David Monkey

***David Monkey*** is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Feature Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha and produced by Lori Forte based on a screenplay by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It stars the voices of Jim Carrey as the titular character, along with Janice Kawaye, Amy Poehler, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, and more.

The film premiered in Canada on March 12, 2004 and was released March 19, 2004 in the United States by 20th Century Fox. It received positive reviews, praising its voice cast (particularly Carrey and Kawaye), animation, visual effects, musical score by John Powell, plot, humor, and its source material. It was a box office success, grossing $485.1 million on a budget of $59 million.

## Cast

* Frankie Muniz as David Monkey
* Kirsten Dunst as TBA
* Drake Bell as TBA
* Isla Fisher as TBA
* Jason Bateman as TBA
* Matthew Broderick as TBA
* Rupert Everett as TBA
* Jack Nicholson as TBA
* Kenan Thompson as TBA
* Reese Witherspoon as TBA

## Production

### Development

Development on *David Monkey* began in 2000. During the production of Ice Age, the team at Blue Sky Studios began development on a film with the working title *TBA*. Chris Wedge signed as director, Lori Forte served as producer and Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio served as the screenwriters. The screenwriting began on July 26, 2000 and wrapped on July 6, 2002.

### Animation

The animation was held at 20th Century Fox Feature Animation and Blue Sky Studios. It was animated fully in Alias' Maya animation software. Additional animation services were Rhythm & Hues Studios. This prompted *David Monkey* as the first computer-animated film by Blue Sky Studios to be animated by Rhythm & Hues Studios. The production began on July 30, 2002 and wrapped on August 18, 2003.

## Music

The music was composed by English composer John Powell, who would later composed the music for *Robots*, *Ice Age 2: The Meltdown*, *Horton Hears a Who!*, *Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs*, and many others. The score's album was released via Varèse Sarabande on March 16, 2004.

## Release

*David Monkey* had its premiere in Canada on March 12, 2004, and later had its full theatrical release on March 19, 2004 by 20th Century Fox. It was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for some action, thematic material including reckless behavior, and mild language. Outside of the United States, it was rated PG in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, and was rated A in Mexico.

### Home media

*David Monkey* was released on DVD and VHS on August 24, 2004 and was later released on Blu-ray on July 13, 2021 by 20th Century (Fox) Studios Home Entertainment. It was later re-released on March 14, 2006 as part of the Family Fun Collection. It is currently available on Disney+ after it was added on November 12, 2019.

### Box office

*David Monkey* grossed $185.6 million in the United States and Canada and $309.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $495.1 million on its production budget of $59 million, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2004.

### Critical response

*David Monkey* received positive reviews from critics upon release, with Rotten Tomatoes assigning the film an approval rating of 79% based on 185 professional reviews, with an average rating of 6.75/10. Its critics consensus reads: "Beautifully animated, comedic, and a great laugh for young children, *David Monkey* shows that it's never alright to give up, and that we need to keep trying and succeed our goals." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned the film an average grade of "A" on its A+ to F scale.