Monkey Kingdom

Monkey Kingdom

The best thing about being a part of an ape empire is that you can rest assure that your children will never have lice for long.

In fact, grooming one another is only one of the odd practices featured in this simian documentary.

When female toque macaque Maya migrates to the remains of an antediluvian jungle temple in Sri Lanka called Castle Rock, she learns quickly that the roost is ruled over by alpha macaque Raja and three sister monkeys.

Banished to the bottom of the food chain, Maya must now struggle to feed her newborn Kip, whose father Kumar has since flown the coop.

Painstakingly captured on-camera by Disneynature's intrepid film crew and wittily narrated by Tina Fey, Monkey Kingdom is a comical and captivating look at the social disorder of our distant cousins.

In fact, any more poop flinging and this could pass as a reality TV show.

Green Light

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I'm not really into Disney nature documentaries. I've seen a few they did in the 1960s on The Wonderful World of Disney, but the new ones they put out don't last in the theaters long enough for me to catch (Although I think I saw the one about the chimpanzees, and the one about elephants)

This one is a lot different from the old docs 50 years ago. It's very playful with the narrative and tells a more linear story voiced by Tiny Fey. What's most interesting about this is how the plot follows the Disney formula of a true underdog coming up. They must have had to do a lot of research and follow these monkeys for a long period of time to pull that off.

The story is about a single mother named Mya who's on the very bottom of the social status and must beat the odds in order to provide a better life for her son, kip.

It was so fascinating to see how the Monkey kingdom mimics the kingdom of man. Whenever someone tries to convince me that we are better than other animals (cause sometimes man forgets that's what we are). I'll have this movie to use as an example of how that's not accurate.

I went into this film not thinking much of anything but killing time, but it was not a waste of time. It was great!

"Monkey Kingdom" is a wildlife documentary done in the trademarked Disney style - that is, to say, with lots of family-friendly positiveness and unyielding good cheer.

The movie takes us deep into the jungles of Sri Lanka, where a hierarchical society of toque macaque monkeys make their home in the shadow of a long-abandoned ancient city. The main focus is on one female monkey "named" Maya, a low-born member of the community who is consigned to a lifetime of serving those born into the higher strata (the caste system here makes India look like a model of egalitarianism and social mobility in comparison).

"Monkey Kingdom" is obviously aimed at a younger audience, which explains, but doesn't quite excuse, its tendency to talk down to its audience, speaking of the animals' thoughts and feelings in the most blatantly anthropomorphic of terms. It's probably not helped by the jejune Mark Linfield narration (spoken by Tina Fey), which can't resist interjecting corny asides at every opportunity. And a lot of it sure feels staged, especially a trip to a local city and a carefully choreographed raid on a birthday party (how DO they get their cameras in all those different places? Stick around for the closing credits to get an inkling of how it's done).

On the plus side, the high-definition photography is drop-dead gorgeous, and the glimpses the movie provides into monkey sociology - not too far removed from human sociology, I must confess - is often fascinating to observe. Though, I must admit, I frequently found myself wishing the cameras would turn away from the monkeys to explore the nearby ruins - and the history behind them - instead.

It's almost required to see a Disneynature film with a friend or somebody you know will be an active partner during the film rather than a passive observer. Part of the fun of these films is what you bring to them in addition to what they bring to you. This is why, despite someone who prefers attending films alone, I have made it an annual tradition to go with a close friend of mine, as it turns into a quirky trip of her and I quietly voicing our own commentary during these films. They are almost throwbacks to what cinema originated as, a very involved, interactive medium that allowed for human curiosity (logic being defied, illusionist principles being explored, etc) to run wild. The Disneynature line of films are some of the last remaining films that cater to our fascination with the world around us.

"Monkey Kingdom" is the studio's offering for Earth Day 2015, and it comes stamped with a brief introduction that discusses how Disneynature is more than a film company, but an impacting organization that functions on a global scale. Frequent theatergoers hear how Disneynature donates all or most of their films' opening weekend revenue to getting global projects off the ground, and we go through one-by-one how the six previous films impacted something around the world.

Shortly thereafter, we settle into our environment for "Monkey Kingdom:" the jungles of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka, where we are greeted with Maya, a macaque monkey who resides in the tumultuous community of monkeys. We instantly see that the monkeys have created a class system amongst themselves, with one monkey named Raja assuming the alpha male role and many others having to work their way up the system, or humbly reside at the bottom, in order to enjoy special privileges. Maya is lower on the totem pole, usually the last to garner a meal and the literal doormat for many monkeys around her. Her life becomes more both more rewarding and stressful when she welcomes Kip into her family, her newborn son.

Maya's home is soon overrun by a new tribe of monkeys, who are abusive and determined to command the land, leading her, Kip, and countless other primates to seek shelter somewhere else. This leads to a trip through deep jungles and neighboring villages to try and find a new place to call home.

Unsurprisingly, "Monkey Kingdom" is absolutely evocative in its photography. Directors Mark Linfield and Alastair Fothergill (who worked on last year's "Bears," the only other Disneynature film I've seen) beautifully capture the land of Sri Lanka, never minimizing its natural beauty. The closeup shots of the monkeys, in addition, are especially lovely, as we see the true features that make up the macaque species and the playfulness that inevitably ensues.

But the real treat here is seeing how the life and system of monkeys isn't so different from the way that human beings are governed - by a strict ruling class that leads on fear and the enforcement of conformity costs. This is the part of the monkey environment that may destroy the fantasies of children who think being a monkey is "all fun and games," as Tina Fey, our narrator, puts it.

One must remember that when they see a Disneynature film, they are seeing a piece of entertainment and not a formal nature documentary; one can see plenty of those on Television for free. "Monkey Kingdom" shows us a surprisingly different life to a species of animals many of us probably think we know pretty well, and in that sense, Disneynature has, yet again, done its job.

Life can be tough if you weren't born to privilege. You know and understand your place in society, but wish it were higher. You try in vain to be accepted by your betters. You see no way to improve your lot in life and all you can do is watch others enjoy the fruits of their vaunted positions, and serve them. Sufficient food and shelter are hard to come by, but you make the best of the situation. You're disregarded and sometimes outright disrespected. You might not even be free to enjoy the company and comfort of the life partner of your choice. If you become a single parent, you may find yourself even more alone than when you just had yourself to be concerned with. And this whole time, you also have to worry about those outside your society taking your food, your home, your family, even your life, knowing that your only defense is those above you who treat you with such disdain. Yes, it can be really tough being a monkey in the jungles of Sri Lanka.

"Monkey Kingdom" (G, 1:20) is the eighth feature film from Disneynature and tells the story of Maya, a female toque macaque (pronounced "muh-KAK") who finds herself in the exact situation described above. She was born at the bottom of her group's social ladder. She has to watch her fellows in the tree branches above her eat fruits and flowers, while she is forced to scavenge what she can, including the scraps which fall to the jungle floor. She watches the other monkeys play in the tower of boulders called "Castle Rock", knowing that trying to interact with them would lead to an attack by her own kind. When it rains and the higher-born use Castle Rock for shelter, Maya and the other societal cellar dwellers are literally left out in the cold. When a male macaque who has struck out on his own shows an interest in Maya, he is chased off by the others. Maya is left alone and pregnant, with no choice but to fend for herself and her little boy, Kip.

This being the jungle, there's even more for Maya and her fellow macaques to worry about besides the social order in their kingdom. First off, they have their natural predators to contend with. Steering clear of leopards and seven foot long monitor lizards will always be a priority, as will the search for food. Different seasons yield different edibles in varying amounts. Sometimes the monkeys have to get creative in their search for food, and sometimes (equally creatively), they just steal it from a nearby village. I suppose regular human people could be dangerous to encounter, but we see none of that here. In fact, we see the monkeys interact very amusingly with a variety of animals that are neither predator nor prey, to include an annoyed mongoose, some cute bear cubs and even an easy-going dog. Then again, there's also the danger of losing out on more than some nuts and berries. Castle Rock is prime jungle real estate and could be seen as very tempting by, say, a rival gang of macaques.

I had no idea that monkeys had such a strict social order. And that's not all that surprised me. I don't want to spoil anything by describing some of the other things I saw monkeys do in this movie, because, unless you're a monkologist (yeah, I just made that up), you're likely to be surprised as well. But there's a lot more to this movie than simply an educational journey through the wilds of an island nation in the Indian Ocean. The movie features magnificent cinematography and editing, along with Tina Fey perfectly narrating a script that is accessible, interesting, clever and fun. Technically, this is a documentary, but it feels much more like a well-planned story, only you can't plan this stuff. There's real drama here, situations to which most people can relate and even a touch of a Disney princess story.

"Monkey Kingdom" is definitely not your grandparents' nature program. This movie is beautiful, thrilling, fun and educational in a way that you'll thoroughly enjoy. I had the pleasure of seeing this movie with three generations of a family with whom I am very close. The youngest member is three years old and was experiencing her very first movie in a theater. This child, who is normally very… energetic (choosing my words carefully because my friends will be reading this review), was as happy and calm as I've ever seen her (awake) and, for much of the movie, she was rapt, as was her mother and grandmother, and me. Whether you're 3, 23, 43 or 93, I can hardly imagine anyone of any age not enjoying this wonderful movie. "A"