Review of Monkey Kingdom (2015) by John B — 09 Oct 2016

In 2007, the Walt Disney Company established Disneynature - a direct descendant of the classic and Academy Award winning nature series of the 1950s and 1960s: True-Life Adventures. Following closely in those footsteps, Monkey Kingdom (2015, Mark Linfield & Alistair Fothergill) follows a family or troop of macaques throughout the seasons in an ancient abandoned city in Sri Lanka.

The documentary contains a substantial amount of indirect human-animal interaction; something noticeably absent in previous Disneynature documentaries. It almost seemed as if the macaques could not make ends meet without their good-natured stealing from the human world.

Using human familial and dynastic traits and placing them upon animals is nothing new and for the viewer not familiar with the Disneynature style the narrative may prove simplistic at first, but it works as the documentary moves on.

Tina Fey can add narration to her long list of talents; her role here is playful in tone and at the same time reassuring and honest (kind of like a mom). The kids seems to love it and be prepared for flying questions before, during, and after the feature.