Very well executed

Very disappointing...

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Monkey see. Monkey do.From a strictly visual perspective only - Disneynature's "Monkey Kingdom" was, indeed, a super-impressive wildlife documentary. There's no question about it.The excellent camerawork that took an up-close look at the macaque monkeys (with their "natural" bowl-cut hairdos) hanging out in the ruins of an abandoned temple in the jungles of Sri Lanka was truly awesome, to say the least.Boy, these chattering, little critters (whose babies were so ugly they were actually cute) certainly were totally obsessed with grooming each other.But - On the down side - This presentation's irksome, voice-over narration delivered by Tina Fey (who was trying so desperately to be funny) stank, big-time.I really loathed Fey's commentary that kept trying to "humanize" these wild animals and reduce them to being a quaint, little novelty-act straight out of a pop-culture, fast-food, TV commercial.

This Disney Studios (Disneynature) feature focuses on a community of about fifty macaque monkeys who inhabit the jungles of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. As they like to dwell around the ancient temple ruins near Castle Rock now overgrown by jungle flora, they are known in the film as the Temple Troop. These monkeys are bound by a caste system, a strict social order that determines even what they eat. In the most prized fig tree, only those at the top capture the best and ripest fruit. Raja, the alpha male, is the king, supported by the three queens (the "Sisterhood") who back him. They and their offspring get what they want. As we descend the tree, the lesser monkeys get the lesser produce. At the bottom of the fig tree lowly Maya gets the scraps. The "high-born" monkeys even get the sunnier, warmer branches while the others shiver on the colder ones below. Before the movie ends Maya will ascend the top of the tree. This is her story.Lone male monkey Kumar enters the group during mating season, but is expelled by the alpha monkey Raja. Six months later, his offspring through Maya is born ("Kip"). During the heavy downpours of the rainy season Castle Rock makes a great shelter for the alpha monkeys. But the others suffer from the cold and dampness. One day a year is feast time for the lowly, when the termites come out. Cassata leaves are tasty, but only for the alphas. Needing to eat to form milk for Kip, Maya goes to the lily pond, where there is food but also predators. She swims for the tasty lily-seed pods (underwater plants). Eventually Maya and friends enter a human house at the forest edge and take all kinds of foods and leave a mess.Kumar eventually returns, smarter and stronger. He brings jackfruit as a bribe to Raja, who accepts the gift. Raja will need Kumar as a rival monkey group moves in, led by Rex. But Lex's group wins by tactical trickery and Raja's clan has to evacuate. The troop travels beyond the forest to the city to regroup; Maya becomes a queen as she has learned to take food from the humans. The journey further blurs the distinction between high-born and low-born. Out of their element, the alphas are bewildered, and strong Kumar takes the lead. Fortified, the Troop is ready to return to Castle Rock and regain the lost homeland. At Castle Rock the Troop attacks. Lex's group retreats as Kumar lays his claim as King of the Castle. Along with him, Maya and Kip - and his new sister – will live well as alphas. During the end credits the macaque monkeys approach the cameramen and "inspect" camera equipment. Yes, there is anthropomorphizing as the narrative of Tina Fey imposes human emotions on these animals. After all, the characters are animals, not humans. Does Maya really fight to beat the odds, or did she just get lucky and mate with a strong male? And were some parts of the film staged, like, for instance, the birthday party invasion where the humans are outside but the monkeys (and camera crew) are inside? Still, the filmmakers do not interfere and allow the monkeys to do their part like realizing their social structure and capturing their intimate close-ups: eating, sleeping, grooming, and playing. We also see their interaction with other animals, such as a mongoose and a langur. Animals in the story include bears, deer, Asian elephants, and predators such as a leopard and a seven-foot long monitor lizard. Disney has always done well with animal documentaries going back to the "True-Life Adventures" series. This one should please animal lovers everywhere.

In this latest outing by Disneynature, we meet Maya, a monkey who is an outcast to her own troop. Through pure determination and perseverance however, she survives and thrives. After she finds a mate, who is later runoff by the other monkeys; and becomes a mother to Kip, she continues her fight, even against the greatest odds. Even after being forcibly moved by a neighboring troop to a new home, and having to fight for survival and even traveling into a human village.It is while Maya and the other monkeys are in the human village that they get into a lot of mischief. Very entertaining and fun movie for the whole family.My only fault with the film is that the voice of Tina Fey can make you want to fall asleep.

Monkey Kingdom (2015): Dir: Mark Linfield, Alastair Fothergill / Narrator: Tina Fey: Another fascinating Disney Nature documentary. This one is set within the jungles of Sri Lanka that homes a clan of macaque monkeys. Narrator Tina Fey points out the status lifestyle of these creatures sighting that the leading alpha male eats highest in the trees with the choicest food. From there it descends in rank, which unfortunately places Maya on the ground under the watchful scowls of the "sisters." Eventually she is courted by Kumar, a visiting macaque that is quickly banished for his curiosity but not before getting Maya pregnant. Her son Kip is born but it is a struggle to provide food at the lowest rank. This results in an exciting, amusing and adventurous film where the macaques are faced with all sorts of issues. They are stalked by a leopard early on, which they escape although they are not so lucky with a monitor lizard during a river sequence. They are attacked by a rival group that forces them to risk entering a nearby city. They approach this with caution as they steal food from angry humans that view them as pests. When the city becomes too overwhelming they decide to return to the jungle and fight to reclaim their rightful home. Beautifully filmed with a variety of wildlife throughout, and a well told informative narrative that gives insight to the struggles these creatures face daily. It is another triumph from the studio that brought us such treasures as Bears, Chimpanzee and African Cats. This is equally fine family viewing or for animal lovers curious to see the chaotic lifestyles going on outside our society. Score: 10 / 10