Once Upon a Forest (1993)

'Once Upon a Forest' is so much an eco-toon that in the end we would expect for the lead character to turn to the camera, take his hat off and plead for our help to save the environment. This would be just about the only politically correct element that isn't on display here.Like 'Ferngully', 'Once Upon a Forest' spells out the same message – forest creatures are good and man and his destructive fumes and bulldozers are bad. The message is spelled out in this movie in these terms: the fuzzy woodland heroes are herbal vegetarians and man is a meat-eating source of environmental apathy.The creatures in the film are called Furlings and they live in a tiny woodland looked over by the wise old Uncle Cornelius who informs the youngsters of a time when man destroyed the woodlands with heavy machinery in his mad pursuit of progress. Low and behold – no sooner does unc spin that tale then a tanker truck hits a glass bottle in the road (tossed out of the car by a drunk driver) and spill deadly fumes into their homes.Just to drive the message home the fumes kill a few of the Furling parents in a scene I found profoundly disturbing to the movie's target audience. The children Furlings have to set out on an adventure to find rare plants that will save the Furlings who are now comatose.And so we're off on one of those familiar adventures where the kids get into one scrape after another at the hands of the human's environmental hatred. Nothing bad happens to any of them – that much is obvious – but that's strange considering that a few of the characters in the toxic spill are allowed to die.The characters in the movie aren't terribly memorable, they are just a conglomeration of characters from countless other films of the same level. They speak in their respective character traits and are given dialogue that never breaks away from the pattern of the furthering of the plot.'Once Upon a Forest' isn't exactly a jarring experience especially after having been recently dazzled by the imaginative power of 'My Neighbor Totoro' and 'Mononoke Hime'. This is a movie in which the filmmmakers were afraid to try anything bold because they didn't want to go over the audience's head – they didn't think that kids had the ability to accept anything new. I only saw the film a few days ago but I am having trouble remembering much about it. It's been six years since I saw 'Mononoke' or 'Totoro' and I remember them in vivid detail.

When I was little, my sister and I would watch this movie every weekend; every single time I ended up sobbing; it's a very bittersweet movie, which isn't something you expect to see as a little kid. I've spent hours trying to look it up with no hope, but today my sister called me into her room to tell me she'd found it.After watching it now(for the first time in about six years) I understand the dual message it gives us about protecting the environment,and truth be told the movie means as much to me now as it did back then. I'm so glad I was able to find this movie again and be able to realize the deeper meaning. I highly recommend it for anyone from about 7-18; and maybe older if your taste allows [:

I wish movies like these were still made.Usually, animated movies like these don't find my favor, neither do I remember them very long. However, there's something about this one that somehow touches my heart. I first saw this video when I was about 8 years old, maybe a little older, 10 at the most. Years later, My younger brother, about 9, wanted to watch this video. I was 16 then, and at first, I had no interest in watching the movie. But then I remembered watching it years ago, and thought, oh, what the heck, I'm not doing anything today. So I watched it. Things that I paid no attention to when I was young I now watched closely. The introduction, transitions, quality of the video, the story, and reality of the video and characters. Even though this video is over 15 years old, it still had exceptionally good quality for a VHS tape. The characters are so real, you like them instantly. When I say real, I mean being able to tell the difference between a male and a female mouse, badger, and other critters that were in this movie. The young furlings start out as typical kids, mischievous and selfish. This leads to a few minor consequences. Eventually, they realize the danger and the reality of the real world out there, for example, the road. Now, I could get picky and say the car, tanker truck, "Yellow Dragons", and the humans did not look very realistic, but hey! This video isn't based on those things, so why judge the movie by that?When Michelle falls sick, the other young furlings realize the need to work together, get along, share, obey rules, and never give up. The songs, especially "Please Wake Up" were very touching, and even brought tears to my eyes. I liked how the furlings learned to respect their elders, so to speak, such as Uncle Cornelias, who was very wise. They balanced to movie very well with suspense and action.The end brought tears to my eyes once again, as it was very touching. It is an animated film and yet it brings out the reality of life. The only few things I would have done differently are these:1. If I was uncle Cornelius, I would have been much more upset with the furlings after they did foolish things, especially, when it ruins long periods of work. 2. It would have been nice to see Abigail with Willy again, since they liked each other. I thought for sure he would return to the picture towards the end, but never saw him. 3. It was really sad to leave Michelle without a Mommy or Daddy.Those are the only things I would have done differently. Like I said, I wish Fox still made good movies like this one. The new animated movies have much better graphics, but the stories usually aren't the greatest, and they tend to add humor and content that isn't really appropriate for children.

One of the best children's movies I have seen. It teaches children to care for the animals. And if adults paid attention they could learn from it also. Things like this happen every day with chemical spills & animals have to suffer. If every company took care of things like this when it happened like they do in this movie, everyone would be better off. Anyone who does not understand this movie did not pay attention to it. My children were watching this when they were 4 & 5 years old & they understood it then & they still love it today. I will gladly play this movie for my Grandchildren when they are old enough to understand its' meaning. I hope everyone that watches this movie will pay close attention & follow the guidelines that it sets out for a cleaner environment & happier lives.