Monkey Kingdom – Raising Awareness and Funds for the Habitat of Monkeys
This documentary from Disneynature follows a newborn monkey and its mother as they struggle to survive within the competitive social hierarchy of the Temple Troop, a dynamic group of monkeys who live in ancient ruins found deep in the storied jungles of South Asia. Directed by Mark Linfield and Alastair who also directed Bears and narrated by Tina Fey. KIDS FIRST! Critic Haley P. comments, “This is a great nature documentary, especially if you like monkeys and, contributions from ticket sales of this movie will help save the monkeys in south Asia.” Brooke S. added, “This movie is an outstanding film. It made me happy, sad, angry and even touched my heart. I also laughed and cried on some parts.“ See their full review below.
Monkey Kingdom
Reviewed by Haley Powell, KIDS FIRST! Critic, Age 12
Monkey Kingdom opened my mind to learning about animals in the wild! This is a great nature documentary, especially if you like monkeys and, contributions from ticket sales of this movie will help save the monkeys in south Asia.
Monkey Kingdom begins with an explanation of how a certain group of monkeys live. Specifically, it focuses on Maya and her baby, who are considered the lowest of the group. It discusses their lifestyle, their routines and how they have to deal with the different seasons and the weather. They also talk about their struggle for survival. Finding food, especially for the ones at the bottom of the tree, is a challenge. These monkeys have a king and three queens. It is amazing that even though they are monkeys, they still have a social hierarchy.
My favorite part of this movie is when all the monkeys are playing with each other and swinging from their homemade “original” jungle gym. I also like the part when the lower class runs out of food and have to find a way to survive. They locate the humans’ house and raid their kitchen. They even confiscate all the eggs from the hen house!! It is hysterical to see a monkey running off with a sub sandwich.
My favorite character is Kip, Maya’s son! He is a cute baby monkey that is so innocent and, most of the time, has no idea what is going one. He depends on his mom for protection. Maya is on the low end of the social hierarchy. She is a female monkey with a nice personality unlike the three sister queens who act as if they own everything. I love how Maya protects her baby at all costs. Tina Fey is a wonderful narrator for this, giving a clear understanding of what is taking place.
The thrust of this documentary is to raise money to help maintain the habitat of monkeys that live in the jungles of South Asia. I recommend this film for kids age 6 through 18. Both boys and girls will enjoy it because, who can resist watching monkeys play. I rate this movie a five out of five dazzling stars! Be sure to check it out when it comes out in theaters on April 17, 2015.
Monkey Kingdom
By Brooke S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 9
Monkey Kingdom is directed by Mark Linfield and Alstair Fothergill and narrated by Tina Fey. It is a documentary about an adorable baby monkey named Kip, his sweet mother Maya as they struggle to survive. The film follows other monkeys in the troop and their daily lives also.
The movie takes place in ancient ruins in the Jungles of Asia. During the movie you will meet lots of monkeys. For instance, Kumar, who is an outsider and has tons of personality. Then there is Raja who is the King of the troop and very strong, always has an attitude and lets every one of the monkeys in the troop know he is in charge. Raja has three sisters who are the queens. They are sassy, bossy and act like Cinderella’s stepsisters. The queen’s act like they actually run the troop. Next, there is grandpa. Grandpa is so calm, and kind of lazy. He likes to sit around and waits for everyone to bring him food. It is amazing how monkeys are so much like people. Socially, they have groups like lower and upper class, and everyone seem to know their roles. It is so unfair how some of the monkeys are treated. It breaks my heart to see anyone or anything treat like that.
This movie is an outstanding film. It made me happy, sad, angry and even touched my heart. I also laughed and cried on some parts. The directors appear to have a lot of patience because I can tell it took a long time to get so much footage of the monkeys. The camera crew capture some awesome shots of the monkeys in trees and even underwater. Tina Fey does a fantastic job narrating the film. She brings loads of humor and the voices to the animals. She even changes her voice on parts that are very sad and dangerous.
I really love nature movies. Monkey Kingdom has become one of my favorites. I also think it is amazing that Disney donates money to help our environment. In the future, I want to help raise money to help our environment as well. Animals are beautiful creatures and we should always help to keep them happy and safe.
The message in the movie is: no matter how bad things seem or how hard things get, never give up. I recommend this movie for ages 4 to 18 and even adults. I rate the movie 5 out of 5 golden stars.
