Anytime a piece of art is created that stands the test of time, there is always (lurking behind it) an interesting creation story. That is exactly what is told in "Monkey Business"...the creation of the Curious George character by Hans & Margret Rey.
This documentary examines the story of how the Rey's grew up, eventually found each other and married, escaped from pre-WWII Europe, and found their way to America where, after a time, the Curious George character entered into the cultural lexicon. The filmmakers really do a great job of making the Rey's story interesting, as well as adding in some wonderful animations/graphics of their own to make it visually appealing as well.
Another real staple of this doc is its ability to not "pull any punches" when it comes to discussing the Rey's, as they are examined warts and all. Margret is especially portrayed in a sometimes unfavorable light (in terms of overall personality), but that is something that is also echoed "across the board" from all the interviewees, so it feels authentic. It's not disrespectful at all, so I would rather have that than a rosy, saint-like portrayal of everyone involved.
As a child, I went through my own Curious George phase (hasn't everyone?!), so it was very interesting for me to now see, as an adult, the process it took for the character to be fully realized. This is a doc that can easily be enjoyed by the entire family as well. Documentary work nearly at its finest is on display throughout.
This documentary examines the story of how the Rey's grew up, eventually found each other and married, escaped from pre-WWII Europe, and found their way to America where, after a time, the Curious George character entered into the cultural lexicon. The filmmakers really do a great job of making the Rey's story interesting, as well as adding in some wonderful animations/graphics of their own to make it visually appealing as well.
Another real staple of this doc is its ability to not "pull any punches" when it comes to discussing the Rey's, as they are examined warts and all. Margret is especially portrayed in a sometimes unfavorable light (in terms of overall personality), but that is something that is also echoed "across the board" from all the interviewees, so it feels authentic. It's not disrespectful at all, so I would rather have that than a rosy, saint-like portrayal of everyone involved.
As a child, I went through my own Curious George phase (hasn't everyone?!), so it was very interesting for me to now see, as an adult, the process it took for the character to be fully realized. This is a doc that can easily be enjoyed by the entire family as well. Documentary work nearly at its finest is on display throughout.
