Curious George (2023 Live-Action film)

Curious George is a 2023 adventure family comedy live-action film inspired from the original 2006 animated film Curious George. It star features Jeff Bennett, Sarah Michelle Cellar, Josh Gad, Ian McKellen, and Traci Paige Johnson as the voice of the original title character. It's a CGI Live-Action animated film after the successful original 2006 theatrical film;  Curious George, apparently traditionally film adaptation of the children's stories originally by H.A. Rey & Margret Rey.

"From the producers that brought you: Scooby Doo and W here the Wild Things Are. "

Summary
In the Live-Action film, explorer Ted (Jeff Bennett ) journeys to Africa hoping to recover an important artifact for his friend Elder Bloomsberry ( Ian McKellen ), a museum director. Instead, however, he discovers an irrepressible little primate named George, who stows away on the ship back to New York City. There, Ted tries to stop plans to demolish the museum, but he has his hands full taking care of his new simian friend, whose curiosity may turn out to be more beneficial than anyone had imagined.

Movie Plot (Story)
The introduction of the movie where we are introduced to a happy, artistic, and mischievous but lonely little chimpanzee named George (voiced by Traci Paige Johnson) somewhere in the jungle in Africa. His behavior amuses the other young jungle animals, but angers their parents; therefore George is left sad and alone, until he sees a glowing spark from the bushes and admiring the strange-red looking object (that is about 3 inches).

Meanwhile, at the Museum in New York Chicago, a handsome employed guide; Ted Shackleford (Dan Stevens) is teaching the schoolchildren about natural history, not realizing that his lectures bore them, introducing to the teacher, Ted's girlfriend; Ms. Maggie Dunlop (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who has a talk to him and also admires him and for whom he has strong feelings. Afterwards, Ted's boss; Mr. Elder Bloomsberry (Ian McKellen), the owner of the museum, heartbreakingly informs Ted that the museum will have to close, because it's no longer making any money. Elder Bloomsberry's son, Junior (Stanley Tucci) wants to tear the museum down, and replace it with a parking garage.

Ted, refusing to accept Junior's agreement, is quickly convinced to volunteer to go to Africa in place of Elder Bloomsberry and bring back a mystical, 40 foot tall idol known as "Lost Shriwe of Zagawa" in the hopes that it will attract customers, much to Junior's envy (who secretly modifies his father's map of Africa to prevent Ted from finding the Shrine). Ted is outfitted with a hideous yellow suit (which causes people to laugh at him), and boards a cargo ship to Africa despite his embarrassment.

With the help of his tour guide; Edu (Keith David) and the tour group, Ted finds the Shrine, but discovers it to be only three inches tall, much to his disappointment. Ted also encounters George on his expedition to Africa, and gives George his yellow hat. George, who quickly grows fond of Ted and his charming abilities, follows him and boards the cargo ship, unbeknownst to Ted. Ted returns home and enters his appartment room, only to receive a call from Elder Bloomsberry telling him to report to the museum, so Ted can do an interview on the news. George follows Ted to his apartment, George discovered busily repainting a posh apartment in full scale African animals and due to the strict "no pets allowed policy", Ted is evicted by a grumpy doorman, Ivan (Luke Evans) after George causes trouble in Mrs. Plushbottom's (Emma Thompson) apartment. Ted returns to the museum and reveals to Elder Bloomsberry the idol's actual size.

Ted is kicked out of the museum by Junior, after George accidentally destroys an Apatosaurus skeleton. That evening, with nowhere to sleep and since gotten kick out of the apartment building, Ted follows George to the city park, where he lies down on a bench and sarcastically tells George how "great" it is. As the rain begin to pour, George makes a pile of leaves under a large oak tree, where Ted annoyingly joins him and becomes fascinated by the sight of a starry night sky. George then curiously observes with fireflies, eating them, spiting them out in disgust and causes Ted to do the same. They both acquire green color on their tongues as a result, and therefore make a joke of showing each other this until George is asleep.

The next morning, Ted follows George into the zoo, where George first-time meets Maggie and the children, managing to get himself into trouble and begins dangerously floating away on balloons high up over the city, a heroic Ted takes on a flight as well. Then, George's balloons are all popped by the spikes on the building and Ted immediately saves him from his certain death. Together, they fly around the city, held aloft by Ted's balloons and using a kite to control their direction.

When they float over the Bloomsberry museum, soon after Ted and George make their way to the home of an inventor named Clovis (Josh Gad), where George uses an overhead projector to increase the idol's size making it & himself appear 40 ft tall. Ted and George head to the museum to show Elder Bloomsberry the invention. Junior tries to convince his father that it wouldn't be honest to fool the public, but Elder Bloomsberry sees it as the only way to save the museum.

But however, the whole machine exploded just as Ted, Elder Bloomsberry and Junior beknown. When Elder Bloomsberry told Ted that it was over "forever", believing his life to be ruined, Ted announced to the citizens-including Maggie that the museum was closed forever, George was been too late to cheer him up and furiously allows the animal controllers take the little kind-hearted monkey away back home to Africa, seeing an angry Ted turned away before the back door was closed.

Afterwards later, Ted wanders the streets, glazing his thoughts about George, and then speaks with Maggie who helps Ted "see" what's really important in his life. Feeling understood, Ted, feeling awful about his bad attitude and his strict behavior, regrets the decision to give George to the animal control, and boards the cargo ship to get George back. Ted gave George his apology and that nothing else matters besides their own "buddyship". But in the hold back of George's truth, Ted (who can first-time reads George's mind by touching his heart) realized that "Junior was the one" who poured the coffee on Clovis' machine and framing on George in order just to get his parking garage wish and making money.

Back to the museum that mid-morning, in anger at Junior and after recognizing the truth, Ted immediately tells Elder Bloomsberry about the machine explosion back then, and also modifying the map, in the book, of Africa to prevent Ted from finding the real Shrine caused by his own "child", and that made him, Ted and angry George punished him by burning the contract and cancelling the agreement. Aftermath, However, Ted, unknownst over the past days, had enough money ($3,1700,490) to repair and save the museum...which he had completely forgot about it the whole times.

During later this morning, the museum was grand-openning at last, but this time rebooted into a kids' fun zone. While having fun with the kids, George discovered that the miniature idol, inside of Ted's back pocket, reflected in the sunshine's light (that beems from out of the window), in front of the townspeople, the idol reveals a pictogram with a message, "Turn your eye to the light, go from blindness to sight".

It seems that Ted was supposed to hold the statue up to the sun (before back then in Africa after 4 days), due to everyone's amazement, with that, Edu and his crew assistant him, this time along with George, on a search back to the jungle to retrieve the real 40 ft idol.

Soon after, the idol's was finally placed at the museum at last, and thanks to Ted's huge allowances, the museum was back in business and more successful than ever. Ivan, as a token of his behavior gratitude, invites Ted back to the apartment because he first-time adores George.

At the mid-ending credits, Ted and Maggie we're about to start a first romance with a kiss until when George causes more trouble again...but this time starting up the rocket ship (because the gas fuel up; accidentally by Clovis), forcing a panicked Ted to go after him into outer space.

Cast

 * Traci Paige Johnson as the voice of Curious George
 * Dan Stevens as Ted Shackleford (aka The Man in the Yellow Hat)
 * Sarah Michelle Gellar as Maggie Dunlop, Ted's love interest/girlfriend who is a school teacher
 * Josh Gad as Clovis
 * Emma Thompson as Ms. Plushbottom, an opera elderly woman of Ted's next-door apartment neighbor
 * Luke Evans as Ivan the Doorman
 * Ian McKellen as Mr. Bloomsberry
 * Stanley Tucci as Junior Bloomsberry
 * Keith David as Edu, Ted's African Guardian
 * Rory Kinnar as The Unseen Man, who wolfwhistles at Ms. Plushbottom

Production and Logo Variations for the distributors

 * 1) Universal Pictures' (after the theme opening) earth zooms in into the jungles before Imagine Entertainment, Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures logos appear on the vines
 * 2) After the credits roll, George, who is underneath Ted's yellow hat, blew his kiss to the audience, waving goodbye and jumps off screen before the Universal animation studios closing theme

Soundtrack

 * 1) In the city
 * 2) going to Africa

Trivia

 * It was based from the original 2006 animated film, Curious George
 * George's voice will first-time be portrayed by Traci Paige Johnson (from Blue's Clues).
 * According in the 2023 film, Ted's neck collar of his yellow uniform is white, Maggie's hair is long instead of short from the original 2006 film, Ms. Plushbottom is more slender instead of her original senior form and Elder Bloomsberry is more slender instead of using a cane.
 * The deleted scenes from the original movie are reused in this film.
 * Dan Stevens, from Live-Action Beauty and the Beast, will portray as live-action Ted Shackleford (aka The Man with the Yellow Hat).
 * Stanley Tucci will portray as live-action Junior Bloomsberry, because in the 2006 film, David Cross did the voice only as animated Junior Bloomsberry.
 * George as a CGI animated chimpanzee, was created from the computer-generated imagery (making his fur like realistic and make his face more animate classic).