its rival Disney films of the era, like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. But it left its own stamp on popular culture. Look how many people who criticize James Cameron’s Avatar franchise can’t help but call it “FernGully in space.” Which is a bit reductive, but also not terribly far off the mark either. Those references mean people remember it, even if they don’t love it in the same way they love The Lion King.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest wasn’t a particularly big success at the box office, only grossing $32 million. That is nothing compared to similar Disney movies of the same era. However, the VHS sales of FernGully were pretty great. Chances are, you know someone who had that clamshell VHS case as a kid. The home video sales were big enough to warrant a sequel, FernGully 2: The Last Rescue, in 1998. Will a live-action version of FernGully draw older Millennials to theaters with their kids in tow? We’ll have to wait and find out. As of now, there’s no production start date for the live-action FernGully. But we expect to hear more soon.