Curious About George?
We took Number One Son to see "Curious George" today. It was actually better than we expected, but in an unexpected way. Let me explain. The storyline of "Curious George" is mediocre, leaning towards bad.
The Man In the Yellow Hat, whose name we learn is Ted, works for a museum that is about to close. To prevent the museum from becoming a parking lot, he heads to Africa to search for a fabled idol. There, he runs into George. Hilarity ensues as the monkey follows Ted back to the city and causes all kinds of trouble.
The movie is faithful to the spirit, if not the detail, of the books. The closest the plot comes to anything in the books is a scene when George is carried away by a bundle of helium balloons.
If that was all there was to the movie, you could safely skip it. But the movie is worth seeing simply because of the lush and colorful production. The characters bear only the merest of hints of the overdone Disney-style of animation, but they are softened and brought to life by a marvelous visual style that employs soft edges and bright, but not overbearing, primary colors. The use of light is masterful at times -- for example, bringing a soft glow to George's eyes or Ted's yellow hat while muting the surroundings.
The artists also did a marvelous job with George. He is lovingly drawn, and he easily stirs sympathy and affection in the audience. The portrayal of Ted also makes it seem as if he was brought to life straight out of H.A. Reys' books. They didn't hit the same notes of perfection for the other characters, however. For the museum director, it seems like the simply recast Jane's father from Disney's "Tarzan". And the mad inventor character sort of appears out of nowhere and is responsible for the movie's disjointed ending.
If you have kids, this movie, diamond in the rough though it is, should be a no-brainer.
Oh yeah, and the soundtrack by Jack Johnson is a surprisngly sweet touch.
The Man In the Yellow Hat, whose name we learn is Ted, works for a museum that is about to close. To prevent the museum from becoming a parking lot, he heads to Africa to search for a fabled idol. There, he runs into George. Hilarity ensues as the monkey follows Ted back to the city and causes all kinds of trouble.
The movie is faithful to the spirit, if not the detail, of the books. The closest the plot comes to anything in the books is a scene when George is carried away by a bundle of helium balloons.
If that was all there was to the movie, you could safely skip it. But the movie is worth seeing simply because of the lush and colorful production. The characters bear only the merest of hints of the overdone Disney-style of animation, but they are softened and brought to life by a marvelous visual style that employs soft edges and bright, but not overbearing, primary colors. The use of light is masterful at times -- for example, bringing a soft glow to George's eyes or Ted's yellow hat while muting the surroundings.
The artists also did a marvelous job with George. He is lovingly drawn, and he easily stirs sympathy and affection in the audience. The portrayal of Ted also makes it seem as if he was brought to life straight out of H.A. Reys' books. They didn't hit the same notes of perfection for the other characters, however. For the museum director, it seems like the simply recast Jane's father from Disney's "Tarzan". And the mad inventor character sort of appears out of nowhere and is responsible for the movie's disjointed ending.
If you have kids, this movie, diamond in the rough though it is, should be a no-brainer.
Oh yeah, and the soundtrack by Jack Johnson is a surprisngly sweet touch.
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