Customer Reviews

The King and I [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

It was definitely made for the kid's toon audience,
but I have to say I liked it for the most part.
The animation isn't too shabby, the musical
scores and scenes are good. I guess what takes
people the wrong way is the use of comedy,
and fantasy (the cat tearing up the statues
while the King sings) and some other issues
with characters.

Yes it's not the 1956 version with Yul, nothing
will top that but it's still not that bad as
far as remakes and different versions go.

I would recommend if you have kids and you want
to introduce to a fun film with references
to the original which blends in some Middle Eastern
culture and values.

You know, there are some days when I watch a Miyazaki film, or I catch one of the old Looney Tunes from the 40's or 50's and I feel glad that I'm into animation. And then there are days when I see movies like this...and I wish I could go back in time and poke out Winsor McCay's eyes with his own ink pen.

I seriously doubt the writers for this film ever saw the original "The King and I," which holds up to audiences even today. What they did watch apparently was "Aladdin." Don't believe me? Let's see...an evil court advisor and his comedic sidekick planning to take over the government, a pet cat in the royal palace, a young man lying about his identity to get the girl, a ruler who changes the marriage law at the end so the boy can get the girl, a romantic conflict of royalty versus peasantry, a boy and his pet monkey...no that's not like Aladdin at all.

But what really bugs me about this film is the story. Why was so much changed? Why did they introduce the conflict of a villain? Why did they include that love story between the Burmese girl and the prince? The original love story between Anne and the King becomes irrelevent and poorly developed, and the movie gets lost in all it's unnecessary subplots. By the end you practically forget there was a love story between those two at all, and when they try to conclude it you're left unsatisfied.

Also, I don't want to hear any one saying this film is good because of the music. Yes, the music is good, but the people who made the film didn't orchestrate it, Rogers and Hammerstein did. I could remake "The Sound of Music," leave in all the songs, and turn it into a porn movie. Does that mean it's a good film? Besides, the songs are often ruined by the sight gags they have going on at the same time. The "Getting to Know You" scene is especially true of this, as for the song's entire duration all we see are the stupid fights between the monkey and villain's sidekick over the singing. And I mean this is during the WHOLE SONG.

Oh yeah, and what was up with all the animal sidekicks? There's like one for every character! First there's that monkey, then the cougar...and then an elephant? Did we really need the elephant? That was just overdoing it. And while we're talking about sidekicks...the villain's sidekick was very offensive. He's an Asian stereotype that I would expect in a 1930's film, but in this day and age, come on.

Animating "The King and I" could have been neat, but not by these people. In fact, I hope these people never animate. Again. Ever.

I recently sent a copy of the King & I to my grandchildren 9 years (girl) and 5 years (boy). The DVD arrived much sooner than I expected. They loved it so much that when I went to visit them, they insisted that I watch it with them. It was enjoyed by all.

I bought this film on VHS many years ago, I guess shortly after it was released. THE KING AND I has always been my favorite Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, and I have probably a dozen recordings of the score. I also own the 1956 masterpiece film version in a couple of formats.

When I spotted this one, I added it to my library, but I must say I was shocked. My first question is: Who at the R&H Organization was out sick the day this project was green-lighted? I've been a musical director for many years and I know from experience that R&H are sticklers for adhering to the original script and score. Any alterations must be approved. So how did this thing happen?

It's almost totally devoid of any redeeming qualities. I must admit I think the idea of making Prince Chulalongkorn the secret lover of Tuptim was interesting, adding a layer of friction between him and the king. Perhaps Oscar might have approved of that, although he would have written it better, of course. But cute animals and curses and all that crap? Come on!

As one customer wrote, the idea of animating classic musicals is interesting...if done by the right talent. Obviously that talent is not evident here.

I truly enjoyed this movie. It is highly underrated and hopefully will be appreciated in years to come. Instead of going over plot details, I trust just about everyone is familiar with "The King and I," I'll instead go over the things that I enjoyed most about the film.

Director Richard Rich, who helmed Disney's The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron, helms a very Disney-worthy animated feature for another movie studio. The artwork is beautiful, very vibrant, but the animation is on par with alot of the Disney films from the 1980s, maybe. The characters are basically the same from the original musical, The King of Siam and Anna included. However, there is a new character named Master Little who is voiced by SNL funnyman Darrell Hammond. He's probably the funniest part of the movie. One detractor, is that I thought that the villian, The Kralahome, was a bit too much like Jafar from Disney's Aladdin in his attempt to manipulate various characters, the King included.

However, I think the number one reason I like it better than the 1956 version is because it is only a brief 90 minutes while the original tops out at a whopping 133 mins. Overall I enjoyed Warner's 'King,' even though it seems to drag at points, I will no doubt enjoy watching it for years to come.

I loved this animated romance and fantasy. I don't usually watch musicals but I love cartoons.

I loved it. Maybe you will too. The story is slighty different from the original. But recommended for people with short attention spans. A sweet story worth getting if nothing short of.

My daughter was three when she first watched this and she enjoyed it so much that I plan to buy it very soon. You say the story was rushed? How long do you think a child's attention span is? It was great and I truly hope that Warner Brothers continues to make these type of movies. Especially great for any children who love to sing and dance like mine.

This movie was really cute! I honestly don't know what other people are complaining about when they say the makers shortened the cartoon from two hours. This movie was made for children, right? Now tell me, WHAT CHILD WOULD SIT FOR TWO HOURS? some can't even sit still for 2 seconds, so of course they had to shorten the movie. The art work in this movie is really nice. Sometimes the artwork rarely becomes cheesy, like in some cartoons. As for the cheesy Siamese accents that another person said they all have, they really exsaggerated. Only one person had a really fake accent... MASTER LITTLE! (He's the bad guy's sidekick.) he says funny things. As for the bad guy, he's not scary, he just needs a hobby.I liked the movie so I hope that you see it soon and enjoy it as well. 'Bye!

Simply Wonderful! I loved the storylines,the characters,the songs and everything! It will delight children of all ages! The only problem was that it was a bit too fast-paced and the story rushed like a whirlwind, but I still enjoyed it *very* much! I've always been a fan of the King and I movie starring Yul Brynner too, and I love this one too! The songs are the same, but the storylines have a wonderful and most imaginative twist! The Kralahome made an excellnt, strong villain! Each scene will teach everyone a very good lesson, specially the love affair between the prince and the slave Tuptim. It is quite different compared to Disney Films, and I'm quite proud of Warner Brothers for being able to create such a masterpiece! It will always be one of my favourite animated cartoon-films despite all its ups and downs!