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 Curious George
by Krista Sadlers
It's time to search your shelves and dust off the Curious George series. This timeless classic has been reintroduced to young children with the help of the new film brought to life by Universal Studios and Imagine Entertainment. The gentle, colorful animation helps make the curious monkey more modern and lovable. Children will be delighted with his antics, and parents will embrace a family movie that does not rely heavily upon graphics and action likened to video games, adult humor, or innuendos. The soundtrack features original songs by Jack Johnson, which are upbeat yet soothing and round out the relaxing atmosphere.
The movie tells the story of Ted (voiced by Will Ferrell), the infamous man with the yellow hat, traveling all the way to Africa to search for the lost Shrine of Zagawa that will save his boss, Mr. Bloomsberry (voiced by Dick Van Dyke), and the museum where he works from financial ruin. After more than sixty years of reading about the monkey filled with wonder and amazement, we are given a different background on how George actually came to live in the city. The movie features many scenes familiar to Curious George readers, such as George playing with the yellow hat and George floating over the city with a bunch of balloons. It also incorporates scenes from other books in the series. For instance, we see George break a dinosaur exhibit and fly in a rocket, reminiscent of Curious George Gets a Medal (H. A. and Margaret Rey, Houghton Mifflin 1957). And, the ever-inquisitive monkey rides on top of taxis through the city and paints murals on apartment walls as he does in Curious George Takes A Job (H. A. and Margaret Rey, Houghton Mifflin 1973).
The film captures all of George's innocent fascination with objects that are new to him. And, just like in the book, the man with the yellow hat adores him and always comes to the rescue of this whimsical character. Unlike the book, the movie's plot does not merely focus on the monkey's curiosity and the tumultuous results of his actions. Instead, it revolves around the man with the yellow hat and features several seemingly unnecessary subplots such as a love interest (voiced by Drew Barrymore) for Ted and a competition between Ted and the boss's son for the father's affections.
Although the movie takes on a story of its own, many children will be introduced to this character for the first time and will identify with George and understand his constant questioning of how things work. Teachers can use the interest in this character, sparked by the movie, as a springboard to introduce the Curious George series in the classroom in several ways. First, they could make a list of things that George was curious about and follow it with a list of things their students are curious about. What better way to start on a child-directed inquiry-based project? Next, teachers could use the results of George's actions as a reinforcement of the fact that rules are meant to keep everyone safe. They could discuss these rules and logical consequences.
After reading several books from the series, children will be able to take their understanding deeper. Teachers will be able to focus on the comprehension skills of making connections, predicting, and questioning. Going further, students could conduct an author study and research H. A. and Margaret Rey and their story, reading The Journey That Saved Curious George (Louise Borden, Houghton Mifflin 2005). A technological aspect could be introduced to the unit by using the following two websites, both of which are age-appropriate and contain a wealth of interesting information: www.curiousgeorgemovie.com and
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/cgsite/. Whether using the movie or reintroducing the books, a teacher can't go wrong in the classroom using this cute monkey and his charming, childlike qualities for language arts lessons. •
Krista Sadlers is a kindergarten teacher at Liberty Magnet School (an authorized International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme School and Florida A+ School) in Sebastian, Florida. She not only teaches the children in her classroom to read, but teaches them to love reading and learning. Krista has earned Bachelor's Degrees in Elementary Education, Social Sciences, and Meteorology, and in May will complete her Master's Degree in Technology in Education from Lesley University.
promotional images © Disney/Walden
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CBC Teacher Movie Reviews
• 6/15/05 - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - PG
• 7/25/05 - Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
• Brothers Grimm - PG-13
• Chicken Little - G
• 12/9/05 - The Chronicles of Narnia - PG
• 2/10/06 - Curious George (H. A. and Margaret Rey, et. al.)
• 4/7/06 - Hoot (Carl Hiaasen)
• 3/3/06 - Aquamarine (Alice Hoffman)
• 7/21/06 - Lady in the Water (M. Night Shyamalan)
• 7/28/06 - Flicka (Mary O'Hara)
• 8/4/06 - Ant Bully (John Nickle)
• 8/18/06 - Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz)
• 8/25/06 - How to Eat Fried Worms (Thomas Rockwell)
Curious George
"With top-drawer voice talent and old-fashioned two-dimensional animation that echoes the simple colors and shapes of the books, Curious George is an unexpected delight." —Dana Stevens, New York Times
"The movie, particularly the endearing George, should appeal to young children, and the humor should elicit a few chuckles among their parents as well." —Claudia Puig, USA Today
"I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the new cartoon of Curious George, featuring the voice of Will Ferrell as the Man in the Yellow Hat, doesn't veer all that far from the soothing tone of the books." —Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"The movie is faithful to the spirit and innocence of the books, and director Matthew O'Callaghan and his team create a visual look that is uncluttered, charming, and not so realistic that it undermines the fantasies on the screen." —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
Directed by: Matthew O'Callaghan
Written by: H. A. Rey (series); Robert L. Baird and Dan Gerson; and Jeffrey Bushell, Ken Goin, Karey Kirkpatrick, Michael McCullers, Ivan Menchell, Clare Sera, and Joe Stillman; screenplay by Ken Kaufman
MPAA rating: G
Runtime: 86 minutes (Canada: 78 minutes)
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