Curious George

Review by Clint Morris

Curious George, the original 'monkey see, monkey do' chimp, returns to the screen in an all-new animated movie – for kids.

‘The Man in the Yellow Hat’ (voiced by Will Ferrell) works at a museum that is in danger of being closed down. To save it from being turned into a parking lot – by a mean-spirited industrialist – The Man travels into the jungle in search of a legendary ancient relic. Not only does he return with the relic, but also a monkey – Curious George. Now loose in the big smoke, said monkey, George, discovers there is plenty of fun to be had, and sorry to say, a few not-so-nice people too.

Though four or five-year-olds will get something out of Curious George – its lively, Jack Johnson’s songs are top-tapping and fun, and it’s a very loyal adaptation of the books – it loses points for not trying to appeal to a wider audience.

With so many great ‘family films’ out, George could easily have done away with being such a ‘childish’ exercise and added a few more above-their-head jokes, or in the very least, a storyline that keeps parents just as interested as the tykes in tow.

Still, this’ll likely be on a few littlies Christmas lists come December – so the studio’s not going to be losing out too much.

EXTRAS

Kids, again, will love the extras on the DVD : A Jack Johnson music video with sing-along feature, 15 deleted scenes, several featurettes - "Monkey Around with Words", "Drawn to George" and "Monkey In Motion" – and some interactive games and activities

Conclusion: Movie 70% Extras: 70%