George of the Jungle 2

George of the Jungle 2
Directed by	David Grossman
Written by	Jordan Moffet (screenplay) Bill Scott (television series)
Produced by	Daniel J. Heffner Gregg Hoffman Jordan Kerner
Starring	Thomas Haden Church Julie Benz Angus T. Jones Christina Pickles John Cleese Michael Clarke Duncan John Kassir and Christopher Showerman
Narrated by	Keith Scott
Distributed by	Disney
Release date	2003
Running time	87 min
Language	English

George of the Jungle 2 is the 2003 direct-to-video sequel of the 1997 Disney film George of the Jungle. It was directed by David Grossman, written by Jordan Moffet, and stars Thomas Haden Church, Julie Benz and Christopher Showerman as "George". The movie focuses on George trying to save Ape Mountain from his evil arch-nemesis Lyle (Thomas Haden Church). It received a PG rating from the MPAA for crude humor and innuendo. The sequel received less praise than the original film.

Plot

Five years after socialite Ursula Stanhope left civilization to marry George of the Jungle, George finds himself father to George Jr. and hard-pressed to fulfil the roles of jungle king, father, and husband. George's stress level increases when the "Mean Lion" challenges him for leadership of the jungle, and when Ursula's mother Beatrice teams up with Ursula's ex-fiancée Lyle in a plot to forcibly take away all that George holds most dear.

To do this, Beatrice invites Ursula, George, and George Junior to visit Las Vegas, which they accept. Throughout the visit, Beatrice and some of Ursula's fellow socialites try constantly to convince Ursula that George is unworthy of her affection; however, Ursula's single-minded hero-worship or attachment remains intact and seems indeed to harden under threat. George, observing the threats but not his wife's responses, begins to think himself unworthy of Ursula.

During the same time, George's mentor Ape has become a gambler and is in debt to several creditors, including Lyle. Lyle, having learned that Ape does not possess the exploitation rights of Ape Mountain, engages Ape as a staged song performer and steals the deed from George's wardrobe. He thereafter sends agents who are called Sally and Kowalski to the Ape Mountain, where they begin to demolish the jungle. The animals, terrified, turn to the Lion for guardianship.

Having failed to convince Ursula to divorce George, Beatrice hires a master of hypnosis to suppress Ursula's memory of having known George. The hypnotist suppresses the memory, replacing it with the idea that Ursula has married Lyle. George, upon learning of this, leaves his luck-charm with Ursula as she sleeps, then departs. He rescues Ape and proceeds to leave Las Vegas. Their departure triggers much commotion when the police force and the Animal Control Agency join forces to recapture them.

In San Francisco, Lyle attempts to persuade Ursula that he is worthy of her affection by imitating George. He fails in this, and does not even attempt to assume a parental role toward George Junior. Ursula's memory, meanwhile, is given minor stimulations by events similar to those in which George had played a major part.

Later, George then tries to reconnect with Ursula and George Jr. before leaving to rescue the jungle. He gains Ursula's interest, but has trouble convincing her that he is her husband. Knocking her unconscious, George continues his journey back home with her, Ape, George Jr., and Rocky the kangaroo. In the jungle, George overthrows the Mean Lion and tries to convince the other animals to join him in stopping the diggers, but fails in gaining their lost trust in him until the diggers become an immediate threat.

Lyle's agents Sally and Kowalski then come to destroy the tree house, only to be defeated by George and Rocky. George is unable, however, to defeat the digging machine until his son literally swings into the fray to support his father. Lyle is angered by his defeat and insults the narrator voice, who replies by erasing him from the story's world. George kisses Ursula, restoring her full memory of him. They are subsequently re-married and learn to find balance among his duties.

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 refused to reprise his role of George to portray in Looney Tunes: Back in Action, rather than the studio unable to pay him. The film throughout included cliches and references to its predecessor and used jokes similar to its with a greater frequency than had the original.

Cast

Actor	Role
Thomas Haden Church	Lyle Van de Groot
Julie Benz	Ursula, Queen of the Jungle
Angus T. Jones	George Jr., Prince of the Jungle
Christina Pickles	Beatrice Stanhope
Christopher Showerman	George, King of the Jungle

Voice Cast

Voice Actor	Role
John Cleese	Ape
Michael Clarke Duncan	Mean Lion
John Kassir	Rocky, Armando
Keith Scott	Narrator
Kevin Greutert	Tookie
Kevin Michael Richardson	Grouchy Ape, Chimp
Tress MacNeille	Tiger
Dee Bradley Baker	Little Monkey, Water Buffalo

References

• George of the Jungle 2 at IMDb