Curious George (2006)

69% of critics liked it
(103 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(248,763 ratings)

The naughty little monkey from Margret Rey and H.A. Rey's beloved children's stories makes the leap to the big screen in this animated adaptation. Ted (voice of Will Ferrell) is an explorer with a large yellow hat who is good friends with Bloomsberry (voice of Dick Van Dyke), who runs a natural… More The naughty little monkey from Margret Rey and H.A. Rey's beloved children's stories makes the leap to the big screen in this animated adaptation. Ted (voice of Will Ferrell) is an explorer with a large yellow hat who is good friends with Bloomsberry (voice of Dick Van Dyke), who runs a natural history museum. Bloomsberry's greedy son, Bloomsberry Junior (voice of David Cross), wants to tear down his dad's museum and put a parking ramp in its place, but the elder Bloomsberry is convinced that a spectacular new exhibit could save the museum from the wrecking ball. Ted heads to Africa on an expedition to find some special artifacts that will keep his friend in business, but while he's there he befriends a playful monkey he calls George (voice of Frank Welker). While George is friendly, he has a taste for mischief and seems to always get Ted in hot water; Ted thinks he's seen the last of his simian friend when his ship heads back to America, until he discovers that George managed to hide aboard the boat before it set sail. Ted's search for a eye-catching exhibit proved to be a failure, and Ted and his good friend Maggie (voice of Drew Barrymore), a schoolteacher who's sweet on him, struggle to find of a way to save Bloomsberry's museum. But time becomes precious for Ted when George has an entire new city to explore. Curious George features a handful of original songs composed for the film by surfer-turned-singer/songwriter Jack Johnson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Matthew O'Callaghan, David Cross
Written By: Craig Miller, H.A. Rey, Ken Kaufman, Mike Werb
Genres: Animation, Kids & Family, Comedy

In Theaters: Feb 10, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Sep 26, 2006
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail
Gentle enough to satisfy the wee ones but has little to offer their adult companions...
Christy Lemire, Associated Press
George is just so darn cute with his big eyes and bright smile and perpetually sunny disposition, he's pretty much impossible to resist.
Chris Garcia, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Curious George is probably the purest family movie in years.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
The artwork, I liked it, is faithful to the original, but to tell people my age, or someone 25, that they should see nine or ten bucks to see this movie I can't do it.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Despite eerie narrative parallels with King Kong, the most curious thing about Curious George is how gentle it is.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
Although the makers of Curious George decided a 21st century update was necessary, they fill the movie with enough tributes to the Reys to take a lot of the sting away.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Sure, it's a film for the toddlers, but that doesn't mean the adults can't find something good from it.
Christy Lemire, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Director Matthew O'Callaghan and screenwriter Ken Kaufman haven't tried to create a film that's hip, just one that's funny and sweet, and in that sense they've succeeded.
Neil Smith, Film4
This harmless but charmless caper will have everybody except the most undemanding tot fidgeting.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
A simple, sweet, sometimes silly monkey tale.
David Noh, Film Journal International
George's character has been intensely cutesified here, with little of the subversive edge which remains the secret of his lasting appeal.
Nathan Rabin, AV Club
The welcome absence of strained cleverness qualifies as one of its biggest virtues.
Steve Rose, Guardian [UK]
It's a gentle, unhurried, largely hand-drawn children's cartoon with a nice simple storyline and no nods and winks to the grown-ups.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
A decent distraction for the young ones, it also seems content to be merely that.
Stefan Ulstein, Christianity Today
A great kids' film, and a vehicle for a beloved character that will hopefully send parents scurrying to the bookstore for the genuine article.
, Sydney Morning Herald
It's harmless, colourful fun, but even the very young are used to better.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Inocente como seu público-alvo (as crianças menores), é um filme cuja base reside no carinho entre seus dois personagens principais. E, embora isto não gere uma narrativa exatamente intensa, conquista pelo calor de seus sentimentos.
Anna Smith, Time Out
It's good old-fashioned family entertainment.
Paul Arendt, BBC
The whole thing might be a bit more bearable were it not for the tooth-rotting sweetness of Jack Johnson's songs, which are all about learning by doing, and how important it is to have friends, and other such guff.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Based on the classic series of children's books by Margret and HA Rey, this gently comical animated movie perfectly catches the tone of the adventure tales. It's a charming little film that shouldn't be left to children.

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Michael E

its not really good but its safe for kids so theres not really anything bad in it
Jason O

Better than I would've thought, even though I always liked reading the Curious George books growing up.
Red L

Jeepers. Flixster rates this as 3 1/2 stars. I found it a horribly childish waste of 90 minutes. Nowhere near the quality of other animated flicks I have seen like Ice Age or Shrek, etc.
danny d

fantastic if you like george. i watched it with my son and we had fun
Michael G

I appreciated that the animation wasn't phonier than a Chinese redhead, but the Jack Johnson soundtrack kind of rubbed me the wrong way. And Will Farrell as The Man With the Yellow Hat was pretty damn annoying. Plotwise, it was kind of annoying but it's a kid 's movie… More
I appreciated that the animation wasn't phonier than a Chinese redhead, but the Jack Johnson soundtrack kind of rubbed me the wrong way. And Will Farrell as The Man With the Yellow Hat was pretty damn annoying. Plotwise, it was kind of annoying but it's a kid 's movie and they tend not to care too much about plot points. One of the better animated movies I've seen of late, but that's not saying much.
Jose Z

I wasn't expecting much from this animated film but I have to say that I surprisingly enjoyed it. It was light-hearted and humorous. It was kind of a refreshing to watch a film that wasn't full of pop culture references that most animated films have these days, instead in… More
I wasn't expecting much from this animated film but I have to say that I surprisingly enjoyed it. It was light-hearted and humorous. It was kind of a refreshing to watch a film that wasn't full of pop culture references that most animated films have these days, instead in focuses more on the story. The cast all do a good job with their vocal performances and there were some pretty funny scenes, it mage to be a good adaptation from the book. Drew Barrymore's voice is great in this as is Dick Van Dyke and Will Ferrell too, his perfomance was one of the funniest on animated movies. George was very funny and cute. The music was very good, the score by Jack Johnson was excellent. The animation was great to watch, its incredible how the created diferent kind of environments. In conclusion, this movie is very enjoyable for all ages and just leaves you a smile on your face.
Lanning :

You may know how I feel about animated movies in general. For animated this is good. Although the animation itself is not mind-bending, George is very cute and the humor is not bad. The reference to <i>King Kong</i> is clever. This is Will Ferrell's best work.
Rico Z

Pure magic. This movie is so damn cute-- no matter how old you are!
Bradley J

A bright, cheerful, and heartfelt adventure with an adorable monkey and kids and their parents will enjoy it. Overall Rating:80
Juan C

a funny, good natured animated movie with a good cast, script, animation, and family fun. B
Nicolas K

Warning: Seriously cute monkey inside!
Yinalí R

I love this movie a whole bunch!!
William G

Feels like a paint-by-numbers project.
Sunil J

SO adorable and cute.
Tom S

Cute, and occasionally clever.
Lee K

a very cute little movie minus the fact that annoying will farrell does the voice for the man with the giant hat
Leo L

Always been my favorite!
Sarah P

Very cute movie with a great soundtrack.
Richard F

Not bad, but not great either.
Isaac H

Cute, playfull, funny, and a great family movie! I highly suggest seeing this with everyone, not by yourself.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Will Ferrell as Ted the man with the yellow hat

            Drew Barrymore as Maggie

            Frank Welker as George

            Shane Baumel as Kid

            Timyra-Joi Beatty as Kid

            Christopher Chen as Kid

            Jessie Flower as Kid

            Alexander Gould as Kid

            Terrence Hardy Jr. as Kid

            Hailey Johnson as Kid

            Kelsey Lansdowne as Kid

            Ariel Winter as Kid

            Dick Van Dyke as Mr. Bloomsberry

            David Cross as Bloomsberry Junior

            Billy West as Manager

            Jeff Bennett as Salesman

            Michael Chinyamurindi as Edu

            Michael Sorich as 'Seen It' Cab Driver

            Ed O'Ross as Ivan

            Joan Plowright as Miss Plushbottom

            Eugene Levy as Clovis

            Kath Soucie as Animal Control Receptionist

            Clint Howard as Balloon Man

            Kimberly Brooks
            
            Wendy Cutler
            
            Joey D'Auria
            
            Richard Epcar
            
            Treva Etienne
            
            Eddie Frierson
            
            Donald Fullilove
            
            Philip Maurice Hayes
            
            Bridget Hoffman
            
            Rif Hutton
            
            Steve Kehela
            
            Donna Lynn Leavy
            
            Nadia Lewis
            
            John Mariano
            
            Caitlin McKenna
            
            Kerry Michele
            
            Juan Pope
            
            Jonny Solomon
            
            Mandy Steckelberg
            
            Fred Tatasciore
            
            William H. Macy
            
            Lara Jill Miller
            
            Haley Noelle Johnson
            
See full cast