Disclosure- I was invited on an all expense paid trip to Orlando on behalf of Disney for the #MonkeyKingdomEvent. All opinions are 100% my own. 
I had the opportunity to screen Disneynature’s Monkey Kingdom while I was in Orlando for the Monkey Kingdom event with 24 other bloggers. Before I tell you all about the movie let me start by sharing some total monkey cuteness with you. 
“Monkey Kingdom is like Downton Abbey meets Game of Thrones”, Dr. M. Sanjayan
Monkeys are my favorite animal so I was beyond excited when I heard that Disneynature was making a movie all about monkeys. Monkey Kingdom tells the story of Maya, a monkey and her struggles to raise her baby boy while being one of the lower members of her group of moneys social structure. Life is hard for her as most of the other monkeys are higher up on the social structure than she is. They get to live higher than her in the trees and get the better foods and shelter. Maya on the other hand gets the scraps left on the bottom of the trees. She wants to provide the best she can for her son but it isn’t easy. I was really amazed how relatable her story is and how much human emotion monkeys show. You could take the story of Maya and turn it into a story about a human single mother raising her baby son on her own without the father around and living as part of the lower class. It is a story that plays out everyday for many mothers around the world. Human or monkey, mothers just want to provide the best for their children and do whatever they can to provide for them. You’ll be rooting for Maya and her son, Kip throughout the movie. You’ll also see lots of other types of animals throughout the movie.
Tina Fey does a great job narrating this movie. She captures the audience and throws in some cute jokes as well. Monkey Kingdom is the perfect family movie, especially any animal lovers. It is a great movie for all ages. There are 2 scenes where one of the other monkeys are killed by predators but it true Disney fashion nothing gruesome is shown. It’s handled very well as to not upset young children, it’s a Disney movie after all. My girls are very sensitive to things like that and I am sure that they’ll be ok with those parts of the movie when I take them hopefully this weekend.
See Monkey Kingdom opening week (April 17 – 23) and Disneynature will make a donation in your honor to protect monkeys and other endangered species in their natural habitats.
I have gotten together with several other bloggers to give away a very special necklace in honor of Monkey Kingdom. We’re giving away an Alex Woo Little Activist Love Monkey in Sterling Silver. It’s so adorable! I sooooo want one of these necklaces. Good luck!
Life is an adventure for Maya, the clever and resourceful blonde-bobbed monkey in “Monkey Kingdom,” Disneynature’s new feature film set among ancient ruins in the storied jungles of South Asia. Maya’s world is forever changed when she welcomes her son, Kip, into her complicated extended family. Like all families, Maya’s has more than its share of colorful personalities—and she’s determined to give her son a leg up in the world. When their longtime home at Castle Rock is taken over by powerful neighboring monkeys, Maya’s whole family is forced to relocate, and she uses her street smarts and ingenuity to lead them to untapped resources amidst strange new creatures and unsettling surroundings. Ultimately, they will all have to work together to reclaim Castle Rock, where Maya can hopefully realize her dreams for her son’s future.
Featuring a rich variety of characters, including a mischievous mongoose, simple-minded langur monkeys, predatory leopards and monitor lizards, “Monkey Kingdom” is directed by Mark Linfield (“Chimpanzee,” “Earth”) and co-directed by Alastair Fothergill (“Chimpanzee,” “Bears”). With music from award-winning composer Harry Gregson-Williams (“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Shrek” movies), Disneynature’s eighth True Life Adventure—the follow-up to 2014’s “Bears”—swings into theaters April 17, 2015.
Like Disneynature on Facebook: Facebook.com/Disneynature
Follow Disneynature on Twitter: Twitter.com/Disneynature
Follow Disneynature on Instagram: http://instagram.com/disneynature
MONKEY KINGDOM opens in theatres everywhere on April 17th! 
Projects support programs across Indonesia, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. Conservation International will: 1) Protect monkeys and other endangered species 2) Save and restore forest habitats 3) Partner with and support local communities
Further activities in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Indonesia will include researching, rescuing and rehabilitating monkeys, patrolling protected areas which serve as important habitats for monkeys and other species, planting trees and supporting community education and forest-friendly jobs.
Indonesia
Located just 80 km from the bustling city of Jakarta is a region known as Gedepahala. Gedepahala has some of the last remaining forests (135,000 ha) on the island of Java, Indonesia. It is an area rich in biodiversity and beauty, and home to a critically endangered monkey called the Javan gibbon. This area is also part of a watershed that helps to filter and provide a reliable flow of water to over 30 million people. Increased demand for forest resources has caused massive deforestation and degradation, endangering species and threatening vulnerable local communities who depend upon the forests’ resources and services for survival.
Cambodia
Unlike much of Southeast Asia, nearly 60 percent of Cambodia’s forests are still intact with plentiful shelter, food and fresh water. Its forests are home to many different types of monkeys, as well as hundreds of other species, but rapid deforestation and degradation of forest habitat requires fast action to protect these globally important species. Conservation International is working to protect 455,000 hectares of intact forest habitat in the Central Cardamom Mountains (400,000 ha) and Veun Sai (55,000 ha) regions, two critical habitats for the most threatened primate species. This work includes supporting teams of community and forest rangers to patrol forests, alert officials about illegal logging activity and explain to people why the forest needs to remain intact and why they should not hunt primates.
Sri Lanka
Located off the southern tip of India, the tropical island of Sri Lanka has attracted visitors for centuries with its natural beauty. It is currently experiencing rapid urbanization and expansion, which is destroying its forests. As a consequence all of its 12 primates and numerous other mammals, bird, reptiles and amphibians, all unique to the island, are increasingly threatened. Conservation International has been awarding small grants through its Primate Action Fund to stem the decline of the western purplefaced langur, considered one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates.
Speak Your Mind