Curious George (2006)
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A tour guide and a curious monkey team up to save a museum from closing.
The story
Ted Shackleford is a tour guide at the Bloomsberry Museum who learns the facility is facing closure due to lack of funds. To save it, he impulsively volunteers to find the Lost Shrine of Zagawa, a legendary statue. Outfitted in a bright yellow suit and hat, Ted sets sail on a cargo ship. During the journey, he befriends a curious monkey who stows away and follows him back to the city. After a series of mishaps involving the monkey's antics and the museum's owner's son, Ted and the monkey, whom he names George, must find a way to save the museum together.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Ted Shackleford, a museum tour guide, seeks to save the Bloomsberry Museum from closure by finding the Lost Shrine of Zagawa. He travels on a cargo ship where he meets a curious monkey who stows away. Back in the city, the monkey causes chaos, leading to Ted's eviction and a bonding experience in a park. Ted names the monkey George. They eventually discover that the 'shrine' Ted found is tiny, but they use an inventor's overhead projector to make it appear massive. However, the museum's owner's son, Junior, sabotages the plan and frames George. Ted is forced to let animal control take George back to Africa. Regretting his decision, Ted sneaks onto the ship to rescue George. They discover the true 40-foot tall idol in Africa. The idol is displayed in the museum, saving it from closure. Junior finds happiness working as a valet, and Ted is invited back to his apartment. The film ends with Ted and George accidentally launching into space after George activates a rocket.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 87
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Matthew O'Callaghan
- Writers
- Ken Kaufman · screenplay; Ken Kaufman · story; Mike Werb · story
- Cast and characters
- Will Ferrell · Ted Shackleford/The Man with the Yellow Hat; Drew Barrymore · Maggie Dunlop; David Cross · Junior; Eugene Levy · Clovis; Joan Plowright · Ms. Plushbottom; Dick Van Dyke · Mr. Bloomsberry; Frank Welker · George; Ed O'Ross · Ivan
- Genres
- adventure; comedy; animation
- Themes
- friendship; curiosity; teamwork
- Tone and mood
- light-hearted; sweet; simple
- Premise and plot tags
- origin story; buddy film; adventure
- Source material / true-story basis
- book series by H. A. Rey and Margret Rey
- Franchise connections
- Curious George
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was considered a box-office disappointment.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Awards and nominations
- Satellite Award · Best Original Song · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was in development hell at Imagine Entertainment from 1990 until 2004.; The film uses a blend of traditional animation and computer-animated scenery.; George is referred to as a monkey for tradition and consistency with the book series despite being more accurately a chimpanzee.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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