Disneynature's Monkey Kingdom Review

Photo credit: Disney Nature

Disneynature's Monkey Kingdom (rated G) hits theaters April 17th, and for every ticket sold opening week (April 17-23, 2015), Disneynature will make a donation to Conservation International to help protect monkeys and other endangered species in their natural habitats. 

“Monkey Kingdom” is the sixth theatrical release for Disneynature, the first new Disney-branded film label from The Walt Disney Studios in more than 60 years.  The label was launched in April 2008 to bring the world’s top nature filmmakers together to capture a variety of wildlife subjects and stories.

My brother and sister-in-law, along with their son Caleb, attended an early screening of the film in Washington DC.

Here is what they had to say about the movie:

"Disney’s Monkey Kingdom is a fun film for all ages.  It’s a creative yet very informative documentary of a macaque monkey’s social class system that takes place in Asia.  Narrated by Tina Fey, her voice over makes the film that much more entertaining.  With their human-like behavior and social issues, you can’t help but relate to these interesting characters. 
Following the story of main character Maya, this film documents her struggles with being part of the lower class.  Being born into the lower-class, Maya has to deal with the daily struggles of being in the shadows of her upper-classmates.  At the top of ladder is a male by the name of Raja and his three chosen females that are referred to as “the sisters”.  Maya spends her day scrounging the jungle floors waiting for scraps that fall her way, many days falling asleep with an empty belly. 
This story takes a turn when an outside male suitor by the name of Kumar comes into the group and takes an interest in Maya.  He makes a mistake of “crossing” Raja and is cast out from the group.  Months later, Maya gives birth to a healthy baby boy.  Faced with caring for her baby on her own, Maya has to become more creative in looking for food for survival and becomes more “street smart” in the process. 
Follow Maya and this group on their journey of love and survival.  This family-friendly film is great for its use of real documented footage of these amazing creatures.  The younger audience is captivated by the monkeys playing and swinging while the mature audiences are enjoying the playfully amusing use of creative voiceover.  Prepare yourself for a fun and silly adventure!"

Review written by Vicki Cecchetti for Life Songs Of A Busy Mom

So make sure you and your little monkeys swing into theaters April 17th to watch Monkey Kingdom!