Space Chimps (2008)

"Who doesn't love an animated, anthropomorphized-chimpanzee-starring, sci-fi romantic comedy?  Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
"Delightful from beginning to end.  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Editor's Note Circus monkey Ham III (voiced by Andy Samberg) works in a circus where he's regularly shot from a canon but he still lives in the shadow of his father's legacy (Ham I was the first chimp shot into space in 1961). A natural born rebel against authority, Ham the third is initially reluctant to go on a dangerous space mission to rescue a lost space probe, but away he goes, for lots of RIGHT STUFF-style astro-training alongside two highly prepared chimps, Luna and Titan (Cheryl Hines and Patrick Warburton). NASA's by-the-book methods jar with Ham's mischief-making of course, but once the space training ends, the mission begins, with myriad dangers along the way, including: a big-toothed monster and a run amok alien named Zartog (Jeff Daniels) whose harnessed the previous space probe for world-domination purposes, all good opportunities for Ham III to redeem himself. Despite all the fangs, parents shouldn't worry too much; not a hair on any chimp is seriously singed, and along the pratfall strewn way there's time for lessons about responsibility and realization of one's full potential. While the animation here is not quite up to Pixar level, it's still pretty and colorful, with a pleasing Candyland quality to the alien planet surface. Samberg brings a savvy zest to his vocal duties as the Ham, Stanley Tucci is a nefarious senator and--getting big laughs with flawlessly deadpan elan--Patrick Breen as one of the trio of egghead scientists. Kird De Micco directed; based on the computer video game.

	Kirk De Micco - Story
	Stanley Tucci - Voice
	Jeff Daniels - Voice
	Chris Bacon - Composer
	Jane Lynch - Voice
	Omid Abtahi - Voice
	Cheryl Hines - Voice
	Barry Sonnenfeld - Producer
	John H. Williams - Producer
	Kirk De Micco - Screenwriter
	Andy Samberg - Voice
	Kenan Thompson - Voice
	Kristin Chenoweth - Voice
	Kath Soucie - Voice
	Blue Man Group - Music
	Patrick Breen - Voice
	Patrick Warburton - Voice
	Carlos Alazraqui - Voice
	Rob Moreland - Screenwriter
	Kirk De Micco - Director

Los Angeles Times
"It's a perfectly acceptable family entertainment, with cute monkeys...self-empowerment and the eye-popping animation we've come to take for granted." 07/18/2008

New York Times
"SPACE CHIMPS is hilarious....A child-friendly tale laced with deadpan asides for grown-up and delivered by top-notch voice actors." 07/18/2008

Reel.com 5 of 10
There are many concepts that work wonderfully in theory: communism, nuclear energy, monkeys in outer space. Sadly, just like their theoretical counterparts, very few successful practical examples exist. With a title like Space Chimps, one assumes a genial farce in which accident prone apes--opposable thumbs and all--cause chaos within a high-tech setting. Instead, Quest for Camelot scribe Kirk De Micco (here co-writing and directing) decides to go the blockbuster route. We want simian hijinks. Instead, we're offered a staid adventure with messages about courage, self-esteem, and living up to your potential...Space Chimps is a whiplash reminder of how CGI animation continues to cannibalize itself. Instead of finding new ways to employ the medium--as in the Shaw Bros.-inspired Kung Fu Panda, or the future-shock sweetness of WALL-E--this derivative big screen babysitter aims low and still manages to underachieve. In fact, this lax cartoon cavalcade avoids most of the format's flaws (stunt-voice casting, rampant pop culture riffing) and yet finds a way to be unoriginal...It consistently goes for the cheap laughs, mining way too many jokes out of puns, pratfalls, and the occasional reference to poop (these are apes, after all). The adventure is aimless and the feel-good message is mired in homogenized hokum. Extraterrestrial monkeys would appear to be an entertainment no-brainer. This movie took that maxim literally. - Bill Gibron