As the tale narrates, many years in the past, the Kings of Hell as well as the Immortals in Heaven took it in turns to safeguard the entire midgets strutting on earth, while the dragons basked beneath the oceans. Nevertheless, everything is in equilibrium, for there is the Buddah who sees to everything, and so everyone plays by the rules. Until one fateful evening, a magic rock gives birth to a being in the form of a toddler monkey which is a hint of trouble that we don’t see coming.
All throughout the story, however, because of his wild temperament and the issues he would cause while on his development stage, the elder monkeys were forced to put this uncontrollable monkey into exile from the rest of the monkeys. When he was finally able to earn their trust, he underwent training to fight the demon that threatened them, but he first needed to obtain a weapon. Not much time passes before he finds himself diving into the ocean for a glowing energy column that he would turn into a staff. Afterwards, he returns to the dry land, easily gets rid of the demon, and anoints himself the King of Monkeys.
Having discovered that he could elevate to the status of the supreme deity and reside in heaven after overcoming a hundred demons, The Monkey King zealously embarks on a new quest. At the same time, he also recruits a village girl known as Lin as his sidekick and the two traverse through Helland eventually, Heaven with the goal of locating an item that would grant him immortality. These turned out to be futile attempts on his part that have only left him more self absorbed than before.
A most commendable job has been done in giving the 3D animated images a lively touch, a colorful feel and making them visually refreshing to say the least. During the whirlwind where the Monkey King is searching for and killing the ninety nine demons, it turns into quite a bolder and rougher type of oil paint. A good variety of drama in-accorporating a butt of musical interludes has been incorporated into the movie. In order to properly complement the movie, the set in which it takes place is filled with vivid colors. Overall the whole production has been seamless.
The character Monkey King who is shown here is not a nice character at all and should be rather annoying and quite self absorbed, and this is portrayd accurately by Jim O Yang. Rather, he has a humorous side that makes him quite difficult to dislike, but he is a truly questing spirit that is always joking. By contrast, he is deeply hurt, often unable to find the hugs and pats that his childhood required. Lin, the village girl, is played beautifully by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, who gives her a deep compelling voice and accurately fills the character with convincing and compassionate energy, look and believe that Lin is a good person who aids people.
The unusual and talkative Dragon King (Bowen Yang) is a exercising the role of a villain seeking power, whereas in some instances he is regarded as a comedian hence easily performing a bit of song and dance which is ideal for the kids. Other stars of the supporting cast such as the Jade Emperor, Hoon Lee, the Divine Queen Mother, Jodi Long, and Buddha, Bradley Wong are all decent. Interestingly, the glowing magic Staff that is held by Monkey King now has a much bigger and talking role as it is the case here.
The most unforgettable character has to be the mayor’s wife, played by Stephanie Hsu who combines the landlady from Stephen Chow’s brilliant “Kung Fu Hustle” perfectly along with her curlers. What a fitting tribute, I am sure Chow would appreciate the effort.
In conclusion of the video, Chino’s animated film is artistically good. It blends a story of Chinese culture and mythology with an epic adventure that captivates both the young and the old. The humor complements the animation quite well as the dialogue truly is funny at times and the characters colorful and appealing.
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