Stacchi's “The Monkey King” is a computer-animated and English language adaptation of the classic novel “Journey to the West” from the Ming Dynasty. It was elected as the closing film at the 22nd New York Asian Film Festival in July 2023 and later released worldwide on Netflix. Also credited as the executive producer, Hong Kong filmmaker and comedy superstar Stephen Chow who played the Monkey King in his two-part “A Chinese Odyssey” (1995) and directed “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons” (2013) is certainly no stranger to the Monkey King film series.
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As the story goes, thousands of years ago, the Immortals in Heaven and the Kings from Hell watched over all the demons who walked among the humans while dragons lived under the seas. But everything is in balance because under the watchful Buddha who oversees the universe, everyone follows the rules. Then one night, a magic rock gives birth to a very powerful being in the form of a little monkey, which also means trouble has arrived.
Due to his unruly nature and the problems he caused while growing up, the elders had to banish the uncontrollable monkey from the rest of the monkey population. In order to gain back their trust, he trains himself up to fight a demon that threatens them, but first he needs to acquire a strong weapon. Before long, he finds himself diving into the sea where he confronts a glowing energy column which he manages to turn into a staff. After returning to the dry land, he easily defeats the demon and then declares himself the King of the Monkeys.
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Upon learning that he can actually become a god and live in Heaven by defeating one hundred demons, the ambitious Monkey King promptly sets out for his new adventure. Meanwhile, he also picks up a village girl Lin as his assistant and together they travel through Hell and finally end up in Heaven looking for the elixir that will make him immortal. Unfortunately, his quest of achieving acceptance and becoming more powerful has turned him into a very reckless and selfish monster.
Visually, the film's 3D animated images look lively, colorful and fresh. However, it switches to a much bolder and rougher look similar to oil paintings during the quick sequence where Monkey King hunts down the ninety nine demons. Although the main approach here is on comedy, the film still boasts a good variety of well crafted fight sequences displayed throughout its running time. Besides, rendered with ample details, the backgrounds are able to stand out and look different from one scene to another with ease. Overall the whole production looks slick.
Voiced by Jimmy O. Yang, the Monkey King presented here is hardly a character with a heart of gold; he is in fact rather annoying and incredibly self-centered. On the other hand, he is rather likable in his mischievous way and he jokes all the time. But deep down, he is a lonely soul desperately seeking the much needed love and acceptance he missed growing up. Wonderfully voiced by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport with convincing energy and emotion, Lin the village girl is a truly kind being who helps others.
The film's main villain is the eccentric and power hungry Dragon King (Bowen Yang) but he is also a funny character at times who even gets to deliver a little song and dance routine which should go down well with the younger viewers. The rest of the supporting cast like the Jade Emperor (Hoon Lee), the Divine Queen Mother, Wangmu (Jodi Long) and Buddha (Bradley Wong) are all passable. Interestingly, the glowing magic Staff (Nan Li) wielded by Monkey King now has a much bigger and talking role here for a change.
The character who stands out the most has to be the village Mayor's wife, lovingly voiced by Stephanie Hsu and cleverly modeled from the landlady character from Stephen Chow's excellent “Kung Fu Hustle” right down to her hair curlers. A very welcoming and memorable tribute indeed that should please Chow.
Overall, this animated feature is an impressive epic journey with a mixture of Chinese mythology, folklore and cultural crossover that is both charming and entertaining for the young and old to enjoy. Furthermore, the dialogue is witty and hilarious at times and the vibrant characters are all likable.
