USA: BIG SCREEN VERSION OF "GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE" PREMIERES AT THE SAN DIEGO WILD ANIMAL PARK

Record ID: 191261

  • Title: USA: BIG SCREEN VERSION OF "GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE" PREMIERES AT THE SAN DIEGO WILD ANIMAL PARK
  • Date: 9th July 1997
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (RTV) BRENDAN FRASER SAYING, "THE GOOD NEWS WAS I GOT HIRED IN MARCH AND WE DIDN'T START SHOOTING UNTIL THE FALL SO I HAD A GOOD LEAD TIME TO...I'D LIKE THING TO TUNE-UP A BIT. I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY THAT ONE WOULDN'T NECESSARILY DO BY MAKING REGULAR VISITS TO A GYM, LIFTING DUMBBELLS, ANYTHING HEAVY AT ONE POINT, SOMETIMES LESLIE MANN, ACTUALLY, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH" (ENGLISH) LESLIE MANN SAYING, "I TRIED TO, I TRIED TO WORK OUT BUT, I JUST DON'T...I'M NOT BRENDAN. I LIKE TO WATCH BRENDAN WORK OUT, I ENJOYED THAT, BUT, I, NO, UNFORTUNATELY, I GOT A LITTLE BIGGER AS HE GOT MORE BUFF"
  • Embargoed: 24th July 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK AND SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM lOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA5BSSOQJDJSJ8MSZ1L8B1OV3ZH
  • Story Text: Vintage American television continues to make its way to the big screen with the new Disney live-action version of the 60's cartoon "George of the Jungle." Cast and crew gathered at the San Diego Wild Animal Park for the film's world premiere on July 9.
    Brendan Fraser plays the clumsy but heroic jungle man named George. Marooned in deep dark Africa by a plane crash when he was just a baby, George is befriended and raised by a group of unusual animals, including a chess-playing ape named Ape (voiced by John Cleese,) an elephant named Shep who thinks he's a puppy dog and a Toucan bird named Tookie who has a taste for mimosas.
    Now grown into adulthood, George's life is forever altered when the adventurous Ursula Stanhope (played by Leslie Mann) enters his jungle sanctuary during a safari. The two soon fall in love and George is on his way back to Ursula's home in San Francisco, where he gets into a series of very urban adventures.
    "George of the Jungle" was first brought to life by legendary animation producer Jay Ward in 1967. Ward is also the man responsible for such cartoon classics as "Rocky & Bullwinkle" and "Fractured Fairy Tales". The highly acclaimed and popular series ran four years before launching an indefinite run in syndication and securing a place in animation history.
    But as popular as the show was, the most memorable part of it for audiences today is still the distinctive theme song, which is retained and updated for the sake of this film.
    The film's director is Sam Weisman, who previously helmed the films "Bye, Bye Love" with Paul Reiser and "D2: The Mighty Ducks" with Emilio Estevez.
    Fraser did the most to prepare for his role. The star of such films as "Mrs Winterbourne" with Shirley McClaine and "Encino Man" with Pauly Shore underwent a strict diet and exercise program to get in shape for the loincloth-clad role.
    He reportedly got his body down to seven per cent body fat.
    Meanwhile, the film's animal trainers, including veteran Gary Gero, were hard at work gathering and training hundreds of animals for the production.
    Among the animal co-stars were Tai the elephant, who previously worked with Bill Murray in "Larger Than Life," and Binks, the capuchin monkey, who starred in such films as "Outbreak" and "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective." Fraser reportedly got along with the animals so well, he actually learned to cue some of their actions on the set without the help of trainers.
    But real-life animals only brought the filmmakers so far. They also had to rely extensively on animatronic, or puppet animals operated by hydraulics and live actors inside suits.
    Finally, computer generated imagery, or "CGI," put the finishing touches on some of the animals' behaviour that the real thing couldn't deliver.
    The film opens in the United States on July 16.
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