'Night at the Museum' monkeys around

Yes, I'm a sucker for a monkey, especially one that responds to "gimme five!"

This week, I had the opportunity to meet Crystal the monkey, one of the stars of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," on the Fox Studios lot in Century City.

She and her trainer, Anthony Suffredini, joined the film's director, Shawn Levy, to tout the upcoming DVD, which hits stores Dec. 1.

And in crafting that DVD, said Levy, "we have lots of bonus features."

He also said that while the movie offered "escapist entertainment," he also wanted to pair that with an "educational feel."

That's where Amelia Earhart (played by Amy Adams), Abraham Lincoln (Hank Azaria) and Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) come in.

Those actors, whom Levy noted offered lots of improv hilarity, give wacky life to historical figures on screen.

But don't forget about the marble naked babies -- aka the cherubs, played by The Jonas Brothers.

All of those characters appear on the DVD in various features, including "Phinding Pharaoh With Hank Azaria," "Curators of Comedy: Behind the Scenes With Ben Stiller" and "Cherub Bootcamp" -- the "grueling training" Levy said he put the Jo Bros through to become the cherub trio.

There's also a downloadable feature called FoxPop, right, which allows viewers to sync up the movie with the computer/iPhone application and see facts and trivia pop up on the computer or iPhone screen.

But, as Levy said, "For most viewers under 10, it's all about the monkeys."

A second DVD, "Monkey Mischief," is also available and includes deleted scenes and a gag reel.

And no, the above video -- graciously filmed by Linda Perry of Peachhead fame -- is not included.