Curious George

Matthew O'Callaghan's pastel-colored animated Curious George is adapted from the titular series of children's books by H.A. Rey about a young monkey whose curiosity is always getting him into trouble. The film is comprised of episodes—George messes around with paint, uses a projector to become a King Kong-sized figure (causing a massive traffic jam), gets loose in a zoo, and is borne aloft by a clutch of balloons—stitched together by a feeble plot involving Ted, also known as The Man in a Yellow Hat, a bumbling museum employee who tries to save his workplace by finding an African idol to bring back to the U.S. for exhibition and finding the mischievous George instead. While there's a generalized sweetness to this bland, gentle film—featuring winsome songs by Jack Johnson—just about anyone over the age of five will find it a sappy bore. A further problem is the irritating delivery of Will Ferrell, who voices Ted in fullly frantic form, proving that he can be almost as annoying when merely heard as he is in the flesh. Optional. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include 15 deleted scenes (17 min.), “A Very Curious Car” featurette about the VW cars in the film (5 min.), a “Drawn to George” how-to segment on drawing the character (5 min.), a “Monkey Around with Words” featurette on learning new words (5 min.), a “Monkey in Motion” featurette with animator Jeff Johnson (2 min.), the Jack Johnson music video “Upside Down” with a sing-along feature, over 10 interactive games and activities (including “Banana Hunt” and “Where's George?”), printable coloring sheets, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a so-so children's film.] (F. Swietek)