This article originally appeared on Dr. Mahaney’s Pet-Lebrity News column on Pet360.com as Disney’s Monkey Kingdom Inspires Wonder of the World of Primates.
Recently, Disney invited me to screen their latest animal-themed movie Monkey Kingdom. I was treated to the intriguing tale of a Maya, a monkey who found herself at the bottom rung on her community’s food chain and pecking order in the dense jungles of Sri Lanka. Ultimately, Maya’s fortunes improve and she establishes a great life for herself and her offspring amongst her simian kind.
Before I delve into my favorite parts of Monkey Kingdom, let’s cover some important aspects about the film’s production:
- Monkey Kingdom is the brainchild of Disneynature, which is a offshoot of Disney that focuses on capturing the essence of the animal kingdom in a realistic, informative, and entertaining fashion that also focuses on environmental preservation.Ticket sales from the opening week of Monkey Kingdom benefit Conservation International. - The entire film was shot in a manner that paid the utmost respect to wildlife. The monkeys’ day-to-day interactions among their kind and with potentially dangerous species (monitor lizard, mongoose, etc.) remained undisturbed. As a result, the audience sees the triumphs and the tragedies facing Maya’s clan. - Tina Fey serves as Monkey Kingdom’s narrator, and her recognizable voice made it sound like your best friend was taking you along for a wild monkey ride.When we are first introduced to Maya, she ranks low in the hierarchy of her monkey community at Castle Rock as a result of her parents also being of a subordinate rank. Yet, Maya has a “pretty rad hairdo” naturally styled in a blond bob and a keen desire to better her circumstance.
A male monkey named Raja and his triumvirate female concubines known as the Three Sisters rule Maya’s community. Raja and the Three Sisters excel at collecting sufficient food, shelter and opportunities to be groomed for themselves and their brood while leaving their discards to lower ranking monkeys like Maya.
As a result, Maya only gets eat the un-ripened figs that fall from or are plucked from the bottom branches of the tree, while her higher-ranking clan consume highly-desirable, sun-ripened figs from the upper limbs. Additionally, Maya is relegated to the open-air environment of Castle Rock and must endure the onslaught of torrential rain during monsoon season without sufficient access to shelter. Finally, Maya must endure the vocal taunting, physical abuse and even abduction of her offspring by the Three Sisters. All in all, Maya needs to find a way out of her current situation to provide a better life for her son Kip.
Things start to look up for Maya when Kumar, Kip’s father, returns and establishes kinship with Raja and the Three Sisters. She, Kip and Kumar help expand the group’s protective realm and all is harmonious until a competing tribe led by a battle-worn monkey named Lex overtakes Castle Rock in a brutal coup.
My personal highlights from the film include:
- Watching the monkeys binge on the annual emergence of flying termites occurring after the monsoon season. Interestingly, the monkeys appear to eat only the termites’ bodies and not their wings. - Seeing the monkeys raid a local human village for food after they were expelled from Castle Rock by a competing clan. They crash a child’s party, trash the room, and escape with treat-stuffed cheeks and bellies. - Understanding that the technique of branch shaking is a threatening gesture to all creatures within visual range. Lex and his henchmen certainly appeared dangerous with their menacing body language while violently sharking tree branches on which they stood. - Witnessing Maya’s clan take back Castle Rock in a highly contested territorial battle with Lex and his henchman. - Learning that Maya was pregnant with her second child by Kumar once she and Kip settled back into Castle rock. - Hearing the amazing song “Changing” by Sigma featuring Paloma Faith. Check out the official video on YouTube.Although the Monkey Kingdom only showed us a glimpse of simian life in Sri Lanka, hopefully Maya, Kumar and their offspring will have many safe, fig-filled seasons to come now that they’ve staked their claim at Castle Rock once again.
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