Nostalgia is a powerful tool, wouldn’t you agree? Recently, fans of the beloved 1992 animated film FernGully: The Last Rainforest were filled with excitement thanks to a viral poster that sparked speculations of a live-action adaptation by Disney. The poster claimed that adored actress Zendaya starred as Crysta, among many other prominent actors in the film. The Walt Disney Company’s purchase of 20th Century Fox in 2019 granted it ownership of the cult franchise, but are they actually making a live-action FernGully: The Last Rainforest?
Live-Action FernGully Remake
For those who may not be familiar, FernGully: The Last Rainforest is a timeless animated film that tells the enchanting story of Crysta, a young fairy who embarks on a quest to save her rainforest home from destruction by human intruders set to tear it down. The movie captivated audiences as they watched Crysta teach a human named Zak an important environmental message.
Sound familiar? That might be because Disney has another popular franchise that follows the same playbook – Avatar. That is a tale for another time, however.
Even the mention of a potential live-action FernGully adaptation had fans grinning with anticipation. Zendaya is a popular casting choice, but they also reveled in the other big names as well. The poster claims that Benedict Cumberbatch is playing Tim Curry’s villain, Hexxus, and Jim Carrey is taking over for the late Robin Williams as Batty Koda. The White Lotus‘s Lukas Gage gets a conservation lesson as Zak, and Emma Thompson plays the narrator and Magi Lune.
The poster lists the release date as the Christmas season of 2024. Take a look at it for yourself below. It’s incredibly detailed and convincing. Disney loves to remake classic movies in live-action nowadays, and with so many projects in production, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to see this as legit.
Zendaya in Ferngully?!!! Yes. pic.twitter.com/1Np5MUu9RN
— But Debbie… Pastels? (@freshiegrl) June 28, 2023
The Truth of the Matter
The poster spread around social media platforms, particularly Facebook, where just one share accumulated over 23,000 likes and 8,000 comments in less than a day. People seemed genuinely excited at the possibility, provided Disney could do it justice, unlike their opinions on certain recent remakes like The Little Mermaid. However, most didn’t know that the film was in the works. There’s a reason for that – the poster is more than likely fake.
While no one has claimed ownership of the fanmade poster, AI could just as likely have generated it. Disney has never announced a live-action FernGully remake. Furthermore, the rumor of it being in production has never been spread around social media before now. If the project were in development to the point it had a poster, cast, and release date, it would almost certainly be announced as of now.
Maybe one day, The Walt Disney Company will take on this cult classic story as a remake. Fans seem to really want it. Until then, we can always hope, or you know, just watch Avatar for now.