Curious George (franchise)
A media franchise about a curious monkey and his owner.
The Curious George franchise is an American series of media that started with the book series by H. A. Rey and Margret Rey. It kicked off with a 2006 movie released in theaters. That film did well enough to spawn more movies that went straight to video, a TV show, three specials that aired during the show’s run, and a video game. The main characters are a monkey without a tail named George and his caretaker, called the Man with the Yellow Hat, though in the movies he goes by Ted.
The first movie, *Curious George*, came out on February 10, 2006. In it, a museum director named Ted travels to Africa to bring back a forty-foot idol to save the Bloomsberry Museum. He meets a monkey he names George, who stows away on the boat back to America. Once in Ted’s apartment, George causes trouble that angers a strict doorman named Ivan. Eventually, George ends up saving the museum.
The second film, *Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!*, was released in 2009. George becomes friends with an elephant named Kayla at a magic show. When he learns Kayla has parents in California, he and Ted set out to reunite her with her family. Meanwhile, Kayla’s owner, Mr. Piccadilly, hires the Head of Security, Danno Wolfe, to track them down. This movie got a theatrical release in Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland on July 10, 2009, but went straight to video elsewhere on March 2, 2010.
The third film, *Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle*, came out on DVD on June 23, 2015. George is chosen for a space mission, but an accident sends him back to the jungle where he originally came from. This was the second movie in the series to skip theaters and the last to use traditional animation—later films switched to flash animation. Directed by Phil Weinstein, it features voice actors Frank Welker and Jeff Bennett reprising their roles, joined by John Goodman, Alexander Polinsky, Dee Bradley Baker, Gwendoline Yeo, Henry Guybit, and Angela Bassett. It also aired on PBS KIDS in August 2015.
The fourth film, *Curious George: Royal Monkey*, was released on DVD on September 10, 2019. George gets tangled up with a royal monkey named Phillippe.
The fifth film, *Curious George: Go West, Go Wild*, came out on September 8, 2020, exclusively on Peacock, and later on digital and DVD on December 15, 2020. George and Ted visit Cousin Ginny’s farm for a relaxing vacation, but their fun is interrupted when a herd
- first_release
- 2006
- medium
- Film, television, video game
- creator_basis
- H. A. Rey and Margret Rey
- main_character
- George (tailless monkey) and Ted (Man with the Yellow Hat)
- number_of_films
- 6 (as of 2021)
Lore & Background
The franchise began with the theatrical release of Curious George in 2006, in which museum director Ted goes to Africa to find a forty-foot idol and encounters a monkey he names George. George stows away to America, causing chaos for a doorman named Ivan, but ultimately saves the museum. The film's success led to direct-to-video sequels, starting with Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! in 2009, which follows George befriending an elephant named Kayla and helping reunite her with her family in California. The third film, Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle (2015), involves a space mission mishap that lands George back in the jungle; it was the last traditionally-animated film in the franchise, as later films used flash animation. Subsequent films include Curious George: Royal Monkey (2019), Curious George: Go West, Go Wild (2020), and Curious George: Cape Ahoy (2021).
Reader's Guide
The Curious George franchise expanded from its 2006 film into a television series that aired from 2006 to 2022, exploring themes of learning, forgiveness, and playful curiosity. The franchise also includes a video game. The films received varying release strategies: the first was theatrical, while later films were direct-to-video or released on the streaming service Peacock. The franchise is notable for its consistent focus on the character of George, a sweet but trouble-making African monkey, and his owner Ted. Its significance lies in its long-running presence in children's media, adapting the classic book series into multiple formats over more than a decade.
Did You Know?
- The first film in the franchise was released in theaters on February 10, 2006.
- The television series premiered on September 4, 2006 and its most recent episodes aired on March 17, 2022.
- Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle was the last traditionally-animated film; later films used flash animation.
- Curious George: Cape Ahoy was released on Peacock on September 30, 2021, and never released on DVD.
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