WSRE Press Room
WSRE Kicks Off the Holiday Season with Broadcast Premiere of Curious George Movie on PBS KIDS
Movie airs as part of Curious George Holiday Spectacular, a special on-air event and holiday tradition
WSRE is monkeying around this holiday season. On Wednesday, November 23, at 7 a.m., WSRE will feature the broadcast premiere of the original Curious George movie, which will air as part of the CURIOUS GEORGE Holiday Spectacular. A three-movie on-air event that is sure to be a new family tradition, the Holiday Spectacular kicks off with Curious George, featuring the voices of Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore and Dick Van Dyke, as well as the music of Jack Johnson, followed by Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey and Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas. Encore presentations of the Holiday Spectacular will air on WSRE on Friday, November 25 at 6:30 a.m.
“WSRE is excited to extend the fun of CURIOUS GEORGE, the #1 preschool series in the U.S.*, into this special holiday movie event across the Gulf Coast,” said Robin McArthur, Manager of Marketing and Promotions for WSRE. “We hope to make this an annual tradition for families to enjoy together every holiday season, taking them on adventures with their favorite monkey and fostering excitement in exploring the world around them.”
CURIOUS GEORGE Holiday Spectacular Program Descriptions
Curious George
Curious George follows everyone’s favorite spunky monkey as he sets off on a series of (mis)adventures. In the film, after the Man with the Yellow Hat accidentally brings back George from a business trip to Africa, the unlikely twosome embarks on a fun-filled journey through the big city, and ultimately finds their way to a lasting friendship. Featuring gorgeous and old-fashioned two-dimensional animation that echoes the simple colors and shapes of the books by Margret and H. A. Rey, Curious George includes voice talents Will Ferrell (as the Man with the Yellow Hat), Drew Barrymore, and Dick Van Dyke, as well as all-original music from Jack Johnson.
Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey
In Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, the fun-filled sequel to the hit animated movie, Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat set out on a madcap cross-country adventure to reunite Kayla, a homesick elephant, with her family. This unlikely trio faces all types of comic calamities and colorful characters and in the end learns that with family, friends and determination you can achieve anything. Curious George 2 features the voices of Tim Curry, Matt Lauer, Jamie Kennedy and Jerry Lewis.
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas
In A Very Monkey Christmas, Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat are having a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas. There's only one dilemma - neither of them can figure out what to give the other for a present! In the end, both gift-giving predicaments are simply and beautifully resolved, revealing the true spirit of the holiday season.
Tips for Creating Family Traditions
WSRE and PBS encourage families to take part in traditions new and old. PBS Parents provides additional ideas to create meaningful traditions for the family such as:
1) Write an annual letter to your child. The holidays are an appropriate time to mark your child's growth with a special message that will be cherished for a lifetime. Seal letters and store them in a keepsake box until they are old enough to read and enjoy them.
2) Do a Secret Santa gift exchange for charity. Turn the tables this year. Instead of buying a present, make a donation or spend time volunteering for a charity of the giftee’s choice.
3) Make a family walk an annual event. Walking is a great way to spend time with each other, and work off those extra gingerbread cookies! Set aside time — even if it’s 30 minutes — to get outside and stretch your legs with the family.
4) Leave a legacy that lasts (and helps the environment). Each New Year's Day, plant a tree in honor of your child(ren). Hold a special ceremony in which everyone in the family plays a part in planting that year's tree, and take lots of pictures, both when the tree is planted and over the years as it grows.
5) Take part in a community service project as a family. Designate a day that will be devoted to serving others in your community.
6) Select a recipe and make it a tradition to make it together as a family, giving each family member a task in preparing it. In honor of the CURIOUS GEORGE Holiday Spectacular, make monkey bread or a banana dessert.
More details and ideas can be found on the PBS Parents website at www.pbs.org/parents.
*Ratings Source: Nielsen NPower, 8/29/2011 – 9/25/2011, Live+7 National GAA ratings for PBS and select competitive cable networks *Telecasts are accumulated across the entire week based on unique program names only, with three or more telecasts per month required for inclusion.
Curious George is a presentation of Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment and a David Kirschner-Jon Shapiro production.
Curious George 2 is a presentation of Universal Studios Family Productions and Imagine Entertainment and a Universal Animation Studios production.
Curious George TV Series is a production of Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston and Universal Studios Family Productions.
Curious George and related characters, created by Margaret and H.A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLP. Television series (c) 2011