The Adventures of Curious George and His Friends
By Andy Davis,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Classic childrens tales brought lovingly to life.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Adventures of Curious George and His Friends
Community Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Report this review
Report this review
What's the Story?
This collection of stop-motion animated stories kicks off with Curious George, who is taken from the jungle by the Man with the Yellow Hat. In the big city, George can't resist the many temptations swirling about him. He smokes the man's pipe and gets sick. He grabs a bunch of balloons and is carried high above the city. He eats a piece from a jigsaw puzzle and has to go to the hospital. But it's clear that George isn't bad -- just curious. Next: Frog and Toad have a string of short adventures in which they learn the value of patience, willpower, and true friendship. There is a brief demonstration of how the stop-motion animation is produced, which shows how the characters are given mobility and expression. Finally, we meet Morris the Moose, who learns the ropes on his first day of school.
Is It Any Good?
The stop-motion animated characters in CURIOUS GEORGE AND HIS FRIENDS are amazingly true to the storybook characters that inspired them. George and the Man in the Yellow Hat look like they've jumped right from the pages, and their voices are just as we imagined them. As described in H.A. Rey's books, their world is spare and colorful, and full of enticing objects, such as telephones and wheelchairs, ripe for George's mischief.
When we see the depiction of Frog and Toad, we begin to understand how talented this animator is. Their world is filled with fairy tale flowers, trees, mushrooms, and enchanting little houses, and Frog and Toad are given personalities made distinct by their appearances and actions. Older kids will be engaged by the section in which the director explains his fascinating animation techniques. He explains how, using the illustrations in the Frog and Toad books, he tried to create a "real little world -- one different from ours, one that a child would love to live in." Mission accomplished.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Curious George learns from mistakes. What has your child learned from today? Why is it OK to make mistakes, to be curious?
Movie Details
- In theaters: April 5, 1993
- On DVD or streaming: July 20, 1994
- Cast: Frank Welker, William H. Macy
- Studio: ABC
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Character Strengths: Curiosity
- Run time: 106 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- MPAA explanation: not rated
- Last updated: September 19, 2019
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate