CURIOUS GEORGE

Year: 2006
USA: Universal Studios
UK: UIP (UK)
Cast (voices of): Frank Welker, Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, David Cross, Dick Van Dyke, Ed O'Ross, Shane Baumel, Hailey Noelle Johnson, Timyra-Joi Beatty, Christopher Chen, Jessie Flower, Alexander Gould, Terrence Hardy, Kelsey Lansdowne, Ariel Winter, Billy West, Jeff Bennett, Michael Chinyamurindi, Michael Sorich, Kath Soucie, Clint Howard
Additional voices: Kimberly Brooks, Wendy E Cutler, Joey D'Auria, Richard Epcar, Treva Etienne, Eddie Frierson, Don Fullilove, Phil Hayes, Bridget Hoffman, Rif Hutton, Steve Kehela, Donna Lynn Leavy, Nadia Lewis, John Mariano, Caitlin McKenna, Kerry Michele, Juan Pope, Jonny Solomon, Mandy Steckelberg, Fred Tatasciore
Director: Matt O'Callaghan
Country: USA
USA & UK: 87 mins
USA Rated: G
UK Certificate: U contains no sex, violence or bad language
USA Release Date: 10 February 2006
UK Release Date: 26 May 2006


UK Distributor

Synopsis

In CURIOUS GEORGE we meet Ted (Will Ferrell), a highly enthusiastic guide at the Bloomsberry Museum, giving a tour to a group of schoolchildren and their teacher Maggie (Drew Barrymore), who happens to be Ted's biggest fan. When the museum's owner, Mr Bloomsberry (Dick Van Dyke), tells Ted that his beloved museum will have to be closed because of poor attendance, they decide drastic measures are needed in a last-ditch effort to save the museum: an amazing new exhibit, never before seen at any museum. Mr Bloomsberry shows Ted his secret journal with a map to a lost shrine of the African tribe of Zagawa. Finding and bringing back the gigantic idol for an exhibition will save the museum! Ted excitedly starts planning for his trip to Africa but Bloomsberry, Jr (David Cross), who would like nothing more than to see the museum converted into a parking lot, covertly sabotages the expedition—removing important pages with the location of the idol from the secret journal—just as Ted is about to set sail.

In the jungle, a mischievous little monkey spies Ted in the distance and decides to make friends with The Man with the Yellow Hat. The two play a fun game of peek-a-boo before Ted gets down to business. He now finds what he believes to be the ancient idol, and he is shocked to find that it isn't huge at all—it is absolutely tiny! The dejected explorer sends a photograph of his discovery to Mr Bloomsberry, who mistakenly believes the picture to be that of the enormous idol. Bloomsberry, Sr is overjoyed, while Ted—oblivious to the mistake—is crestfallen. He finds a much-needed distraction to his worries when he succumbs to the charms of the playful monkey, and a true friendship is born. When it comes time for Ted to leave Africa, his new friend secretly stows away aboard the ship.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bloomsberry is busy making big plans at the museum to unveil the prized idol to the excited crowd. Arriving home in the big city, Ted is horrified to discover that his simian friend has followed him to his apartment building, where pets are not permitted, and has destroyed an apartment belonging to the snooty Miss Plushbottom (Joan Plowright). As if matters couldn't get worse, poor Ted is now evicted from his apartment building.

Before he has a chance to have a word with Bloomsberry, Sr back at the museum, Ted is pushed in front of a press conference arranged by Bloomsberry, Jr As he's about to reveal the truth about the idol, the scene is disrupted when the monkey accidentally causes the museum's dinosaur exhibit to collapse. Egged on by his son, Mr Bloomsberry fires Ted on the spot.

Jobless and homeless, Ted is furious with this monkey who has caused so much trouble. But the monkey's childlike charm proves irresistible, and Ted finds himself even more attached to his new friend, whom he names George. With assistance from his inventor pal Clovis (Eugene Levy) and George, Ted devises a plan whereby an overhead projector could make the tiny idol appear massive thus giving the audience the exhibit they want to see and saving the museum from demise. But just as Ted is about to unveil it, Bloomsberry, Jr. destroys the projector and blames it on George.

Believing the worst, Ted decides he has too many problems and can't deal with a little monkey, so an animal control officer comes to take him away. As despondent George is being loaded on a cargo ship back to Africa, Maggie convinces Ted that he has made a terrible mistake in letting his best friend go. Ted quickly realizes George has brought joy to his life in the middle of his crisis and runs to the ship to save his buddy.

Overjoyed at the reunion with his human friend, George shows Ted that the tiny idol is actually the key to a secret map that will help them find the giant idol of Zagawa and the two set of for Africa...

For more than 65 years, one little monkey has captured youngsters' hearts all over the world. Generations have been raised on the stories of Margret and H A Rey's classic creation, the inquisitive little fellow who always seems to get into one scrape after another. Now, this beloved character comes to the big screen in an all-new animated feature film. Red-hot recording artist Jack Johnson (albums In Between Dreams, Brushfire Fairytales) writes and performs his own songs written specifically for the film, putting into words and music the thoughts and feelings of George.