"She fired us with song!" "It still hurt"
URGA MOTW
Curious George
Re-starting an old tradition - the four word film review. Beyond this, I will also do my normal full review, but this should be fun from now on :)
Curious George 4WFR: Light hearted monkey business.
So why did we see an animated film purely aimed at preschoolers? Well, mainly because there wasn't any other films on really that appealed that much, and to be honest, it was quite fun.
Basic concept. Our titular monkey has fun doing a lot of curiousity-filled things in the African Jungle. In New York, Ted is striving to save the Museum he works at, so he sets off on a expedition to Africa in a bright yellow suit to find the huge monkey statue of Zagawa, but only with half a map. In the end, he finds a tiny version of the statue, and a little monkey who stows away and follows him home. We follow George (as the monkey is named) and Ted in their amazing, random adventure around the city as Ted strives to keep George out of trouble, and there's a lot of fun had along the way.
The animation is mostly old-style 2D, but with amazing use of colour making almost every scene look like an water-based painting. (I suspect they were trying to closely mimic the art in the original story books) Some CG is used, but not very much. George and many of the other characters are quite cute and yet not at all Disney like (NB: This is a Warner Brothers film). Most importantly, the film is just pure fun. George gets into all sorts of trouble, but he's never really in danger - and neither is Ted. They all take it in stride, and share emotional highs and lows, and of course, there's a happy ending. Will Ferrell does well as Ted (The Man in the Yellow Suit) and I'm sure some of his mutterings were ad libs that the producers/directors thought worth keeping. Frank Welker is brilliant as George (he's famous for doing a huge range of animal and creature voices, for example Nibbler in Futurama) and it's hard not to go along making Monkey noises after watching the movie.
Jack Johnson has many original songs in the soundtrack, and they aren't really that intrusive into the action (as happens with many other songs in animated movies, for examples, Ben Folds in Over The Hedge and Hoodwinked). However, I did kind of get sick of his voice and guitar, and would have preferred a little more variety... perhaps someone else performing songs written by Jack, using different instruments? The music wasn't overly good or bad, but I do feel that animation can afford to have quite a strong soundtrack to improve the entertainment value.
This is a definite must see for the tiny tots, they'll love it. It's perhaps not as awe-inspiring as say, Spirited Away, but it has a similar sense of beauty and fun and awe in the way the artwork and animation is presented and in how the story is told.
8/10
Curious George
Re-starting an old tradition - the four word film review. Beyond this, I will also do my normal full review, but this should be fun from now on :)
Curious George 4WFR: Light hearted monkey business.
So why did we see an animated film purely aimed at preschoolers? Well, mainly because there wasn't any other films on really that appealed that much, and to be honest, it was quite fun.
Basic concept. Our titular monkey has fun doing a lot of curiousity-filled things in the African Jungle. In New York, Ted is striving to save the Museum he works at, so he sets off on a expedition to Africa in a bright yellow suit to find the huge monkey statue of Zagawa, but only with half a map. In the end, he finds a tiny version of the statue, and a little monkey who stows away and follows him home. We follow George (as the monkey is named) and Ted in their amazing, random adventure around the city as Ted strives to keep George out of trouble, and there's a lot of fun had along the way.
The animation is mostly old-style 2D, but with amazing use of colour making almost every scene look like an water-based painting. (I suspect they were trying to closely mimic the art in the original story books) Some CG is used, but not very much. George and many of the other characters are quite cute and yet not at all Disney like (NB: This is a Warner Brothers film). Most importantly, the film is just pure fun. George gets into all sorts of trouble, but he's never really in danger - and neither is Ted. They all take it in stride, and share emotional highs and lows, and of course, there's a happy ending. Will Ferrell does well as Ted (The Man in the Yellow Suit) and I'm sure some of his mutterings were ad libs that the producers/directors thought worth keeping. Frank Welker is brilliant as George (he's famous for doing a huge range of animal and creature voices, for example Nibbler in Futurama) and it's hard not to go along making Monkey noises after watching the movie.
Jack Johnson has many original songs in the soundtrack, and they aren't really that intrusive into the action (as happens with many other songs in animated movies, for examples, Ben Folds in Over The Hedge and Hoodwinked). However, I did kind of get sick of his voice and guitar, and would have preferred a little more variety... perhaps someone else performing songs written by Jack, using different instruments? The music wasn't overly good or bad, but I do feel that animation can afford to have quite a strong soundtrack to improve the entertainment value.
This is a definite must see for the tiny tots, they'll love it. It's perhaps not as awe-inspiring as say, Spirited Away, but it has a similar sense of beauty and fun and awe in the way the artwork and animation is presented and in how the story is told.
8/10