Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. for a free family program at the Maine State Library featuring the cartoon film, Curious George. Starring Will Ferrell and Dick Van Dyke, this classic cartoon film tells the story of the The Man in the Yellow Hat and his irrepressible friend George, whose curiosity turns out to be more beneficial than anyone could have imagined. The film will be shown at the Maine State Library; seating is limited to 100 people.

Curious George continues from noon to 1:30 p.m. on March 2 with the fascinating documentary Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George’s Creators. Was Curious George almost a Holocaust victim? The surprising answer is “yes.” Learn about his creators, Hans and Margaret Rey. German Jews living in Paris during the rise of Nazism, the couple narrowly escaped Hitler’s troops by fleeing on makeshift bicycles – carrying the yet-to-be-published Curious George manuscript with them. Lovers of this classic will revel in the documentary’s beautiful animation and archival materials from the Rey estate, including wartime journals, photographs, letters, and unpublished Curious George sketches and notes. The free film will be shown in the Maine State Library. Seating is limited to 100 people.

Join us after the documentary for a discussion led by David Greenham, Associate Director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine.

The Curious George cartoon film and documentary are sponsored by the Maine Jewish Film Festival, Maine State Museum, Maine State Library, and Maine State Archives.