Curious George

[cine]

Ferrell Dons Yellow Hat for 'George'

Will Ferrell has signed on to provide the voice of The Man in the Yellow Hat for the upcoming animated film, "Curious George."

"Having Will Ferrell on-board gives us a superstar voice that is uniquely appealing to both kids and adults," said Scott Stuber, president of Universal Pictures.

"Curious George" is expected to hit theaters November 4, 2005.

Ferrell will first be seen this November in the comedy "Elf," in which he plays a man raised from birth as an elf. He's currently at work on the next as-yet-untitled Woody Allen film, and in a feature remake of the television series, "Get Smart."

[NEON MERCURY]

..hahahaah......this is dumb....i think a movie based on the mtv cartoon daria has more potential........

[sickfins]

..hahahaah......this is dumb....i think a movie based on the mtv cartoon daria has more potential........

i don't think you read enough books as a child

[ono]

Haha.  Chris Kattan SO needs to play George!  

[Ravi]

Haha.  Chris Kattan SO needs to play George!  

ABAH!

[Jeremy Blackman]

[MacGuffin]

Big Update on Universal's Curious George
Source: Variety

Variety has a big update on Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment's upcoming, traditional animated Curious George in Saturday's issue. It says the film is in the works for a November, 2005 release date, with Universal envisioning the precocious monkey as the company's Mickey Mouse, adorning everything from water bottles to the studio's letterhead.

The filmmakers believe the traditional animation suits the classic children's book series about a mischievous young monkey who is adopted by the Man in the Yellow Hat. "George's" budget is said to hover around $40 million. That's midrange for an animated film but cheap by traditional animation standards due to a staff that is 60% outsourced animators.

The series of seven original books and later new adventures, by H.A. and Margret Rey, became a staple in school libraries and children's bedrooms since the first book was published in 1941. More than 25 million copies have been sold.

Producer Brian Grazer says he first began developing the project more than a decade ago, securing rights from John Shapiro and David Kirschner, who are also producers on the project. Universal acquired additional rights to Curious George from Houghton Mifflin, a one-time publishing affiliate of the studio under Vivendi Universal.

Universal and Imagine had originally contemplated adapting the books into a live-action feature with a computer-generated monkey, opting later to make it as an animated film -- entirely CG, with Industrial Light and Magic tackling the project as its first toon. But that plan proved too costly, with the budget double the film's current pricetag.

Grazer notes that all sorts of approaches were considered including puppetry. "I think we finally have the right approach, and we got incredibly lucky getting Will (Ferrell)," who will voice the Man in the Yellow Hat. 2-D gives the project "kind of a retro vibe," observes Ron Howard, who thought Disney's Brother Bear was a "real solid" movie and rejects the notion that 2-D is dead. He says this one will be driven by the character, not just the looks.

While Universal already has created a "Curious George Goes to Town" attraction at its Universal Studios Florida theme park, the studio and Imagine have also struck a deal with PBS affiliate WGBH to develop an animated kidshow based on "Curious George."

Karey Kirkpatrick (Chicken Run), Joe Stillman (the Shrek series), Michael McCullers (the Austin Powers sequels) and Daniel Gerson and Rob Baird (Monsters, Inc.) wrote the script for the feature film, which is directed by Jun Falkenstein (The Tigger Movie).

The original story will emphasize contemporary plot points with "edgy" humor, while sidestepping the "not exactly PC" aspects found in the "George" books (George was kidnapped from the jungle and later put in a zoo.). Despite some changes, the Man continues to wear a yellow hat, and George still gets himself into everyday adventures without the ability to speak.

The challenge will be to show "the real nature of the relationship with that Man in the Yellow Hat, filling in the blanks in a way that's engaging," Howard says. George's not talking is also a challenge, "but it's also what makes him a great character," Howard says.

The trade says that pre-production on Curious George started a year ago, with a staff of 75 animators taking up an entire floor of a Universal City high-rise near the studio lot. Fourteen-hour days have already become the norm for the crew, which is starting the animation phase. Once the film is completed, the studio may keep the animation arm up and running and its staff to work on other projects.

[MacGuffin]

Trailer here.

Release Date: February 10th, 2006 (wide)

Cast: Will Ferrell (The Man in the Yellow Hat), Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy, Dick Van Dyke.

Director: Matthew O'Callaghan (Supervising animator for The Little Mermaid)

Screenwriter: Michael McCullers (Austin Powers 2 and 3), Robert L. Baird and Daniel Gerson (cowriters of Monsters, Inc.), Joe Stillman (cowriter of Shrek, Shrek 2); Karey Kirkpatrick (Chicken Run; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Based Upon: This movie is based upon the children's book character "Curious George" featured in a series of popular books by the husband-wife team of Margaret Rey and H.A. Rey.

Premise: While visiting Africa, a man (Ferrell) who wears a yellow hat accidentally adopts a clumsy and mischievous (as well as curious!) chimpanzee named George, bringing him back to America to live with him. The Man in the Yellow Hat soon discovers that George, as adorable as he is *most* of the time, can be a real handful when the Man turns his back or leaves the house, as George's curiousity causes him to get into a series of predicaments and shenanigans!

[picolas]

dammit.

[The Perineum Falcon]

Oh yes... there will be shenanigans!

[polkablues]

It could use three or four more screenwriters.

[Ravi]

The trailer I saw a few weeks ago was unimpressive.  Looks like there's not much for adults in this one.