Curious George review

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A decade on from Balto, its last foray into 2-D 'toonery, Universal brings out the chimp for this belated adap of Margret and HA Rey's popular '40s picture book. Alas, the years have not been kind to the mischievous simian, whose accident-prone exploits belong to a long-gone era - along with Will Ferrell's jocular vocal stylings, as the 'Man in the Yellow Hat' who lures him from the African jungle to New York.

Director Matthew O'Callaghan retains the source material's primary colours, while Jack Johnson provides melodious, if samey ballads. Where this monkey deserves a spanking, however, is for ditching the book's instructional tone. No one wants to be preached at, but when a kids' movie does things like imply there's nothing wrong with playing in traffic, it brings out the Mary Whitehouse in you. Don't the producers realise children ape what they see?

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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