Ever since I was very little, I've always been a huge fan of Curious George. However, even though I've seen the TV show countless times ever since preschool, I hadn't seen this special until just today, even though Christmas is already past.
The special stays true to the heart, settings and locations of the show, and delightfully centers around George and his best friend, Ted the Man with the Yellow Hat, nervously struggling to find just the right present for each other. Of course, this is quite a simple plot, but this 57-minute special turns it into an endearing and fun experience, with lots of clever humor as usual.
The animation is simple, yet charming and fluid, and perfectly matches that of the show. Obviously, that has to do with the fact that this was literally all the same people from the show. In addition, the voice-acting, as per usual, is terrific. The show's cast assumes their usual roles in this special, and all do excellent jobs, especially Frank Welker as George and Jeff Bennett as Ted. In addition, as usual, Jim Cummings is a delight as Chef Pisghetti, Elizabeth Daily and Grey DeLisle are great as Steve and Betsy, respectively, and Rino Romano is fantastic as the narrator.
And then the music. Of course, as usual, it's great. Nick Nolan, the composer of all the show's music, was brought in to score the special, and of course, he did a terrific job. In addition, the three songs he co-wrote with writer and show developer Joe Fallon, that the characters sing, are terrific and fit really well. It probably helps that before Fallon developed the show, he was the original head writer for Arthur (in which he also wrote and sang "Crazy Bus").
Everything considered, Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas, though not spectacular, is a warm and funny Christmas special, and a great showcase of what Christmas looks like with Curious George. If you're a fan of Curious George, this makes for an enjoyable watch at Christmastime!
