‘Ape Star’ is a sweet fantasy

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's

The animated film Ape Star is about a unique family. It’s very unique.

Joanna is a sweet little girl who has spent her entire life in an orphanage. But when an evil politician threatens to tear down the orphanage to build an aqua park, her home and that of all the orphans is in jeopardy.

Then a car drives up and the occupant is there to adopt a child. Could this be her chance at a real family? Everyone is shocked when they discover the driver is a gorilla. Joanna is intrigued but like the others, a bit skeptical. She volunteers to be adopted in order to save the orphanage. But what happens to her is something she never expected. The ape is loving, caring, fun, and teaches her about life, books, and imagination. They bond almost instantly and become a family unto themselves.

Then the evil politician decides to change the location for his aqua park. Yep, you guessed it. He wants to build it in the junkyard, which is where Joanna and her new mom live. This sweet little girl just can’t get a break.

In order to secure the property, he threatens to take the girl away from the ape. Their love is too strong to let this happen.

Spoiler alert:

The cunning plan devised by the ape to keep them together is the salvation for Joanna. She loves her ape mom and her mom loves her.

There is one questionable aspect to the show that might be a bit worrisome to parents. The ape teaches this little eight-year-old girl to drive the car. And Joanna drives them around the town to the bookstore and all over. If this aspect is unnerving for parents, just remember this is a fantasy story. After all, a gorilla would never adopt a human child. Well, …

The love between the ape and the girl is strong. The gorilla teaches Joanna about the wonders of reading books and soon the girl is deeply entrenched in novels. They do, after all, run a kind of bookstore from their junkyard.

The story is about love and devotion. It is available on digital and VOD.

Ape Star is rated PG for mild thematic elements.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.