Review: “Meet the Chimps”, Debuting on Disney+ this Friday, October 16th, 2020

Hi everyone!

Meet the Chimps is coming to Disney+ this Friday, October 16th, 2020! I had the chance to preview some of the series (I watched about one and a half shows, I don’t want to see it all before it debuts). Meet the Chimps is from National Geographic, another new animal series after the successful launch of the wonderful Making of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Unlike that show, Meet the Chimps will drop all six episodes Friday.

Photo copyright Disney+

Meet the Chimps is set in the world’s biggest chimpanzee sanctuary called Chimp Haven. Chimp Haven is situated on 200 acres in Louisiana, with more than 300 chimpanzees. Most of the chimps are retired from research facilities. They would not be able to live a life in the wild, so this is as close as they will come – and they are very well taken care of.

Meet the Chimps is narrated capably by actor Jane Lynch. If you’ve seen Disneynature films, or Making of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I found the pace slower. There is one main subject – chimps, and it took a little time for me to be drawn in on the first episode. But once I was, I found it really interesting. There is a new male chimp, Midge, who is being introduced to the other chimps. They start the introductions with several females, and Barbara and Marie both take an interest. But he’s being introduced to more than just the females, and that is where it will get more tricky while giving him a second chance at life.

Disney+ says about the series, Through a seamless blend of natural history and observational-documentary filmmaking,“Meet the Chimps” puts the chimps –the heart and soul of the series –at front and center. A real-life drama with a full emotional range, the series gives unparalleled access to everything happening at Chimp Haven, including food squabbles, alliances, romances, ‘bromances’, tears, tantrums, high jinxes and heartbreaks.

We get to meet those who care for these chimps as well. It is fun to see how passionate the keepers are. I looked up the Chimp Haven website, there is a lot to learn about the chimps including through Chimp Haven at Home.

Disney+ is pushing out a lot of content right now, and Meet the Chimps is a nice addition to the lineup.

Here is the trailer for Meet the Chimps.