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FernGully made up my childhood while Epic made up my early twenties, my inner child delighted in frolicking with the Fairies as much as it enjoyed mounting a hummingbird ride with the Leafmen. So walk with me into the woods and let’s see how far the rabbit hole goes, as we tunnel through the similarities between two seemingly different plot lines:

Do not commit tree-son

The underlying theme throughout both stories is linked with preservation of the environment and the survival of both species. In FernGully, environmental themes highlighted are deforestation caused due to commercial logging and environmental pollution caused as a result of commercial logging, in this case. It was because of logging, that Hexxus escapes from the tree in which he was imprisoned indirectly conveying that commercial logging has drastic consequences. In Epic, excessive forest decomposition & decay comes under the spotlight though in this case, humans are not the cause of it.

Forest Gump

Although both are imaginary realms, it is safe to imagine that FernGully & Moonhaven are based on forests and both the realms’ species are in fact, the children of the forest.

It’s all about the little people

Fairies are tiny magical creatures complete with wings and magic in FernGully, while Leafmen are tiny humanoid soldiers in Epic. It is unclear whether Leafmen are magical but Queen Tara, ruler of the forest possesses magical powers. Although Leafmen & Fairies are two separate species, the common thread between them is that both species protect the forest and the survival of the forest is directly linked to survival of the species.

Honey, I shrunk the humans

In both stories, the humans get shrunken. In FernGully, the fairy Crysta accidentally shrinks the human Zak while trying to save him. In Epic, Queen Tara purposefully shrinks M.K. when tasking her with the job of saving the pod.

Long live the Queen. Not.

Species from both stories are led by rulers of their realm. In FernGully, Magi Lune while not a queen, is an elderly fairy who possesses the strongest magic and was responsible for trapping the villain Hexxus in a tree; making her the most capable leader of her people. In Epic, Queen Tara rules her people, having been probably chosen by the former queen through a leaf pod, the same method she had to use to choose her own heir. The choosing of the Queen in this case is a combined effort of the Queen & the forest. Magi Lune & Queen Tara both lose their lives and their power gets passed on. While Magi Lune sacrifices herself to save the forest, Queen Tara is killed by an arrow shot from the villain Mandrake.

Clash of the Clans

Both villains / antagonists, be it Hexxus from FernGully or Boggan Leader, Mandrake from Epic are united in their quest of destroying the forest and ruling over the destruction they wreck. You also have kind of a clan war going on. Its human-versus fairies (since humans are being manipulated by Hexxus to some degree) in FernGully, and Leafmen Vs. Boggan in Epic.

The Bodyguard

Secondary protagonists who have a close relationship to the main protagonists take on the role of a protector. In FernGully, the Beetle Boys led by Pips, Crysta’s best friend, are never too far from Crysta. Often Pips follows Crysta wherever she goes, not only because he’s curious, but to make sure she’s safe. In Epic, Leafmen leader, Ronin looks out for Nod, even though he isn’t obvious about his feelings, which are fatherly. He look towards Nod as if he were his own son. Also, both Pips & Ronin protect rulers of their respective realms. Pips protects Crysta who becomes the leader of FernGully, while Ronin protected Queen Tara and will continue to protect the new flower-child Queen of Moonhaven.

Just like animals, animals, like animals

Protagonists from both stories also have faithful animal side-kicks- who assist them in saving the forest- in Batty the Megabat from Fern Gully and Mub the Slug & Grub the Snail (pretty much a package-deal) from Epic.

With great power comes great responsibility

Both our forest creature protagonists are urged to take on responsibility. In FernGully, as the apprentice of Magi Lune, Crysta is constantly urged to concentrate on increasing & better focusing her powers. In Epic, Leafmen leader Ronin is constantly asking Nod to step up and take his post as a Leafman seriously. Both our protagonists step up to the challenge in both stories in the end.

And they called it puppy love

Both the human protagonists are dog lovers. In FernGully, Crysta finds a picture of Zak with his pet dogs in his wallet while trying to revive him after she shrinks him while in Epic, M.K.’s dad owns a dog called Ozzy.

Young “Green” Love

Love blooms between the human & forest creature protagonists. In FernGully, Crysta & Zak fall in love with each other, while in Epic M.K. & Nod develop feelings for each other. While the love is cutsie- cutsie, sadly……

Size does matter

Both humans return to their world. In FernGully, Zak leaves after Crysta turns him back into his human-size but never forgets the lessons that the fairies taught him. No contact however exists between Zak & Crista again as it bordered on the romantic feelings of a teenage crush. In Epic, after M.K. is returned to her human-size by the new flower-child Queen, she & Nod still keep in touch through Bomba’s video cameras, so the possibility of their relation becoming something more one day, is left open to the viewer (yaay!).