Buddy is based on the true story of Gertrude Trudy" Lintz (Rene Russo), a wealthy 1920s matron who lives on a spacious New York estate with her physician husband (Robbie Coltrane). Her hobby is animals and she has created a paradise for four chimpanzees, some happy dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, geese, owls, snakes, a kitten, and a parrot.
Trudy's childhood dream of being the queen of the jungle comes true when she assumes the challenge of raising Buddy, a sick gorilla she takes home from a zoo and restores to life with her ministrations of love. The baby bonds with her but eventually grows into a very large animal with incredible brute strength. On the Lintz estate, Buddy seems amenable to obeying her orders but he goes berserk at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. When they return home, Trudy must come to terms with the realities of his animal instincts. There is a wildness in him which she can't tame. Written and directed by Caroline Thompson, Buddy is a fine family film filled with rich lessons about animal and human interactions.