Who doesn’t know the magic monkey that has often been adapted into films and television series? Now, another version has been released. ‘The Monkey King’ is an animated film directed by Anthony Stacchi, who has also worked on ‘Open Season’ (2006) and ‘The Box Trolls’ (2014). This Netflix release features the voices of comedians Jimmy O. Yang, Jolie Huang, Bowen Yang, Stephanie Tsu, and BD Wong. The 96-minute film is loosely adapted from the legendary Chinese story ‘Journey to the West.’ Can this film continue the positive trend of animated films produced by Netflix as seen before?
A magical monkey (Yang) is born from a rock on a hilltop, disturbing the comfort of the king of heaven. When the king is about to get rid of it, Buddha declares that the monkey will later have a great destiny. The wild little monkey also attempts to blend in with the group but brings disaster. Tempted to become a god with eternal life, he trains hard to eradicate 100 demons to attract the attention of the heavenly world. He even steals the magic wand belonging to the water dragon king (Bowen Yang) to smooth out his intentions. In his adventures, he meets a little village girl named Lin (Huang). The monkey brought trouble to the world of humans and gods until finally, Buddha intervenes.
This classic story of the monkey king is presented through colorful animation with a thick oriental style. The visualization of the setting for each segment is impressively presented through the unique realms of the gods, such as the world of hell and the realms of heaven with the nuances of clouds. The same goes for the characters; for example, the figure of the dragon king is presented in beautiful and enchanting detail. Apart from the fantastic visual side, humor dominates, especially in the figure of the main protagonist who cannot stay still for a second with his various chatter. The typical Western comedy dialogue style sometimes doesn’t fit the story’s tone. However, this is undoubtedly a matter of taste.
With a classic oriental story and unique, colorful visuals, ‘The Monkey King’ provides refreshment for popular animated films, although not necessarily for the story’s substance. The story isn’t bad but lacks a solid universal message if it aims to compete in an Oscar-level festival. The compromise with a Western touch slightly reduces the philosophy of the story, which has a noble value regarding the balance of the universe. At least for family viewing, ‘The Monkey King’ is an entertaining spectacle.
