Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Monkey Kingdom Blu-ray Movie Review

Awwwww inspiring...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 18, 2015

With the latest Disneynature production, Monkey Kingdom, comes yet another Disneynature trade off. The feature-length documentary is undeniably precious, with a variety of cute, cuddly, grumpy, silly, personable animals sure to burrow their way into your children's imagination and memories. It's without a doubt the next proverbial "perfect for the whole family" doc. But with that fun, funny furriness tends to come a (slightly) overreaching anthropomorphisation that dabbles in a bit -- but just a bit -- too much feel-good guesswork. Does it matter? That depends on the temperature of your heart. Between all the pop songs, lighthearted jokes and kid-friendly characterizations there's plenty of educational value, particularly for young viewers. There's also a prevailing sense that we're not being given the clearest, most accurate glimpse into the lives of the film's toque macaques, proud mama Maya and little baby Kip. The verdict? My heart was warmed, my son was entranced, and Monkey Kingdom won us over quickly and decisively. It feels a bit manufactured, but never in a malicious, misleading manner.

Life is an adventure for Maya, the clever and resourceful blonde-bobbed monkey in Mark Linfield and Alastair Fothergill's Monkey Kingdom. Set among ancient ruins in the storied jungles of South Asia, Maya's world is forever changed when she welcomes her son, Kip, into her complicated extended family. Like all families, Maya's family has more than its share of colorful personalities, and she's determined to give her son a leg up on the social ladder. When their longtime home at Castle Rock is taken over by powerful neighboring monkeys, Maya's whole family is forced to relocate, and she uses her street smarts and ingenuity to lead them to untapped resources amidst strange new creatures and unsettling surroundings. Ultimately, they will all have to work together to reclaim Castle Rock, where Maya can hopefully realize her dreams for her son's future.

Part of Monkey Kingdom's Disnefied cute-n-cuddliness is in its very human macaques, part in the chipper quirkiness of narrator Tina Fey, who deftly avoids pretentiousness or over-serious tedium. But Disneynature also does what Disneynature does best: find a true nature tale straight out of an animated feature and approach it with the dignity and integrity of a credible documentary. There are a few suspicious scenes -- the monkeys storm a house and greedily feast on snack food -- that beg the question, did the camera crew stumble on this, stage it, or a little bit of both? These moments are always for levity, though, and never interfere with the examination of the toque macaques, their habitat, behaviors, or the difficulties they face surviving the jungles of Poḷonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

Monkey Kingdom doesn't miss a beat when it comes to entertaining kids, which should come as zero surprise to anyone who's seen a Disneynature production. Laughs are light, Fey delivers a few lines of mildly witty monkey dialogue here and there, and frightening scenes are handled carefully, without risking too many nightmares. (Death comes, but, spoiler, not to Maya or Kip, which would have sent children screaming from the theater.) Battles break out between rival tribes of monkeys, but so do games and celebrations. A brief kidnapping is a nail-biter, but it's soon forgotten as the love of a mother prevails. And the story that eventually emerges will even bring cheers, after dragging families to the edge of their seats before flinging them backwards with relief and ear to ear smiles. Monkey Kingdom isn't as moving as Chimpanzee or as stunning as Oceans. It amounts to a great movie night with the kids, though, and that's more than enough.

Monkey Kingdom Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Monkey Kingdom boasts a beautiful 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. Colors are gorgeous, with striking blues and greens, lifelike hues, earthy forestscapes, and satisfying black levels. Detail is just as impressive, with refined definition and exceedingly well-resolved textures, particularly during close-ups of the macaques. Hair and fur, leaves and foliage, dirt and stones, branches and rock faces are crisp and revealing, without exception, and the only softness that appears is optical. Add to that a complete lack of artifacting, banding and other issues (minus the slightest hint of ringing) and you have a presentation every bit as stunning as the Disneynature cinematography.

Monkey Kingdom Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is another excellent Disneynature offering. Tina Fey's narration is warm, nicely centered and doesn't drown out the natural soundscape. The rear speakers are active and engaging, immersing the listener in the rustling trees, crackling underbrush, rushing streams and gentle breeze of the Sri Lanka soundfield. LFE output is supportive and assertive, granting weight where weight is needed. Few scenes require low-end oomph, yet monitor lizard attacks, macaque battles and other high stakes sequences still take advantage of each channel. All told, Monkey Kingdom marks another lossless win for Disneynature's Blu-ray releases.

Monkey Kingdom Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Tales from the Kingdom (HD, 12 minutes): Ten camera teams, a great deal of patience, and a dramatic series of gorgeously photographed sequences; go behind the scenes of Monkey Kingdom with its filmmakers.
• On the Set of Monkey Kingdom (HD, 6 minutes): Primatologists Jane Goodall and Wolfgang Dittus lend their expertise to the directors and film crew of Monkey Kingdom and discuss the personalities of the macaques.
• Monkey Kingdom: A Conservation Story (HD, 8 minutes): EVP Conservation International Disneynature Ambassador Dr. M. Sanjayan delivers an impassioned overview of the ancient city featured in the film, its playful residents, their proximity to human civilization, and the challenges that proximity poses.
• A Special Thank You (HD, 2 minutes): A Disneynature promo.
• Music Video (HD, 3 minutes): "It's Our World" performed by Jacquie Lee.

Monkey Kingdom Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Monkey Kingdom isn't the most powerful Disneynature documentary, but families will find it cute, entertaining and a good deal of fun. Disney's Blu-ray release rounds out the experience with a high quality disc, outstanding AV presentation and all. The only knock against it is a small selection of special features, which isn't all that disappointing anyway. This one comes recommended.