This Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on July 13th, 2001. It is a story about a young chimp named Jennie that was brought back from Africa. The chimpanzee stays at the house of the Archibald's and they come upon some problems that the story deals with. I would have to say that there was no real drama in this movie, and not a comedy. The cast is very small, unlike some movies. There are very few witty parts, but the story is a little touching. Since it is a Disney Original movie, they do not deal with detailed descriptions and backgrounds of all the characters, let alone a little inside of them so that you know what to expect out of them.
For some people, this could be a nice movie that you would want to watch and learn about, but for me, however, I did not find it all that terrific or brilliant. It was however, well done. For the characters, the father, Hugo Archibald, played by Lance Guest, was a smart and passionate person that is committed to whatever he has said. He is forthright and stern at some points and looks after his son, Andrew, and his daughter, Sarah. The mother, Leah, played by Sheila Kelley, was very typical in what she was doing. There was nothing special about the character in this movie. Like I have mentioned, Andrew, the misunderstood in a way son is played by Alex Linz. This was before he had done "Max Keeble's Big Move". He has said to have liked working with animals, which in both movies he has. The acting of young Alex was done well but could have been more dramatic and sensitively. And finally, Sarah, played by Abigail Mavity, was a young little sister in this movie. She did a pretty good job, but like the mother, just had to be in the movie to make the movie what is was. The one thing that could have made this movie better is to have a more in depth plot and more of a story behind it. The Disney Channel shows this movie probably twice a year, so if you ever hear about it you should check it out and see if you agree with me on my reasonings. There were pros and cons to this movie, but I guess you just have to see it to believe it. In the overall total, I give this a 7.5 out of 10. But it is worth seeing once or twice.
