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Space Chimps
By Sandie Angulo Chen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Silly space adventure has peril, some scares.

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Space Chimps
Community Reviews
Based on 14 parent reviews
Circus Chimp in Space
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It’s... kind of garbage!
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What's the Story?
The nation's space program is in jeopardy after an expensive rover unexpectedly goes off course through a wormhole too dangerous for astronauts to navigate. Mission control concocts a last-ditch plan to send chimps on the retrieval mission. Since the first chimp in space, Ham, is long dead, the powers that be select his grandson, wisecracking circus performer Ham III (voiced by Andy Samberg) to join trained chimp crew members Titan (Patrick Warburton) and Luna (Cheryl Hines). Things get a bit tricky when they eventually find the rover on a pastel-colored planet where a tyrant named Zartog (Jeff Daniels) is using it to enslave his fellow aliens.
Is It Any Good?
The combination of space exploration and talking animals should make this appealing for the elementary school set. Not every animated movie has to be a sophisticated masterpiece, and sometimes a goofball chimp and his buddies are good for laughs. With Pixar creating thoughtful, memorable animated films such as WALL-E that even childless adults love, it's hard for a regular old cartoon comedy to compete. But once your initial surprise at the Care Bears-level animation wears off, you may find that it's easy to enjoy SPACE CHIMPS' silly jokes. The references to The Right Stuff, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Apollo 13 are obvious but still clever.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Ham doesn't take anything seriously at first. Is it difficult to live up to accomplished relatives?
How does teamwork save the day? What else do the chimps learn in this movie?
Families can also discuss whether the high standards set by Pixar's Oscar-winning movies have made other animated films less enjoyable. Do you expect more from animated movies now? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters: July 18, 2008
- On DVD or streaming: November 24, 2008
- Cast: Andy Samberg , Cheryl Hines , Jeff Daniels
- Director: Kirk De Micco
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Vanguard Animation
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Adventures , Space and Aliens , Wild Animals
- Character Strengths: Courage , Teamwork
- Run time: 81 minutes
- MPAA rating: G
- Last updated: January 2, 2023
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