`Monkey Kingdom` hangs out with primates in Sri

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‘Monkey Kingdom’ hangs out with
primates in Sri Lanka
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DISNEYNATURE
Sri Lankan toque macaques in Disneynature’s “Monkey Kingdom.”
By Ethan Gilsdorf
G LO B E C O R R E S P O N D E N T APRIL 10, 2015
In the new Disneynature film “Monkey Kingdom,” which opens Friday, the protagonists, a group of
jungle-dwelling toque macaque monkeys, make their screen debut to the theme song from the 1960s
sitcom “The Monkees.”
“Hey, hey, we’re the Monkees/
And people say we monkey around.”
Yes, they certainly do monkey around. They groom each
other. They dangle from vines. They cannonball into a river.
“I know
what you’re
thinking,”
says
narrator
Tina Fey.
Being a
monkey
seems like
“fun and
games.” But
the interpersonal order of these toque macaques, who
inhabit a “land of myth and legend” that includes an
abandoned temple complex in Sri Lanka, is as cutthroat as
ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES
the high school clique system. Our heroine, Maya, is a
Mark Linfield, writer and co-director.
“lower born” who dwells at the bottom of that social order.
Maya must contend with Raja, the king of Castle Rock, the monkey homeland, as well as a bevy of female
toque macaques, a.k.a. “the Sisterhood.” Eventually Maya finds a mate (Kumar) and welcomes her own
offspring (Kip). “This is a story of how Maya beats the odds and rises to the top,” Fey says.
Are viewers in store for a just-for-laughs version of the animal kingdom, or something more serious —
something more human?
“Monkey Kingdom” is the latest effort from Disneynature, a line of films that began with “Earth” (2007)
and includes “Oceans” (2010), “African Cats” (2011), and last year’s “Bears.” The formula is a hit with
viewers. Of the six highest-grossing feature-length nature films, five are Disneynature releases, according
to Box Office Mojo.
Nature documentaries have changed since the genteel days of Walt Disney himself, who made 13 “TrueLife Adventure” motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, or for that matter, Marlin Perkins’s TV program
“Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.” PBS, the BBC, and the “Animal Planet” channel rule the roost. The
nature doc box office champ is the French-made “March of the Penguins” (2005), which helped prove that
mainstream audiences, and profits, will flock to the normally staid nature documentary genre when
filmmakers find that sweet spot between realism and spectacle.
“You do have to walk the line carefully between making a film entertaining and educating,” says Susan
Gottlieb, founder of the G2 Green Earth Film Festival, held in October in Venice, Calif. She says that
British broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, host and writer of such BBC productions as “Life
on Earth,” set “the gold standard” in finding this balance. Attenborough’s “Planet Earth” and “The Blue
Planet” series were executive-produced by Alastair Fothergill, who served as co-director and producer on
“Monkey Kingdom.”
“If [a nature documentary] is too dry or serious, you will
‘[The] story is true to nature. [The]
science is good. . . . We don’t know the
story in advance.’
lose those who aren’t already committed,” Gottlieb says.
“But if it becomes too much about entertainment then you
lose the committed.”
For Disneynature, a compelling story that plucks all the
right heartstrings is part of the series’ success. In “Monkey Kingdom,” the monkeys are given pet names. A
leader of a rival gang of macaques with a battle-scarred face is named Lex, the perfect Disney villain. The
plot is punctuated by a score (by “Shrek” film composer Harry Gregson-Williams) that’s either whimsical
or dramatic, as the story demands. But to what extent does a film like “Monkey Kingdom” massage the
reality of the monkeys’ lives to create a compelling story?
“[The filmmakers] come from a very strict natural history background,” says M. Sanjayan, Disneynature
“ambassador” and executive vice president for Conservation International. “The trick is to never show
something that never really happens.”
Alternating between comical and sincere, Fey’s commentary, scripted by writer-co-director Mark Linfield,
fills in narrative gaps. “See that move? That’s macaque for ‘back off,’!” Fey jokes. Introduced to the strains
of Salt-N-Pepa’s “Whatta Man,” Kumar is “15 pounds of hunky monkey.”
Gottlieb, who hasn’t seen the film, says that while “celebrity narrators do help hype a film and bring
viewers in,” she doesn’t think Fey “making ironic commentary is the way to go.”
For his part, Linfield says the “story is true to nature” and the “science is good.” Linfield, who also codirected the Disneynature films “Chimpanzee” (2012) and “Earth,” spent 1,010 days over 2½ years to
capture the toque macaques on location.
“We don’t know the story in advance. We don’t leave it to the cutting room, either.” Linfield says. “We
hope interesting things will happen to the lead characters.”
But the notion of “character” in nature documentary raises the issue of anthropomorphism. Fey calls a
langur, an animal the macaques interact with, “Not the smartest tool in the toolshed.” After the birth of
her son Kip, “Maya is consumed by unconditional love,” Fey says in full-on sober mode. (Even in “March
of the Penguins,” narrator Morgan Freeman intones “This is a story about love.”)
JEFF WILSON/DISNEYNATURE 2015
Is ascribing animals with human characteristics permissible? “The right dose of well-used and measured
anthropomorphism or quirky commentary could be just what’s needed to get a conservation message to
the biggest audience,” says National Wildlife Federation naturalist Dave Mizejewski. “But it’s all about
balance.”
Not all nature experts agree that filmmakers find that equilibrium. “All the animal people I know in the
rescue and welfare business pretty much hate all the portrayals of animals in nature films and cartoons,”
says Susan Tellem, executive director of American Tortoise Rescue, an organization that protects tortoises
and turtles. “There is too much that is contrived and staged.”
A scene where Maya and her monkey troupe raid a Sri Lankan kitchen and gorge on birthday cake is
“absolutely fine because you’re showing the monkeys’ natural behaviors,” Linfield says. “It’s an
observational documentary.”
Disney itself bristles at the term “documentary” being associated with the Disneynature brand. “We don’t
use the word ‘documentary,’!” a spokesperson says. The company prefers the genre be referred to as “true
life adventure” or “nature film.”
To be sure, Disneynature does not aspire to be the BBC. A “nature film” narrated by David Attenborough
would not draw the intended audience. These films are “designed for kids,” says Sanjayan.
That said, Sanjayan thinks young viewers are savvy. They know “Monkey Kingdom” is no talking-animal
fictional cartoon like “Lion King” or “Bambi,” but they also know the filmmakers take some liberties to
craft “a compelling and joyful story.”
“If they are going to give a monkey a name, fair enough. Maya might not call the baby ‘Kip.’ We can’t
speak monkey so we have to use our own interpretation,” Sanjayan says. “I think kids are smart. I think
kids get it. If you are going to be in this world of magic, that’s OK.”
Ethan Gilsdorf can be reached at ethan@ethangilsdorf.com.
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