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"Curious George" as he always was |
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Written by JORDAN GREENBERG
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Friday, 10 February 2006 |
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When H.A. Rey first put his beloved monkey into the pages of his hard-backed children’s books, Hollywood must have seemed a long way off. Over 60 years later, though, Curious George is walking, talking, and getting into lovable trouble all over the silver screen.
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"Curious George"
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 Entertainment
Art
Directed by Matt O’Callaghan
Written by Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson
Starring Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, and Dick Van Dyke
Rated G
Released on February 10, 2006
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With a mood perfect soundtrack and a wonderfully adventurous plot, “Curious George” is a timely return to a softer style of computer animation, evocative of the almost extinct hand drawn animation perfected by Disney, and it’s another timeless chapter in the story of a well known friend.
In many respects “Curious George” is an origin picture. It tells how George first came to the big city with his new friend The Man with the Yellow Hat and how he received his name. They had their first meeting when The Man with the Yellow Hat leaves a failing museum in the city for the jungle in search of a long lost giant idol to save not only his job, but the museum itself. With Jack Johnson’s soundtrack to key the audience in to changes in scenery and mood, The Man with the Yellow Hat and George’s turn from curious strangers to best friends unfolds effortlessly from the projector.
Always on the tightrope of being entertained or exasperated by George’s antics, The Man with the Yellow Hat truly comes alive through the voice of Will Ferrell. Extremely human and relatable in his delivery, Ferrell is able to draw sympathy as easily from an audience as laughs, and he does both to great effect here. There are a couple of questionable moments in character for The Man in the Yellow Hat, for he is undeniably human, but with his friend George always there to guide him, by folly or wish, he ends up making all the right choices. For instance, when considering deceiving museum visitors as to the size of the long lost idol, George makes it so that The Man in the Yellow Hat has no choice but to tell the truth. With only one character out of place in the world of Curious George, (the inventor voiced by Eugene Levy), this story is an almost seamless adaptation of the very popular children’s series.
Proving to be some harmless fun, filled to the brim with life lessons and mini-adventures, “Curious George” is the perfect movie for children and, of course, the child inside everyone. Leaving the audience to simply watch and wonder as George and The Man with the Yellow Hat take off on another journey “Curious George” leaves you wondering and waiting for the next chapter to come. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
