Curious George Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Welcome to the world of Curious George!
Get Carried Away With The Cutest Little Monkey Around!
Show Me The Monkey!
The man with the yellow hat named Ted Shackleford works at a natural history museum that's fallen on hard times. The museum director's son wants to turn it into a parking lot, but Ted offers to bring back a mysterious idol from Africa that's guaranteed to pull in crowds. Unfortunately, the idol turns out to be three inches tall. But Ted accidentally brings back a lonely yet irrepressible monkey, soon dubbed George. They set off on a non-stop action, fun-filled journey through the wonders of the big city toward the warmth of true friendship.
| Frank Welker | George |
| Will Ferrell | Ted - Man with the Yellow Hat |
| Ariel Winter | Kid |
| Eugene Levy | Clovis |
| Dick Van Dyke | Mr. Bloomsberry |
| Drew Barrymore | Maggie |
| David Cross | Junior |
| Matthew O'Callaghan |
6.70 out of 10 (4179 votes)
Visitor Reviews
This movie is AMAZING!!
posted on 29 Jun 2009A must see for all Curious George fans. And even if you weren't a fan, you will be after you see this movie. The movie is funny and sad at some times. George is animated in the perfect way which makes the movie fun to watch. The story was amazing. The cast did a perfect job of voicing the characters. Basically, if you need a good movie to watch now, this is the one. I wish George was real so I could hold him. The bond between Geroge and The Man With The Yellow Hat is priceless. If you go to see this movie, you will not be disappointed. Thsi movie is not just for kids but intended for all ages as the director specifies in the interview on their website. On top of the movie, the soundtrack is perfect. Jack Johnson created the best possible soundtrack for this movie, and his songs clearly reflect the emotions and intentions of George. Highly recommended. A+++++ all the way.
A review without spoilers . . .
posted on 29 Jun 2009Being a traditional animator, I really want this film to succeed, and fortunately after a sneak preview yesterday, I can honestly say that it's a really great film. I highly recommend it. The review from my blog: The story is simple (which does not mean "bad"): a curious monkey who gets into trouble in the jungle of Africa meets up with a man in a yellow hat (who, by the way is tricked into getting such a silly costume and ridiculed by his shipmates) who is exploring the jungle looking for an ancient idol. Ted (the man in the yellow hat) is a museum guide who is searching for the idol to bring back to the museum because they are bad off financially and hope that the idol (that is supposed to be huge) will bring them the notoriety to stay open. The museum owner sends Ted on the expedition, but his son, Jr. is jealous of Ted and sabotages the exploration by changing the map. In the jungle Ted finds what he thinks is the idol but really . . . something more. Suffice it to say that it looks just like the idol, but in miniature form. in a hilarious joke that I don't want to ruin, the museum owner gets word that the idol Ted has found is enormous and starts a huge press conference and ad campaign. As Ted is getting ready to leave the jungle his hat is snatched by the little monkey who believes it first to be a banana, then a hiding place. Ted plays with the monkey a bit, but has to leave back home to break the bad news. The monkey (who has not yet been named) is not done playing, however, and he follows Ted to the ship (complete with appropriate product placement) and thusly to New York where Ted lives. Fun adventures ensue while the fun story of misunderstandings between the museum continue. There's even some romance for Ted thrown in for good measure. Ted learns about friendship from the little guy that he eventually names George, and it's not such an easy path to a happy ending as you might think The films has some of the best animation seen in years. And this comes as no surprise considering the talent one finds in the credits. Dave Brewster, from Dreamworks (Young Moses and Older Ramases in "Prince of Egypt"), Disney, Turner Animation, and just about every other animation company in America (and Canada) leads the animation of George. The style is not quite that from the books, but close enough, and Brewster brings the strong poses he brought to Danny in "Cats Don't Dance" to the picture. John Pomeroy (Mrs. Brisby from "Secret of NIMH" and John Smith from Pocahontas) animates Maggie (Ted's love interest) with all the graceful dimensionality one can expect. The lead animator of Ted (who I think was also David Brewster, but I will check on) never lets him turn into a 2 dimensional character which comes naturally when he spends a lot of time chasing George.When I heard Will Ferrell was in this, I was not impressed. I was afraid the movie would become "The Man With the Yellow Hat: the Movie." And being the only one of the duo that speaks, Ferrell does have a lot of screen time and voice work, but he is fun and surprisingly, not nearly as over the top as he is in his live action films. Drew Barrymore is as good as she ever is in animated films- which is great! I think Drew has a very good voice for animation and is a good actress and voice-actress. She makes Maggie sweet and kind- she also is kinda the voice of reason for Ted. The real star of this film however, is Frank Welker who provides George's squeaks and grunts. This may seem easy, but that's only because Frank "Man of 1000 voices" Welker makes it look easy. He brings such warmth and depth to George in the same way he did with Abu in Aladdin or any other of his animal voices in the over 500 titles that have his name to them. (Ironically, as of this writing, Welker is NOT listed on the IMDb page or the film, even though he is the first credited in the end titles).George's silence (or, only monkey voices) was a stipulation of the estate of the creators (not that giving him a speaking voice would have made the film any better). So to fill time the creators did what many American animation producers do. They brought in a musician. In this case, unlike "Toy Story" it works. Jack Johnson provides tunes to collaborate with George's on screen antics. Like any good song writer, Johnson has created songs that are totally serviceable to the film, but "liftable" to be played outside the film's content, which means that hopefully these songs will also be on the radio to help promote the film. They'll certainly be in my CD player as soon as the soundtrack is released on Tuesday.Beautiful looking, fun story and great songs make up a film that is a fantastic testament to what traditional animation can and should do for film. Let's hope audiences agree and Hollywood gets the message.
interesting but out of place, not like sadistic Shrek
posted on 23 Jun 2009In a world of mean spirited, crude, and assaultive kid's films, Curious George does not fit in. It is too good. It is great in any era. Even newspapers are now looking back on Shrek and Home Alone etc. and calling them "assaultive" and "crude." But at the time of these films, people marched their children to see these films as if required to be a good American. I told everyone to skip Shrek and they acted like I was crazy. Now all of a sudden, people are seeing the light about Shrek and other gross films.Curious George is super just as a film. Funny but also interesting that switches between light humor and adventure kind of like the old Bob Hope and Bing Crosby "Road to" movies. I gave it the rating because it was too good. My 11 year old and her 13 year old loved it. I am going to take my teens and wife to see it.
Delightful adventure. Curiosity has its moments.
posted on 19 Jun 2009In a word...cute. Even if you're older than seven, you can find a giggle or two and have some fun. Ted(Will Ferrell)-The Man in the Yellow Hat-must travel to Africa in hopes of bringing back a rare idol in order to save his job and Mr. Bloomsberry's(Dick Van Dyke)museum. Before coming home, Ted with a little help adopts an inquisitive and spunky chimp given the name George. Ted has an admirer in Maggie(Drew Barrymore); but he has his hands full sharing (mis-)adventures with his new little friend. Predicament after predicament, Curious George accidentally discovers a way to save the museum. The animation is juvenile, but delightful. More than a handful of songs garnish this picture, the best being "People Watching" by Jack Johnson. Other characters are voiced by: Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, David Cross and Clint Howard. It really feels good to listen to a theater full of pre-schoolers chuckle and giggle in unison.
The Magic is Back
posted on 17 Jun 2009Watching "Curious George" reminded me of what it is that takes me to the movies: an communal experience where the silver screen grabs you, bewitches you for 90 minutes with a well-told and executed story. There are segments in "George" when you have to catch your breath because the screen is bursting with color, music, and magic. The use of primary colors, the simple, yet sweet and touching story pulls you forward with sure footing.It has been a while since a children movie has not relied on just a plain good old-fashioned tale. "George" doesn't have any clever and snide remarks, and it sure is not blatantly using the latest talent and/or placement of any brands to wink at its audience. Instead its central characters establish a strong bond that is easily communicated to the story. These are simple and vital emotions conveyed by the surprising strong vocal acting by Ferrell, the always reliable and enchanting Drew Barrymore, and solid support by David Cross and Dick Van Dyke."George" is fun, delicious, enjoyable, and a classic from beginning to end. The best part is that its main character does not utter a single word. Here full emotion is portrayed through old fashioned animation with realism that shatters any of the wonders of 3D-computerized advances. Go and enjoy.
Wonderful
posted on 17 Jun 2009This movie was top notch. I went to the theater not quite knowing what to expect. But George was so cute and the simple plot was refreshing. I'm a sucker for little kid movies, and this is for sure one of the best.Will Ferrel was a great voice for the Man in the Yellow Hat, and everyone else did great too. And Jack Johnson's music for sure added something, it was perfect for the movie.You've just gotta love those innocent little kid movies that just make you feel good. This was for sure one of them. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Great first movie...
posted on 17 Jun 2009Maybe it's just that my almost 5 year old has a sensitive nature and doesn't tolerate movies with a lot of scary stuff in them (yet), but Curious George was the first theater movie I've taken him to and he loved it! I was prepared to tolerate it, but I really liked it as well to my own surprise. It was the perfect snowy Saturday afternoon thing to do together. I think this movie will have long life in DVD-land due to its sweet nature and polished production. A great step for those like myself who are looking forward to getting beyond the Thomas the Tank Engine stage (no disrespect). I liked how the movie paid homage to the original stories and kept a nice balance between their simple innocence and having a somewhat more evolved plot and layer of humor. I think converting the original source material (the stories) into a movie was a rather tricky thing to do as it really had to adopt an entirely new tone; in my opinion the team did a great job!
Not great, but well worth it. Curious George is so darn cute.
posted on 05 Jun 2009I missed the first few minutes of this film. My daughter was so excited to see this. I felt really good because this was one my favorite series of books when I was a little boy. I was afraid that I would be offended like I was when I saw The Cat in the Hat with Mike Myers. But I felt I would be OK with the G rating. And I can't stand Will Farrell. I was pleasantly surprised, though. This was a rather cute film, and I was not offended at all. I even (at 38) laughed at Will Farrell. He was perfect in the role of The Man with the Yellow Hat. Who doesn't love Curious George? The only thing wrong, I felt, was that it was too long. Now, as far as enjoyment goes, it is not Finding Nemo, but I highly recommend this. I don't recommend it, however, to anyone over age 6 unless accompanied by a child. It is very silly, but could become slightly boring for a 38 year old dad. It was 15 dollars well spent.
Cute Movie!
posted on 30 May 2009I thought this movie was probably one of the cutest movies based on a classical children's book I've seen in a long time! I have to admit, I ALMOST started crying when The man in the yellow hat told George to leave him alone forever, but I was happy when he went back for the little guy. If you've seen movies like Doogal, or Ice Age, then you'll agree with me when I say there is a long line of awesome cartoon movies that don't neccicarily mean they're only for kids, and Curious George is definitely in that list! The creators Did an awesome job making all the characters, and this is definitely a movie I'd watch again and again! Also, I thought the part near the beginning with the peek-a-boo was classical and was very amusing/cute to watch! I think there should definitely be a sequel, and I would be first in line to see it!
Curious George delightful innocent fun for toddlers & preschoolers!
posted on 26 Apr 2009We saw this Curious George movie today as part of Regal's Free Family Film Festival. www.regalcinemas.com/freefamilyflicks/ I totally agree with the previous comment. It is a film for kids and the kids loved it. It held their attention for the full length of the film. While there was nothing that I recall that was over their head and directed towards adults like in Shrek, it was pleasantly entertaining nonetheless.It was certainly with the price of the movie (free) and the popcorn. My 4 year old cried when it was over because she wanted to see it again. My 22 month old actually paid attention for almost an hour and then he got antsy so we stood at the wall. Not the movie's fault.It is a simple, cute movie that you can safely take children of any age to without worrying about content.Now I must search for a copy of this movie to buy for home for my daughter!
Really liked the show
posted on 21 Mar 2009Great movie for the kiddies. No innuendos, no cursing (mild or otherwise), a truly clean movie. It keeps very close to the original intention of the author's books. I liked that it kept to the animation style of the times the books were published. It was just all around good fun. The kids enjoyed it also. I'm not going to say it was the best movie ever. But it was certainly up there with the better ones. I'm sure it will be around as a classic for a long time. It's one of those movies I will definitely buy the DVD of and watch and re-watch and keep it around for the grandkids in years to come. Anyway, take your kids to see it. But they should be at least movie going age. I did get tired of hearing screaming babies in the theaters.
May I Never Get So Old....
posted on 03 Mar 2009...that I could never enjoy this sort of movie! I'm 42 years old and I grew up on the Curious George books. To be fair, the movie deviates a little from the book. In the film, The Man In The Yellow Hat has a name, Ted (in the books he does not). The adults are given bigger roles. But the film stands out on its own merits. And this is one magical movie! It is the type of film that a five year old will like, but an adult will LOVE!.The plot involves Ted (Will Ferrell), who works at a museum as a docent. Maggie Dunlop, a schoolteacher (Drew Barrymore) brings her class there every week. Not for educational reasons--Maggie is secretly in love with Ted. But her children are bored at the museum and the curator, Mr. Bloomsberry (Dick Van Dyke) is aware of this. What's more, the museum is losing money, and unless a HUGE spectacular exhibit is brought in, the place will close. That's fine with his son Junior Bloomsberry (Michael Cross, best known for playing Tobias on "Arrested Development."). Junior wants to build a profit making parking deck on the site of the museum. Ted is sent by Bloomsberry Sr. to Africa to retrieve an idol, which will fill the bill. There he meets George, the monkey.As other posters have said, there is no crass humor in this. There is simply the scrapes that Curious George gets Ted into and out of. The interplay between Curious George and the bumbling Ted (the type of character Ferrell excels at playing) is what makes the movie work. This is also old-school 2-D animation with a wonderful palate of colors. And the songs by Jack Johnson actually propel the story along.Please don't ever lose your sense of whimsy! Enjoy a simple treasure like this movie. Even if you don't have kids.
Polished for kids and big kids
posted on 03 Mar 2009First, the artwork is eye candy. Designed to appeal to kids and adults, a lot of care and inspiration and, maybe, a bit of genius went into the visual design of this film.Second, the music complemented the film almost perfectly. The feel of the songs fit the film. The melodies were appealing and well produced. Taken with the film they were very memorable. The available music for purchase, "Curious George: Sing-A-Longs And Lullabies For The Film", tho not exactly the same as in the film, is good. It is, as others have commented, a very entertaining kid's film which doesn't include inappropriate content. This is to be appreciated in an era when the entertainment industry appears often to be working against parents.
Great animation
posted on 01 Mar 2009Not having read the Curious George books, I came into this movie with an open mind. I found it to be the best animated movie I saw in 2006. The movie has a lovely 2D, clear line, bright primary colors animation. There are some wonderful songs by Jack Johnson, too. It is aimed at children, not at adults: there are no clever in-jokes here, and it's all very naive. But it is also lovely. The plot stars Ted, a guy who works at a natural history museum that's fallen on hard times and is scheduled to be closed to become a parking lot. In order to prevent this, Ted goes to Africa to find a mysterious idol in order to turn around the museum's luck; he return instead with Curious George, who will bring friendly mischief to the city. There are no bad guys here: the closer to a bad guy is the museum's owner's son, but even he is redeemed at the end. It is a wonderful movie, though I suppose if you are an adult, you have to like animation in order to appreciate it.
An absolute delight!
posted on 23 Feb 2009It's about time someone created a children's picture that both children and parents will love. I took my 8-year old nephew and 3-year old niece to see it just yesterday. My nephew loved it and my niece who had never been to a cinema before couldn't stop smiling. Very few films come along nowadays that are like this. With plenty of adventure, heart, and conscious humor without crudeness or adult wink-wink gestures. Might be too bland for older kids, but the perfect film to treat your children to (and yourself!) Highly recommended over such crap such as "Yours Mine and Ours" and of course the infamous "Cat in the Hat". Pure joy for the young and the young at heart!BOTTOM LINE: More fun than a barrel of monkeys!
Sweet, pleasant movie for children
posted on 09 Feb 2009First off, let me say that this is a movie for younger children. The sneak preview that I attended was filled with laughter from the children in the audience and my 4 year old wants to see it again. Those adults looking for a comedy in the vein of "Shrek" or "The Incredibles" will be disappointed. Those thinking along the lines of "Clifford's Really Big Movie" will be pleasantly surprised. Those fearing the worst that this is another "Garfield", breathe easy. Watching Curious George is a perfectly pleasant way to spend an hour and a half with your child. The 2D treatment was much more appropriate for bringing H.A. Rey's books to the screen than the computer generated style that is predominant it today's animated films. While Curious George won't be on my list of this year's favorites, it was a warm, endearing film that evoked warm memories of my childhood.
Surprisingly, "curiously" good
posted on 17 Dec 2008I'll admit it: when I first saw the trailer for "Curious George", it inspired in me little more than an eye-roll and a deep sigh of martyrdom. As of late, Hollywood has had a fascination with remaking children's stories from earlier decades, producing such atrocities as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", "The Cat in the Hat", and "Bad News Bears" (to name just a few). Taking the misguided notion that people actually want to see modernized versions of these stories and combining it with the voice talents of perhaps the most overrated comedy star in Hollywood (Will Ferrell) seemed, at first glance, to be a recipe for certain disaster.Forced by my little brother to see this and all children's fare, I sat in the darkened theatre of "Curious George" with a level of anticipation dangerously approaching ennui, fully expecting to be more entertained by the ads promoting the hot buttery popcorn at the concession stand. Then the movie started, and I tried to rearrange the hood of my sweatshirt so that I could catch a few winks without my brother noticing. Begrudgingly, with the reluctance of some bizarre fictional creature being force fed green eggs and ham, I began to pay more and more attention to the film as I was captivated by a surprisingly strong performance by Ferrell and the understated (yet effective) animation. I was surprised to find that there were a few laughs for adults as well as kids, and was shocked to find the plot as one actually worth following.The premise of the movie: The man in the yellow hat (named "Ted" in the movie) has the responsibility of discovering an exhibit that will save his beloved museum from becoming a parking garage. He goes overseas, befriends George, and typical "Curious George" mayhem ensues. George is cute without being cloyingly adorable (not an easy trick in animation), and the script is also faithful to the books in that he doesn't suddenly begin giving verbal discourse on "War in Peace" (remember when suddenly Tom and Jerry could not only talk but SING in their disaster of a movie?). There are the occasional sight gags (a ship named the "H.A. Rey" comes to mind) and witty dialogue that make the Pixar films so successful, and the conclusion is satisfying (although the ending scene definitely enters the realm of the deeply weird).If you're unsure about this film, take it from the word of the deeply skeptical: chances are good that you will you not hate "Curious George", and odds are that you'll even enjoy it. As "Yellow Hat" Ted and George fly over the city clinging to a set of balloons (guess I'll have to mark the 'contains spoilers' box for this), he makes the ironic remark that "This isn't so bad" after all.We agree, Ted. We agree.
Sweet, good natured fun for kids
posted on 05 Dec 2008This is a fine adaptation of the classic children's books that so many people have learned to read on. The happy-go-lucky monkey lives up to his "curious" reputation and the human characters he encounters are integrated well to his story.Basically, the plot follows the Man in the Yellow Hat (giving a fun back story on how he came to get that famous costume), as he searches for a valuable idol in Africa somewhere. George becomes intrigued with this strange visitor, and follows him around. The predictable mishaps occur and George is on his way to America. George's innocent, childlike curiosity leads to several amusing scenes and subplots. The friendship between the two and the romance of Yellow Hat and Miss Maggie are surprisingly cute. The bad guys are clearly defined but a gentle enough evil to be perfect foils for a children's film. There are some cleverly thought sight gags: my favorite is the giant holographic image comically frightening the city. The humor is all the silly slapstick that kids will get, and the film resists the temptation to throw in that "second layer" of humor for older members of the audience. To the adults: just enjoy the smiles of the little ones as they watch.
Will Ferrell's worst role ever.
posted on 03 Dec 2008Even for w kids movies, this was extremely awful. Full of bad lines and slow animation, this comes off as a cheap buck and not much else. And the only talent that was willing to lend to lend their talents was Will Ferrell as the Man in the Yellow Hat.Anyway, Ferrel travels to Africa to find an ancient monument to bring back. The museum's directer is OK with him going there, but the son of the museum director wants Ferrell to fail and thus tried to change the information Ferrell has to destroy him. But with any kiddie film he was foiled ultimately and everything goes back to normal, except there being a monkey around.I was really hoping this might be OK with Ferrell in the mixture, but the bad lines and slow animation were just too much. I wish our children got better quality movies instead of this junk. "F"
Show me the monkey indeed
posted on 10 Aug 2009Curious George is a fun movie for children 10 and under. In the Curious George books George learned the lesson that it was dangerous to play on fire escapes when he breaks an arm. There are no safety lessons in this film but it is still entertaining. The Character of Ted is fairly well developed for a children's movie as Roger Ebert calls it. When Roger Ebert gives a movie a 3 star rating that means usually that he couldn't decide to give it a 2 or a 4 star rating. Curious George rates at least a 4 out of 5. It is better than the flaky low budget art house films that Roger Ebert loves to give four star ratings to. After I previously talked about a message from my artificial intelligence computer on a real Moon in the Creators Moonfleet involving Foreigners on a moon ramp there was a staged meeting involving me on a highway on ramp with a possible pretend foreigner. When my television shows the words for the show Star Daily the words Star David are heard. This is after three different cable guy/internet visits to the wiring in my backyard. The Canadian dirty tricks guys were used when the Liberals were in power and they are still being used now that the Conservatives are in power. Let me sum up. I really am the American Shadow Vice President. The American Shadow President Jack Kennedy is my boss. I really am the full nephew of Queen Elizabeth 2 Windsor that is why I am not in jail for allegedly making false statements. In 1945 President Franklin Roosevelt sent the following message to Earths moon. "A pal Moon? Know You Boone? Whos your Friend? Back again?" I am the Daniel Boone relative made the American Shadow Vice President due to contact with the Creators of Humans. President Jack Kennedy is the American Shadow President because he was always having trouble with his back after football and the sinking of PT 109. I am the 8th Highest ranking Human in the Universe representing Love (through offspring reproduction) to the Creator Ki Aliens while my Daughter Julia is the 19th highest ranking Human in the Universe representing Peace (through conquest of the Universe) to the Creator Ki Aliens. God will notice and probably be displeased if there are continued assassination attempts on His/Her Love and Peace namely Julia and me Brad. Check out the other films of Will Ferrell as well.