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....
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
This movie is wonderful. About as good as a G movie gets, frankly. Parents will enjoy the homage it pays to the original book both in the way it looks and the images it tosses in from time to time. This is truly a wonderful movie for the youngest kids interested in feature-length movies.
I've been waiting for a movie to take my 5 yo to for his first theatre experience and along comes Curious George. It was perfect! Familiar characters, bright colors, easy to follow storyline, silly gags, a non-scary bad guy, fun, adventure, and even enough romance to make a 5 yo go "YUCK!" I did have to explain that an "idol" was a "statue" and flesh out why the museum was going to close and why they wanted the idol so badly but it was easy enough to do and didn't get us into topics I didn't want to get into. Also, he was troubled by Ted wanting to send George back but that interlude was very brief and quickly forgotten. All in all a TERRIFIC move! Disney needs to take notes!!!!!