Curious George (film)

Curious George is a 2006 American animated adventure comedy film directed by Matthew O'Callaghan and written by Ken Kaufman, based on the book series by H. A. Rey and Margret Rey. The film is an origin story of how the Man with the Yellow Hat met George while trying to save the Bloomsberry museum from closing. The voice cast includes Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, and Dick Van Dyke.

From 1990, the film languished in development hell at Imagine Entertainment, and several directors were suggested until O'Callaghan was hired in August 2004. The film employs a distinct blend of traditional animation and computer-animated scenery. The score was composed by Heitor Pereira and it features several original songs by musician Jack Johnson.

Curious George premiered at the ArcLight Hollywood on January 28, 2006, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 10, by Universal Pictures. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, although it was a box-office disappointment, grossing $71 million against a budget of $50 million. It was followed by five direct-to-video sequels, and a television series.