FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
Set in a fairy society visited by an outsider hero, FernGully oozes folkloric elements and emphasises conservation. A local filth deity sealed in an ancient tree is unwittingly released from his prison (cf. Ernest Scared Stupid), and begins a rampage; the heroes, a fit, post-adolescent, will-they-or-won't-they couple with big 80s hair, thwart him and restore peace to the verdant bower. The film takes its time with its simple plot, preferring to demonstrate the importance of the natural, the seminal and the magical than to hurry itself along, and the climax makes it clear that a community and its environment are inextricable - quite literally a blood-and-soil message.
Trivia: Robin Williams, a bat escaped from an unethical scientific lab (cf. The Secret of NIMH), delayed the production of Aladdin in preference for working on FernGully, so passionate was he about the role and the film's message.
Suitability: Young children and up
Key themes: Youth, vitality, mullets
