THE STORY: Resisting the temptations that so many recent kids’ movies have succumbed to, CURIOUS GEORGE stays true to the innocently playful spirit of the beloved, brilliantly simple children’s books by H.A. Rey, eschewing ironic asides, gross-out comedy, and pop culture references. Barely acknowledging the parents and guardians in the audience, the filmmakers talk directly–and effectively–to their target viewers: young children. And much like the tone and story it complements, the bright and colorful animation is distinctly old-fashioned, paying tribute to the books, appealing to kids, and adding to the movie’s retro charms.
In the film, the Man in the Yellow Hat (now named Ted) is a geeky museum guide, winningly voiced by Will Ferrell, whose relatively restrained performance here is actually less cartoonish than many of his previous flesh-and-blood roles. He travels to Africa in an attempt to obtain a huge ancient ruin that could save his struggling museum, which the owner’s son (the inherently funny David Cross) wants to turn into a more-profitable parking lot. Instead, of course, Ted brings back an adorable, mischievous, childlike monkey (fortunately, George doesn’t talk, though his primate chatter is quite expressive), who inadvertently causes all kinds of trouble for him–though there’s never much doubt that everything will work out for the best in the end. With the talented voice acting (which also includes Dick Van Dyke, Joan Plowright, and Drew Barrymore as Ted’s sweet schoolteacher love interest), the appropriately fun and laid-back music by Jack Johnson, the irresistibly likable character of George himself, and the wisely uncluttered plot, first-time feature director Matthew O’Callaghan achieves the rare feat of successfully and respectfully adapting one of the most popular children’s books of all time.
THE REVIEW: Curious George is for the kids. There are no inside adult jokes or gross humor that usually gets tossed into cartoons in hopes of filling in unfunny voids. Curious George is a sweet movie that sticks to the original books. Thankfully the movie didn’t stray from the formula. Nowadays, when you take your kids to a movie you never know what you are going to get. Is it going to be a little violent? Are there going to be bouts of adult humor? Will it be crass? If it’s none of these elements then studios don’t know where the laughs will come from. Thankfully that probably didn’t hold back Curious George.
Another lovely part of the movie is how the opening sequence introduces new fans to Curious George and how he ends up in the city with the Man with the yellow hat. The problem is that the middle part of the movie slows down with too much conversation and not enough mischief. The movie also gets off on a tangent when Ted has to go to Africa.
THE EXTRAS: The first featurette is a sing-along featuring Jack Johnson.
Deleted scenes – There are fifteen deleted scenes that aren’t actual animated scenes.
“Monkey Around with Words” – A featurette that talks about George’s favorite words.
“Drawn to George” – This is a cute featurette that helps to teach children how to draw Curious George.
“Monkey In Motion” – This featurette is similar to “Drawn To George” except children get to see how an animation artist makes George come alive. This could have easily been incorporated in the “Drawn” featurette.
Finally, there are over 10 interactive games and activities.
FRANKLY: Curious George is a fantastic children’s movie. This isn’t made with adults in mind. Curious George is one of the rare breed of current cartoons that stay true to their roots and tries to make children happy—and not try hard to make adults laugh.
+ Charlie Craine
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