Mary Thorne Movies
The naughty little monkey from Margret Rey and H.A. Rey's beloved children's stories makes the leap to the big screen in this animated adaptation. Ted (voice of Will Ferrell) is an explorer with a large yellow hat who is good friends with Bloomsberry (voice of Dick Van Dyke), who runs a natural history museum. Bloomsberry's greedy son, Bloomsberry Junior (voice of David Cross), wants to tear down his dad's museum and put a parking ramp in its place, but the elder Bloomsberry is convinced that a spectacular new exhibit could save the museum from the wrecking ball. Ted heads to Africa on an expedition to find some special artifacts that will keep his friend in business, but while he's there he befriends a playful monkey he calls George (voice of Frank Welker). While George is friendly, he has a taste for mischief and seems to always get Ted in hot water; Ted thinks he's seen the last of his simian friend when his ship heads back to America, until he discovers that George managed to hide aboard the boat before it set sail. Ted's search for a eye-catching exhibit proved to be a failure, and Ted and his good friend Maggie (voice of Drew Barrymore), a schoolteacher who's sweet on him, struggle to find of a way to save Bloomsberry's museum. But time becomes precious for Ted when George has an entire new city to explore. Curious George features a handful of original songs composed for the film by surfer-turned-singer/songwriter Jack Johnson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, (more)
Mowgli the "man-cub" returns to the wilderness in this sequel to the Walt Disney Pictures animated favorite The Jungle Book. After leaving life in the jungle behind, Mowgli (voice of Haley Joel Osment) has been adopted, and now lives in the nearby village with his new parents and his younger brother, while becoming close friends with Shanti (voice of Mae Whitman), the girl who first lured him out of the wilds. However, adjusting to live among other humans hasn't been easy, and after Mowgli pays a visit to an old friend, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo (John Goodman), the boy considers staying for a while. Before long, both Shanti and Mowgli's new family notice he's missing, and Shanti goes into the jungle to look for him, despite her fear of wild animals. However, Mowgli and Baloo are soon reminded that life in the wilderness isn't always carefree when they learn Shere Khan (voice of Tony Jay) is looking for Mowgli, eager to settle an old score. The Jungle Book 2 also features voice work from Phil Collins and John Rhys-Davies; rock group Smash Mouth contribute a new version of "I Wanna Be Like You" to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Haley Joel Osment, John Goodman, (more)
- 2002
- Add Cinderella II: Dreams Come True to QueueAdd Cinderella II: Dreams Come True to top of Queue
Fifty years after releasing their opulent adaptation of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, Walt Disney Productions revisits the characters in this direct-to-video sequel. Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True encompasses three short stories; first, after Cinderella (voice of Jennifer Hale) marries Prince Charming (voice of Christopher Daniel Barnes), she finds it difficult to reconcile her new station in life with the simple ways she's known in the past. Secondly, the friendly mouse Jacques (voice of Rob Paulsen) wishes he could be a human being -- but after the Fairy Godmother (voice of Russi Taylor) makes it so, he discovers it's a lot tougher than he imagined. And finally, Cinderella takes pity on her stepsister, Anastasia (voice of Tress MacNeille), and teaches her how to smile in the hopes she can find a love of her own. Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True also includes a new song by Brooke Allison, "Put It Together." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
