The Jennie Project
Encyclopedia
The Jennie Project is a Disney Channel Original Movie that was released in the summer of 2001. The film was based on the book Jennie by Douglas Preston
. The movie is about a chimpanzee
who knows and uses American Sign Language
to communicate.
The movie was filmed in San Diego's Balboa Park in areas resembling jungle. Other locations included the Museum of Man
(where Hugo Archibald works) and the San Diego Zoo
. The chimpanzee known in the film as Jennie was actually an animal borrowed for the film from the San Diego Zoo.
) is a doctor and brings home a wide variety of exotic animal species. The latest animal he brings home is a chimpanzee
named Jennie. Dr. Archibald is not home very much, and Andrew feels he does not care about him. And Lea (Sheila Kelley
) his wife does not want Jennie, and says she makes trouble. But the children take an instant liking to her. Jennie is unique in that she is learning to use and understand sign language. Jennie becomes an important part of Archibald family and Dr. Archibald's son, Andrew (Alex D. Linz
) develops a close relationship with her. Jennie loves the things Andrew does, such as baseball and comic books. Jennie is also there for Andrew when he and his father disagree. A doctor Pamela Prentiss (Sheryl Lee Ralph
) starts training with Jennie. She does not agree with the way Jennie is being cared for, and is seen as being rude to the Archibald family. She teaches Jennie sign language in a way that Jennie does not understand, but Lea finds a way she understands. Dr. Prentiss tried to convince Hugo to admit Jennie in the science lab which she works, but Hugo declines. But when Jennie starts making trouble, such as taking all the mail from the mailman, and eating the neighbors tulips, she is taken to court and admitted into a science lab. But then they decide to return Jennie to Africa, where she was found. The relationship between Jennie and Andrew eventually brings the whole family closer together.
Douglas Preston
Douglas Preston is an American author who has written seventeen popular techno-thriller and horror novels, four alone and the rest with Lincoln Child...
. The movie is about a chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
who knows and uses American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
to communicate.
The movie was filmed in San Diego's Balboa Park in areas resembling jungle. Other locations included the Museum of Man
San Diego Museum of Man
The San Diego Museum of Man is a museum of anthropology located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California and housed in several historic landmark buildings.-Exhibits:...
(where Hugo Archibald works) and the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
. The chimpanzee known in the film as Jennie was actually an animal borrowed for the film from the San Diego Zoo.
Plot
Hugo Archibald (Lance GuestLance Guest
Lance R. Guest is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Guest developed a serious interest in acting in the ninth grade, and he majored in theater while attending UCLA. He has starred in many theatrical films including his role as Jimmy alongside actress Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween...
) is a doctor and brings home a wide variety of exotic animal species. The latest animal he brings home is a chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
named Jennie. Dr. Archibald is not home very much, and Andrew feels he does not care about him. And Lea (Sheila Kelley
Sheila Kelley
Sheila Kelley may refer to:*Sheila Kelley , Gwen Taylor in L.A. Law*Sheila Kelley...
) his wife does not want Jennie, and says she makes trouble. But the children take an instant liking to her. Jennie is unique in that she is learning to use and understand sign language. Jennie becomes an important part of Archibald family and Dr. Archibald's son, Andrew (Alex D. Linz
Alex D. Linz
Alexander David Linz is an American actor who starred in several late 1990s and early 2000s films and television programs as a child actor. His notable film roles include Home Alone 3 and Max Keeble's Big Move ....
) develops a close relationship with her. Jennie loves the things Andrew does, such as baseball and comic books. Jennie is also there for Andrew when he and his father disagree. A doctor Pamela Prentiss (Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an American actress, singer, and activist.-Personal life:Raised between Mandeville, Jamaica, and Long Island, New York, Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to an African American father and a Jamaican mother. Sheryl attended Uniondale High School in Uniondale, NY...
) starts training with Jennie. She does not agree with the way Jennie is being cared for, and is seen as being rude to the Archibald family. She teaches Jennie sign language in a way that Jennie does not understand, but Lea finds a way she understands. Dr. Prentiss tried to convince Hugo to admit Jennie in the science lab which she works, but Hugo declines. But when Jennie starts making trouble, such as taking all the mail from the mailman, and eating the neighbors tulips, she is taken to court and admitted into a science lab. But then they decide to return Jennie to Africa, where she was found. The relationship between Jennie and Andrew eventually brings the whole family closer together.
Cast
- Alex D. LinzAlex D. LinzAlexander David Linz is an American actor who starred in several late 1990s and early 2000s films and television programs as a child actor. His notable film roles include Home Alone 3 and Max Keeble's Big Move ....
- Andrew Archibald - Sheila KelleySheila Kelley (American actress)Sheila Kelley is an American television actress. She is best known for her roles as Gwen Taylor on L.A. Law and as Dr. Charlotte "Charley" Bennett Hayes on Sisters.-Early life:...
- Lea Archibald - Lance GuestLance GuestLance R. Guest is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Guest developed a serious interest in acting in the ninth grade, and he majored in theater while attending UCLA. He has starred in many theatrical films including his role as Jimmy alongside actress Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween...
- Hugo Archibald - Abigail MavityAbigail MavityAbigail Elizabeth Mavity is an American teen actress who has appeared on a number of television series and commercials, as well as in feature films.- Biography :...
- Sarah Archibald - Sheryl Lee RalphSheryl Lee RalphSheryl Lee Ralph is an American actress, singer, and activist.-Personal life:Raised between Mandeville, Jamaica, and Long Island, New York, Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to an African American father and a Jamaican mother. Sheryl attended Uniondale High School in Uniondale, NY...
- Dr. Pamela "Pam" Prentiss - Joel McKinnon MillerJoel McKinnon MillerJoel McKinnon Miller, or sometimes credited as Joel McKinnon, is an American film and television actor who has been living in Los Angeles since 1991. His most significant role is that of Don Embry on HBO's drama series Big Love.-Life and career:...
- Frank - Fran BennettFran BennettFran Bennett is an American actress born in Malvern, Arkansas. From 1996 to 2003, she was head of the performance program in the School of Theater at the California Institute of the Arts...
- Judge - Earl BoenEarl BoenEarl Boen is an American actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator series...
- Reverend Palliser - Kenneth KimminsKenneth KimminsKenneth Kimmins is an American actor, best known for his roles as Doctor Klein on Lois and Clark and Howard Burleigh, the Athletic Director of Minnesota State University on the hit TV show, Coach.Kimmins was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Charlotte and Edward F...
- Epstein - Janet Rotblatt - Mrs. Palliser