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Space Chimps | 
 enlarge | Director: Kirk De Micco
Actors: Jeff Daniels, Jane Lynch, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Kenan Thompson
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $6.05
You Save: $23.94 (80%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 763
Format: Ac-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 81
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2253357D
UPC: 024543533573
EAN: 0024543533573
ASIN: B001F7Q4J8
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: November 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ALL MOVIES COME WITH A 30 DAY GUARANTEE IF THEY DON'T WORK WE WILL REPLACE IT!!
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Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 11/25/2008 Run time: 81 minutes Rating: G
Amazon.com
Youngsters probably don't know that a long time ago, chimpanzees were sent into space in NASA rockets before astronauts got the chance to go. But they will certainly know more about that historical fact after seeing the very clever and funny Space Chimps, a computer-animated film in which primates are sent off-planet once again by a space agency. When a probe from Earth gets zapped into a wormhole and ends up in the hands of a wannabe tyrant (voiced by Jeff Daniels) on a distant planet, a chimp crew is thrust in that same direction to see what's up. The simian team includes a by-the-book commander (Patrick Warburton), a brilliant scientist (Cheryl Hines), and a wild card named Ham III (Andy Samberg), a circus chimp whose grandfather happened to be an astronaut legend in the old space program. The script by Kirk De Micco and Robert Moreland is like a string of lighted firecrackers: rapid-fire puns, wisecracks, and blink-and-you'll-miss-them visual gags that will appeal to every age. De Micco, making his directorial debut, keeps the comic engine humming, but he also supervises radically different art direction schemes underscoring how different Earth is from the Seussian-like planet on which Ham and the other visitors find themselves. Ratcheting up the humor even more are three NASA-nerds harboring party animals within their pocket-protector-covered hearts, and a funny performance by Stanley Tucci (Big Night) as an imperious senator. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 A Silly Animated Show January 4, 2009
A dad, a 17 year old, and a 12 year got a lot of laughs out of this show. No it's not high animation, it's not some fantastic film, it's just silly. This one is in the same vein as Kronk - The Emperor's New Clothes. The voices are rather good and well chosen. You have to check reality at the door, nothing in this is plausible. Just enjoy the ride. It's funny. And the number of laughs is why I rated Space Chimps so high.
Patrick Warburton is really a great choice for Titan the big dumb astronaut. Patrick's voice is recognizable. Kristin Chenoweth (West Wing and Pushing Dasies) is wonderfully annoying as a little glow head Killowatt. Andy Samberg (Current Saturday Night Live, the kid with the big curly hair) as the lead chimp is a well chosen voice. Stanley Tucci appears as a stupid senator. Keenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live) makes a cameo as the circus ringleader. And Jeff Daniels does a great job as the evil Zartog or Zartig.
The DVD is rated G. There is way more offensive and complex cartoons on daytime television. Oh yeah, some young children might miss the satire, or references to the space program and certain movies - but there's a ton of adults that miss that too. There's more than enough slapstick here to entertain most everyone. We all enjoyed this one a bunch.
 Chimps in space... December 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was a good release to watch. I enjoyed it all the way through.I actually would like to of given this 3.5 stars instead of just 3. Both adults and children of all ages will enjoy this. The CGI was pretty good and the story line was also good. It's a for sure to-rent movie and I also think it's a good movie to-buy if you so choose to do.
 It Would Be A "Chimptastrophe" To Let This One Warp On By... December 29, 2008
Nowadays when it comes to animation, unless you're a twenty year old television show, computer generated images (CGI) is the only acceptable way of telling your story to today's masses. But unlike the loss of the human hand to draw out the emotions that now an unfeeling computer does, the story itself has to reach the audience as well. One of the main reasons CGI originator and giant Pixar was able to not only blow us away with amazing detail, but also with stories that tugged at our heartstrings. Afterwards of course companies like Dreamworks got into the act and had similiar results. But now a good 10 years into the process, alot of these modern-day "cartoons" lack either the vocal talent or the tale that can't live up to the outstanding images in front of them. And then there are the movies that just get lost in the shuffle, unfairly shadowed by brand names with titles like WALL*E or Shrek The Third. Space Chimps, believe it or not, was one of them.
Space Chimps is an entertaining tale produced by Starz Animation (?) and probably the guy that brought coffee on Shrek. In it, a chimp named Ham III, the great-grandson of the real life chimpanzee Ham The First who flew in the 1959 MR-2 mission, has spent most his life performing in a circus as a "flying" chimp aka shot out of a cannon. When a space probe sent from Earth by...well, not NASA (couldn't get the name, huh guys?) goes lost through a wormhole landing on a colorful alien planet, it becomes this space agency's new mission to send three space chimps (including for press the lost great-grandson who knows nothing of space training) in a smaller version of the space shuttle and somehow help relocate the probe. However, this probe has landed in the wrong evil hands by alien Zartog, who with the help of the probe's recorded Earth images, wants to create a Las Vegas-like palace at the expense of all the other creatures living there. While the way, Ham will learn love and concern over his fellow chimp and alien, and find his way back home.
I know it sounds predictable and corny, but somehow it works and is very entertaining without trying all that hard. But what gets main points of appeal here is the presentation of the voice actors and the heart-felt readings they give within this movie where so many others like it seem to fail lately. Heading up the cast as Ham is Andy Samberg, the young SNL star of two really funny Digital Shorts...and about 50 lame ones. Somehow his voice is perfect to play the sarcastic, jokingly Ham to a tee, and there's alot of authenticity in his reading. Same goes for the rest of the cast of some decent names like Cheryl Hines, Patrick Warburton (who is slowly becoming the Kevin Bacon Of Animation Voices), Kristin Chenoweth, Stanley Tucci, and Jeff Daniels. Each actor really puts in a great performance that keeps you into the somewhat silly story. As far as the animation goes, it's good, not WALL*E great, nor should it. To say the phrase "less is more" here really goes a long way. The NASA-like headquarters reflect their military-gray atmosphere while the alien worlds are extremely colorful, full of strange landscapes and creatures. But nothing is visually over-the-top here, and it looks perfect.
As for the overall appeal, I with my young daughter both found ourselves laughing and enjoying this movie on the same and different levels. I for one really appreciated all the homages to other great Sci-Fi entertainment nods within like from 2001, Star Trek, Apollo 13, Planet Of The Apes (of course), and the aliens looking alot like the ones in the 1985 kid-classic Explorers (nice touch, guys). She found all the chimp-puns funny and how they interact with both human and alien laugh inducing. So is this the next WALL*E? No it isn't, but it does prove you don't have to be one of the big guys to make an entertaining CG film. And in some aspects, the little guys still remember there's got to be a good performance and script on these films too.
Finally as for the disc itself, it's a flipper with Widescreen and Full Frame sides with just one bonus, an eight minute documentary on the actors and their voices that show they were there for more than just a paycheck. Too bad FOX (who is releasing it on DVD) didn't show it more respect than this, this film could have been appreciated by alot more kids (and adults) in the process, as well as maybe inspiring a couple of future human astronauts in the process. Defintely worth at least a rental, and probably very impressive on Blu-Ray. Don't monkey around and miss this one.
Pros:
*An entertaining story with a great script & vocal readings,
all without trying too hard to blow your mind.
*We finally found a reason for Andy Samberg to be in movies.
*It's funny for both kids and adults alike.
Cons:
*Fox should have treated (and promoted) this movie better. From the trailer did you know that the Chimps go to a weird alien planet?
*If you think all CGI movies should look as detailed and sterile as WALL*E, this movie will only strengthen your spoiled tastes.
*Pixar and Dreamworks are finally going to have to realize that they're NOT the only pony-show in town anymore to make a decent movie outta this technique.
(RedSabbath Rating:8.5/10)
 Poor December 27, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had the misfortune of watching about half of this movie over Christmas. While I love animated films, (I own all the Pixar films) and usually like animated kids movies, I did not enjoy this one. The storyline was alright, but the animated characters just didn't have the right 'feel' to them. The main character, HAM-III, was too cocky and sure of himself to be likable. The voice acting is also a downgrade from the other animated films released in 2008. The movie just felt sub-par when compared to other kids flicks I've seen that last few years. Also, the animation itself is of a lesser quality; it just doesn't look polished.
If you're looking for a good animated film for your kids, check out WALL-E (or anything Pixar) or KUNG FU PANDA. They are much better films and more watchable for an adult audience. (KUNG FU PANDA made me laugh my pants off; Jack Black's voice acting is hysterical).
Funnier than I expected December 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The movie was on my list to see -- though I wasnt expecting much. But I laughed all through the movie. And some of the latent jokes would take an older audience. I am buying the movie -- so that speaks for itself.
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