Earth Month may be ending soon, but a nostalgic eco-franchise is just starting its new chapter.

News emerged last week that the 1992 film FernGully: The Last Rainforest is returning in a new iteration from Amazon MGM Studios. The studio is working on a treatment that has filmmaker Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) writing and directing.

Moonli Singha

Released in an era when environmentalism gained popularity in the mainstream, the original FernGully told the fantasy tale of a tiny rainforest fairy and a human logger (shrunk to fairy size by accident) who must save the forest from a pollution-powered villain. It made US$32.7 million at the global box office and has since gained a cult following over the years.

Moonli Singha is the CEO of Moonheart Entertainment—a burgeoning tech-forward banner that’s also a stakeholder in Machine Media, which owns the FernGully IP rights. She’s an executive producer on the new film.

And while Amazon MGM Studios is heading up the creative on the feature, Singha spoke to Kidscreen on how Moonheart will be involved in bolstering the whole franchise.

KS: The effort to revive FernGully has been on your priority list for years. Take us through how you brought Amazon MGM on board. 

MS: We had been exploring the right home for the property and considering what kind of partner could truly see its full potential. We felt Amazon’s scale, global reach and commitment to meaningful IP made it a very compelling fit. So I reached out [to them] directly and that opened the door to a series of conversations with the team there. 

I was able to present not only the legacy of FernGully, but also a broader franchise vision: its enduring fan base, its cultural relevance and the opportunity to reintroduce it in a way that could resonate powerfully with a new generation. 

KS: It was interesting to hear that the revival will be a live-action film instead of animation. What inspired that choice?

MS: Live action felt like a powerful way to reintroduce FernGully at scale for contemporary audiences. There’s a different kind of immediacy and cinematic impact, allowing the world and its themes to feel especially vivid and present. 

KS: What do you feel makes this franchise well-positioned to appeal to young audiences right now?

MS: Now feels like the right time, because its themes have only become more urgent and more visible: the natural world, responsibility and the consequences of destruction. 

But beyond themes, it also has [things that] Gen Alpha responds to instinctively—a vivid world, clear emotional stakes and a mythology that spans generations. For this audience especially, stories no longer live in a single format. They move across film, interactive spaces and community-led environments. This generation increasingly connects with worlds it can enter rather than simply watch. 

KS: On that note, what kind of multi-format strategy do you have in mind for FernGully?

MS: The most compelling opportunities are in gaming, interactive experiences and LBE. Any formats that allow audiences to engage with the world more directly. Gaming is especially significant from Moonheart’s perspective because it extends the life of the world beyond the screen.

KS: What types of gaming experiences do you plan on to reach kids? Will they be launching in tandem with the new film?

MS: We’re [focused on] formats that allow younger audiences to enter the world in a participatory way, and then deepen that relationship over time. I would not want to get ahead of specific platforms, formats or launch plans. But we do see interactive extensions as both an audience-building tool and a long-term franchise driver—and not necessarily limited to the film’s release window.

KS: Are UGC platforms on your radar as you draw out your gaming plans? What kind of partners are you seeking?

MS: Roblox is particularly interesting. It has been expanding formal licensing pathways for IP holders and creators, making it increasingly relevant for franchise-building, but we are carefully considering all of our options. 

For us, the priority now is finding the right partners to extend FernGully through gaming experiences that feel immersive and true to the property. We’re interested in top-tier interactive partners: developers, technologists and strategically aligned platforms. 

KS: What else is on the franchise-building horizon at Moonheart?

MS: There is a real appetite for thoughtfully built, culturally resonant IP with lasting cross-platform life. We’re especially interested in properties designed with theatrical ambition from the outset, while also having the flexibility to expand across formats over time. That strategy feels timely right now, as the industry is placing more emphasis on the big-screen experience [and] event-scale storytelling.