Main Cast: Christopher Showerman, Julie Benz, Thomas Haden Church, Christina Pickles, Angus T. Jones
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 87 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Longtime television director David Grossman makes his feature debut with this direct-to-video sequel to the 1997 hit family comedy George of the Jungle. Filling the loincloth originally worn by Brendan Fraser, Chris Showerman plays George this time around. Since the events of the first film, George and Ursula (Julie Benz stepping in for Leslie Mann) have had a son and made a home for themselves in George's jungle kingdom. But George is suddenly called away by his brother Ape who has run up a substantial gambling debt in Las Vegas. Once back in America to help Ape, Ursula encounters Lyle Van de Groot (Thomas Haden Church, reprising his role from the first film) who is in cahoots with Ursula's disapproving mother. When Van de Groot puts her under a hypnotic spell, Ursula no longer recognizes George, just as her mother wants. If that weren't bad enough, while George is busy trying to help Ape and rescue Ursula, a lion is attempting to stage a coup back in the jungle. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
John Cleese - Ape; Kelly Miller - Betsy; Michael Clarke Duncan - Mean Lion [Voice]; Keith Scott - Narrator; Lydell M. Cheshier - Bateke; Marjean Holden - Sally; John Kassir - Armando; Abdoulaye N'Gom - Kip; Paul Wayne - Cowboy; Kirstie Hutton - Tiffany; Chelsea Gibb - Courtney; Erika Herynatz - Kowalski; Lamont Thompson - Ndugu
Credit
Daniel Jason Heffner - Co-producer, Darren Mallett - First Assistant Director, David Grossman - Director, Alan Cody - Editor, J.A.C. Redford - Composer (Music Score), Stewart Burnside - Production Designer, David Burr - Cinematographer, Jordan Kerner - Producer, Gregg Hoffman - Producer, John Schiefelbein - Sound/Sound Designer, Bill Kent - Special Effects Supervisor, Jordan Moffet - Screenwriter, John Cox - Animatronic Effects, John Cox - Animation Effects, Steve Courtney - Special Effects Coordinator, Hans Kreuzen - Special Effects Coordinator, Tamara Kent - Visual Effects Producer
1. When the narrator sees the new actor playing George, he asks who the man is. George says, "Me new George. Studio too cheap to pay Brendan Fraser," referring to the actor who played George in the first movie.
2. When George, Ursula, and the others are in the crate headed for home, the narrator references a similar scene from the first film. He says, "George took a tip from Brendan Fraser and got a big crate." This references the first film where George arrives in Africa in a much too small box and exclaims, "Next time George get bigger box."
3. Because the film did not include Brendan Fraser, the first film's star, several references are made to him in the comedic dialogue between the characters and narrator; George himself tells the narrator that he is played by Showerman because the studio was "too cheap to pay Brendan Fraser". Later references attempt to compare the two actors' portrayal of George, often at Fraser's expense. In fact, it was Fraser who declined to reprise his role of George due to already having a commitment in 2003 to take the male lead role in Looney Tunes: Back in Action, rather than demands from the actor for more compensation to reprise the role.
