Curious George (2006) (G, 2006)
common sense media says
A simple, sweet, sometimes silly monkey tale.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there isn't a lot to be concerned about here. There are some product placements, some flirting, moral ambiguity, and an emotionally intense scene in which George is removed -- at the Man in the Yellow Hat's request -- by animal control. One man schemes to replace a museum with a profitable parking lot. Ted himself tries to fool the museum patrons with a fraud, something he is not punished for. An apartment building manager roughly chases the monkey from room to room, then evicts Ted, who has to sleep on a park bench that night.
Violence & scariness:
Slapsticky falls and jumps; monkey antics include painting on apartment walls, stealing and flying away on balloons, projecting himself to look large like King Kong (this leads to chaos in the streets).
Sexy stuff:
Some flirting between Ted and Maggie, a kiss at the end.
Language:
Not applicable.
Consumerism:
Obvious Dole plug (crates of fruit marked clearly); Volkswagen.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Not applicable.
More on Curious George (2006)
Review It
Most useful reviews by all members
tahoe_trio1
parent of and 4 , 4 , 6 year old
parent of and 4 , 4 , 6 year old
wait til 6 or 7, in my opinion
my 5 yr old was scared during much of this movie - why do all the movies have to be built on danger and fear??!! opening scene of kids all bored in museum plants a seed in their mind that they shouldn't enjoy museums....
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LisaMama24
adult
adult
Safe for kids of all ages
My boys ages 6 and 3 really liked this, and my husband and were quite pleased as well. So many kids' movies say they are for kids but then have adult humor and content. This stays true to the innocent and sweet source material in the Curious George books. Older kids might be bored, but for little ones, this is a good, safe choice.
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mom2cooper& ...
adult
adult
As Good As it Gets
My whole family enjoyed the film, especially my 3.5 year old. He laughed out loud in parts and has been wanting to go see it again. My husband and I appreciated the simple animation and the nods to the original books. Although this is as good as it gets for non-offensive material for this age group, I was struck by the cavalier attitude about taking artifacts from their native land for profit and the man in the yellow hat's willingness to trick the public with a hologram image of the statue. The prevalence of cell phones is a personal pet peeve that got triggered for me with the use of a camera cell phone, though I have to acknowledge that this is our children's reality. Overall, though, it is a great family film.
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mom and teacher
parent of 3 and 5 year old
parent of 3 and 5 year old
A great first movie for a toddler
A playful and lonely monkey finds a friend in the man in the yellow hat. Their relationship has ups and downs, but they help each other out in the end.
One part that mildly upset my 2-year-old was when animal control came for George. Otherwise there were no problems at all.
Also, the soundtrack is mellow and fun. We went out and bought that after watching the movie.
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cheekymonkie
parent of 5 year old
parent of 5 year old
Great for the whole family.
We love love love George in our house. This movie is cute, funny and all-around great. CG is a classic tale and even in this updated version, still has a great story.
I don't agree w/ it being scary in the least. The reason the kids are bored in the museum (to respond to Tahoe trio's review) is because the man in the yellow hat isn't reaching the kids on their level - pretty sure the same thing would happen with any group of kids in a museum if a man was reading things off cards to them. The point they are trying to make is that learning can be fun!
There are a few obvious product placements - but nothing most kids would notice (my son notices that the truck is a "VW" but that's only because we drive a VW and he recognizes the logo) .
Really - can't say enough good about this movie. Its great!
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mommatra
adult
adult
Truly a great film for younger children
We took our 3 daughters, ages 7, 5 and 2 to see Curious George and they all loved it. I was very relieved to finally see a movie that is truly appropriate for young children. Our daughters have cried and been terrified in some other movies, either because of the villians, or the disturbing story line (eg. Nemo seperated from his father was just too heart-wrenching for them).
I was happy to see George was not taken from the African jungle, but followed the man with the yellow hat.
The kids enjoyed some good laughs, the great music and the adorable portrayal of the monkey!
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lisamarshall
adult
adult
Fun movie, beware "father" messages
Curious George is a bright and colorful movie that my 4 year old enjoyed! There are some fun slap stick moments. I laughed quite a bit.
My only concern is that my just turned 4 year old refers to Ted (the man with the yellow hat) as George's Daddy. Apparently, in his little mind, Ted is the father figure. That's fine until Ted has two big animal control guys take George away. My little guy said that "wasn't good." He wasn't too disturbed, but more sensitive kids who might have some abandonment issues already could have trouble here. Also, the museeum owner and his son have some issues. The father makes is clear he doesn't think much of his own son and likes Ted better. It's probably over most kids heads, but something to be aware of.
Other than that, it was a good flick. I would recomend it.
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daveng
adult
adult
Surprisingly good
I was surprised how good this movie was. There's certainly some bad behavior on the part of some of the characters, but I actually felt it was pretty realistic (in terms of the real life conflicts that can make life difficult and affect how people treat each other). My 3 year old (and other toddlers in the theater) actuall started crying when Curious George was take away. I was amazed at how the movie connected with them on that narrative level.
The movie's also pretty funny and watchable for an adult - the man with the yellow hat being the flawed parent.
I found the movie was better than the original books, where the man with the yellow hat is not given much development.
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megthemom
adult
adult
Great family feel good movie, with few "scary" scenes
We really enjoyed this movie with our 3 year old and 5 year old children. George is adorable and so are the adults in the film. My 3 year old was a little concerned about the very large doorman who get angry about having a monkey in the building and he was a little worried about the thunder and lightening but luckily neither of those scenes last for too long.
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celinac
parent of 6 and 8 year old
parent of 6 and 8 year old
A bright, sweet, faithful adaptation of the beloved children’s books.
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Vanessa601
adult
adult
So Cute
Took our 2 year old son and 5 year old daughter to see it, they loved it. It was a cartoon that was made for kids. Bright colors great soundtrack and NO adult messages hiden in it. Without the hidden adult content it can seem a little dull to older kids and adults but this was made for the younger kids. I'm very thankful for a movie that is made with young kids in mind.
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Hotaru Chan
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Aww
Awww, I remember seeing this movie years ago. I was crying when George got taken away! (I'm a big animal lover) Great for everyone, it's such a cute movie
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just a regular mom
parent of 3 and 5 year old
parent of 3 and 5 year old
Great Family Movie!
a great family movie night! My 4 year old was scared at one point, but it wasn't over the top - just him learning about emotions. My 2 year old loves George, and got so wrapped up in the movie, he cried when George was separated from Ted! Again, a refreshing movie where the kids can identify with a character we know and love, as well as learn about emotions.
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hampton32
adult
adult
A classic book finally makes it to the screen!
This is such a sweet film, updated a bit for today's generation (for example, rather than being captured in Africa by the man in the yellow hat, as in the book, this time George is a stow-away on the ship.) It has many of the classic, memorable moments from the books, such as George painting jungle scenes on the white walls of a huge NYC apartment, or George floating away with balloons. It is not as entertaining minute by minute for adults the same way Wallace & Gromit is, but my 5 year old daughter and her best friend laughed out loud at many of the jokes, and really loved the movie. (For adults and older kids, it drags in parts.) But how refreshing to be able to take your small children to a movie and not have to worry about whether they'll be frightened by anything or whether they'll hear inappropriate language! I only fear that this movie may have trouble competing with the Pixar movies, or 3D computer animated films -- such as the awful "Chicken Little" -- because 2D, old-fashioned animation does not look as good. My view is to choose substance over looks. This movie is a "can't-miss." I recommend it for everyone!
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MillyMolly
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Aww I love this movie...is that weird?
I love this movie so much haha, I love the story, George and even the soundtrack is awesome!
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mamacat531
parent of 7 year old
parent of 7 year old
Perfert movie for young children.
This is the first movie my son ever saw in the theaters, when he was two years old, and it kept his interest the entire time. Even at 6, he still loves the movie. It's one of our all time favorites and a classic in our home. It's a perfect kids movie, full of innocence and child-like humor and excitement, and refreshingly devoid of potty humor and grown-up references. George is adorable, and any parent can see their toddler reflected in him. A movie that kids will love, and parents can allow them to watch worry-free.
People have mentioned the Dole product placement, and while it's noticeable, it seems appropriate and doesn't detract from the movie.
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Angzki
parent of 3 and 4 year old
parent of 3 and 4 year old
my son loved it!
Brought my 2 1/2 yr old to see this in the movie. It was his 1st movie, it was free so I figured if he didnt sit still we would just leave the theater. Well, he sat and watched it from beginning to end. Wouldnt leave until every last name went by in the credits. Got to buy the DVD now.
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Uxie Trixie ...
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
The most famous case of Adaption Expansion
The books can in no way compare to this movie, with people given real names, and the addition of an antagonist, this movie is great.
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wolfmyjic
kid, 4 years old
kid, 4 years old
Great movie
Curious George was the first cartoon on TV that my son sat down and watched and laughed at! So I couldn't wait for him to see the movie! He got it when he was about 2.5 years old and he loved it. There is one scene where George is flying through the air with balloons and the balloons all burst and CG falls. The first 3 or 4 times this really upset my son (I mean into tears), but then he started remembering that CG gets saved. He also got sad when the animal control guys took CG away. But over all, it's a great movie, and we all enjoy it.
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KinbJune
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
Hollywood George
This was a very creative and funny movie. Not to mention that it was very cute. I just loved the animation. I wonder if they made a second one?
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