Curious George

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for so long but it got caught up with, well, The Little Prince calls it, matters of consequence. For the most part, I want to blog about things that I want to remember or that which I want to forget (weird huh?) But today will be about the former, and so it goes…

Curious George

I will always remember this movie being the first movie that my son (2 years and 8 months old today) watched from beginning til end in full attention. It is a story of friendship between George, the monkey, and Ted, the museum guide turned treasure hunter. I’ve lifted the following plot summary from the internet movie database:

Ted, works as a guide at the Bloomsberry museum, sent on a 'business' trip of sorts by the museum's owner, to find a Zagawa shrine, he encounters a playfully mischievous and curious monkey...actually a chimp who he nicknames 'George' after the George Washinghton statue. His trip being less than a success, he returns stateside, only to find George wanting to return Ted's hat, has stowed away on-board Ted's boat. Back in the states Ted finds himself lumbered with George, who can't help but make Ted's life even more hectic than it already is.

Boz was all eyes on the pc. He giggled when George played peek-a-boo with Ted. He clapped his hands and laughed when George got lifted into the air holding a bouquet of balloons. He looked for the model of the car park that the museum’s son wanted to build on the site of the museum. He pointed to the screen a couple of times at scenes that caught his attention. But what I will remember most is the breaking of his voice as he asked where George was during the scene where George was taken by animal control and was about to be shipped back to Africa. I saw his mouth twitch as George was placed inside a cage. He turned to me again and asked again where George was and Miki told him that George was being shipped back to Africa. His attention went back to the screen and after a few seconds, the outburst came.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Mama wala na si George!” My little boy broke down into tears feeling for the monkey. It took a while before we were able to pacify him. He was just so affected. I had to take his attention off his grief so he would see that Ted was out to save George. He was only appeased when he saw the two friends reunited. But even so, the pain caused by the separation lingered even after the happy ending. We had to cuddle while the credits were rolling and waited until it was over before we could toothy-brush. In the middle of the brushing he stopped and cried again, wailing “Mama, diin na si George? Huhuhuhuhu!!!” I had to carry him and pacify him again.

We talked about George before going to bed. I recounted the happy events. We slept with happy thoughts of George.

In the morning, he asked his papa if he could watch Curious George again.

“Basi mahibi ka naman! “ His papa remarked.

He grinned out wide and replied, “indeeeeeee.”