After disrupting a meeting with a stuffy royal family, George accidentally trades places with the king’s snooty monkey, Philippe. While Philippe puzzles Ted with his flawless manners, George travels to the castle where his fun-loving antics raise eyebrows and bring shy Princess Isabel out of her shell.
I’ve never been fond of monkeys but always allowed a place in my heart for Curious George. As a teenage babysitter, the kids I sat with loved to watch the mayhem the little round face monkey caused. Now Curious George is back with the Man in the Yellow Hat to wreak havoc on a castle in a faraway land. This full-length film offers an engaging plot geared toward princess lovers and those who enjoy plots where identicals switch places.
Not going to lie, I watched the whole movie by myself without the kids and enjoyed every minute. Mind you, it didn’t take a lot of brainpower but what a fun ride! The plot is rather simple but plays out an enjoyable theme with a slight monkey twist. A King, his assistant, his daughter the princess Isabel, and Philipe, the royal monkey, come to America to add a monkey statue to the Man in the Yellow Hat’s (I know his real name is Ted but his nickname is so much more fun) museum. Of course, George causes some trouble and the royal family decides to leave instead of leaving their priced treasures with the bumbling curator. However, Instead of taking their monkey, they take look-alike George back to their castle.
The Man in the Yellow Hat ends up with Philipe, the well-behaved but sour-puss monkey with impeccable table manners. He thinks he is training George to behave but eventually believes he broke his favorite monkey’s spirit. Philipe is the grouchy old man of the monkey world. Fun isn’t in his vocabulary. Meanwhile, George believes he is at a castle amusement park and has a ball making mischief in a new royal setting. In the process, he taught the princess how to have fun instead of just attending to her royal duties.
Once the Man in the Yellow Hat realizes the swap took place he heads to the faraway land to switch the monkeys as painlessly as possible. Of course, nothing goes as planned and the while the switch happens a few troubles arise. In the end, the king learns some important lessons as does the princess. The Man in the Yellow Hat learns he doesn’t want his monkey to change at all and loves his trouble-causing companion with all the misadventures included.
The only complaint I have about this new DVD is the included stickers. Why do so many items come with stickers? Haven’t companies learned children just use stickers to decorate things that do not need decoration like their bedroom door or my kitchen floor? Toss the stickers before your kids find them. Otherwise, the movie offers a fun plot with themes children love and adults too. Filled with mayhem and humor makes a hit animated movie.
This one has the feel of a Princess Sophia from Disney mixed with Curious George who has been around since 1941. The graphics are well-drawn and engaging with bright colors. But the split-plot steals the show. What kid doesn’t love a switched-places movie? A great choice for family movie night. I’m sure you will love the movie as much as I did.
Available on DVD & Digital September 10th from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
