Curious George parents guide

Curious George Parent Guide

The famous story book character gets a chance to monkey around on the big screen.

Overall A-

Based on the well-known children's book about a little monkey and his friend The Man In the Yellow Hat, this film follows the many misadventures that happen whenever George gets curious.

Release date February 9, 2006

Violence B+
Sexual Content A
Profanity A
Substance Use A

Why is Curious George rated G? The MPAA rated Curious George G

Run Time: 86 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Here’s a story, so familiar, most of us will be able to say, ” I read the book before seeing the movie.” If you are one of the few who has not, you would be wise to do so before settling down for an hour and a half of antics with George and the Man In The Yellow Hat—that way you’ll know what you are getting into.

Animated in the same simplistic style as the books, the film uses its generous allotment of time to fill us in on how The Man In The Yellow Hat (voiced by Will Ferrell) began his relationship with the primate. Without revealing all of the surprises, I can mention Ted (yes, now he has a name) and how he works at a museum as a popular guide for children’s groups. However, his idyllic world isn’t without problems because the curator of the collection (voiced by Dick Van Dyke) is struggling to keep pace with rising expenses.

Desperate to find a solution, Ted proposes they search for an amazing new exhibit. Fortunately his employer was once an adventurer, and recounts a safari from years earlier where he came close to finding an ancient monument. With his superior’s notebook detailing the journey, the man in his new yellow hat sets off for the jungles of Africa. However, thanks to some meddling from his boss’s son Junior (voiced by David Cross), who is convinced a parking lot would be much more lucrative than a museum, Ted has a difficult time finding what he came for. Instead, he discovers the character this movie’s audience has paid their dollars to see.

Introducing George to New York creates all of the expected consequences. Ted lives in a “no pets” apartment building, and the hyper monkey is soon repainting his neighbor’s flat in grade school designs—pretty remarkable for a monkey, yet the characters in this film aren’t impressed. A trip to the zoo results in Ted and George floating over the city while tethered to helium balloons, and it turns out George is very adept at causing traffic congestion.

All this larking about happens at a leisurely pace, punctuated with musical selections that may leave adults pushing up their eyelids. But keep the snoring down, because the eight-and-under crowd is likely to be held in rapt attention (the film effectively captured a few hundred children’s interests at the screening I attended).

Thankfully, even with names like Will Ferrell, Eugene Levy, and Drew Barrymore in the voice cast, Curious George always stays true to its audience. Content concerns are very minimal, with only some mild anger expressed by a couple of people, an incident where a man is accidentally shot by a tranquilizer dart, and moments when the little creature’s curiosity puts him in peril. Almost as rare as a pet chimpanzee, this charming children’s film is a good choice for youngsters—with likely the added bonus of making little tikes curious enough to read more about this monkey and his owner when they get home from the theater.

Directed by Matthew O'Callaghan. Starring Will Ferrell, Dick Van Dyke, David Cross, Drew Barrymore. Running time: 86 minutes. Theatrical release February 9, 2006. Updated

Curious George
Rating & Content Info

Why is Curious George rated G? Curious George is rated G by the MPAA

Concerns in this movie are very limited, however because of the young target age group it is aimed at, we’ve provided this detailed content list:
A man is accidentally shot by a tranquilizer dart. A clumsy character throws a machete. A man selfishly determines to have his way and destroys documentation that may thwart another’s goals. A man falls from the first story of a building, but lands in some bushes and avoids injuries. George is often in peril, including a traffic accident where he is nearly run over and floating away after taking some helium balloons. Technically, Ted steals balloons that he takes from other children at the zoo so he can rescue George. And for children likely to mimic what they see on the screen, George eats fireflies with a humorous consequence (Ted also does the same).

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Curious George Parents' Guide

How do people’s opinion of George and Ted change at the end of the movie? How does fame or accomplishment change the impressions of others? Is this a fair assessment?

The little monkey is constantly getting into trouble, yet seldom faces any consequences for his behavior. How realistic is this portrayal? What would happen to you if you tried some of his antics?

Notice the name on the ship in this movie—“H.A. Rey.” If you check the cover of your Curious George books, you’ll discover he is the author who, along with his wife Margaret, created this cute character. For more information on this amazing couple, and their incredible story of coming to America, check this link.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Curious George movie is March 3, 2015. Here are some details…

Blu-ray Notes: Curious George
Blu-ray Release Date: 3 March 2015
Curious George releases to Blu-ray with the following bonus features:
- Jack Johnson “Upside Down” Music Video with Sing-Along
- Deleted Scenes
-“Drawn” to George
- Monkey Around with Words
- A Very Curious Car
- Monkey in Motion

DVD Notes: Curious George
DVD Release Date: 26 September 2006
Parents and kids will find plenty of extras to go ape over on the DVD release of Curious George. These include the Jack Johnson music video and sing-along Upside Down, 15 deleted scenes, and three featurettes: Drawn to George (learn to draw the mischievous monkey), Monkey In Motion (see how an animation artist makes George come alive) and Monkey Around with Words (education made fun). The disc (available in either wide or full screen) also provides a bunch of other interactive games, such as a virtual coloring book, a hide-and-seek game called Where's George, anda Banana Hunt activity. Audio tracks are available in English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1) and Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), with subtitles in English, Spanish and French.

Related home video titles:

Man and primates also cross paths in the animated film Tarzan. Another popular children’s book series to be adapted to the silver screen is Winnie the Pooh. You can learn all about him and his pals in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet’s Big Movie and Pooh’s Heffalump Movie.

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