Product Details

• Actors: Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Robert Armstrong, Frank McHugh, Douglas Fowley
• Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack
• Writers: Merian C. Cooper, Ruth Rose
• Producers: John Ford, Merian C. Cooper
• Format: Black & White, HiFi Sound, Mono, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: December 1, 1998
• Run Time: 84 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301390768
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,688 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

He may only come up to King Kong's shin, but Joe makes up in heart what he lacks in size. This sweet tale of a girl and her pet/best friend, an African gorilla with the soul of a kitten, pulls on a different set of heartstrings than the giant ape classic. Robert Armstrong practically repeats his role from King Kong as a Broadway producer who lures Jill Young (Terry Moore) and Joe, an ape she raised from baby (a splendidly realized stop-motion character created by Willis O'Brien, the creator behind Kong), to New York as the star attraction at his new nightclub. Caged in a cramped basement holding cell, the unhappy Joe finally goes berserk after a trio of drunks ply him with alcohol, and the city rules him a menace. In a desperate attempt to save Joe from execution, Jill rounds up her friends and confidants (including beefy love interest Ben Johnson) for a jailbreak. This human-scale drama is more subdued than its inspiration, but the nightclub rampage remains a terrifying scene in its mad destruction; and the climax, involving a raging fire at an orphanage (have these filmmakers no shame?!), still impresses. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful commentary track, nice restoration highlight of this classic film, December 4, 2005

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mighty Joe Young (DVD)

The third in a trio of films by Merian Cooper, Ernest Schoedsack and Willis O'Brien's featuring giant apes , "Mighty Joe Young" has a heart of gold. He's a big ape with a soft spot for Jill Young (Terry Moore) that raised him. Promoter and nightclub owner Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong from "King Kong") and Gregg a cowboy from Texas (Ben Johnson)attack the 18 foot tall Gorilla when they first encounter him in the wilds of Africa. When they discover he can be friendly and that he's only protecting his turf, O'Hara sees Young as the lynchpin for his new nightclub. O'Hara convinces Jill to take Joe to New York for his nightclub based around an African theme.

Featuring dazzling effects that echo "Kong", "Young" may not have the amazing look of the previous film but the dazzling mix of animation and live action done by Ray Harryhausen under O'Brien's direction looks pretty impressive even today. While the story might be a little slow initially for modern audiences, it has a wonderful pay off and an ending that beats the remake by a mile.

Warner has done a terrific job of transfering "Joe" to DVD. The grain isn't quite as bad as "Kong" (the source material was, no doubt, in better shape)and Warner has restored the color to the fire sequence bringing the film close to its original glory. The commentary track features legendary animator Ray Harryhausen (who did much of the hands on animation), actress Terry Moore and visual effects Ken Ralston discussing the making of the film. There are also a duo of great extras. The Chiodo Brothers animators currently working in the industry interview Harryhausen about the effects work on the film. "Ray Harryhausen and Mighty Joe Young" takes a glimpse back to Harryhausen's work on this pivotal film with O'Brien (and the only film to win O'Brien and his crew an Oscar for visual effects). We also ge the original theatrical trailer as an added bonus.

A classic finally gets the restoration and loving care it deserves.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars possibly the best commentary track ever!, November 29, 2005

By 

Daniel Pinto (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mighty Joe Young (DVD)

I've seen the movie 100 times. Yet watching it while listening to the commentary track was a brand new experience! Who knew half the interesting trivia associated with this gem! The other 2 bonus interviews with Ray are the things dreams are made of! Not only a super value for the money but so above and beyond my expectations its not funny. Did I mention I liked it?

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Whosever card Joe picks, gets a free bottle of champagne.", February 10, 2005

By 

J. COSBY "ZePequeno" (SF, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mighty Joe Young [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Tacked onto a double-bill with 1933's "King Kong", "Mighty Joe Young" should be considered Stop-Motion Animation 101 for film collegiates and aspiring special-effects men. Though I viewed the films 2 nights apart, they are 16 years apart in their technological advances. And the advances are (forgive the pun) monstrous.

Since I've been going over the Golden Age of Stop-Motion recently with "7th Voyage of Sinbad", "Jason and the Argonauts", "Clash of the Titans", etc., to see the technique really bloom as it does in this sweet-but-mos-def-not-saccharine tale of a teenage white girl in Africa and the big ape lug she raised fom birth, is rather enlightening. I'm 25 years old, but I was firmly entertained by this effects showcase. It's a good one, I'm telling you.

I'll skim the plot for those who just want the gist: safari nightclub owner travels to Africa, lures Jill and her oversized simian pal Joseph Young to America to perform sideshow acts, human cruelty makes Joe go... apesh-t, Jill and her love interest intercept Joe and speed away back to Africa, but not before a noble pit stop...

No need to compare "Kong" and "Joe": same director, producer, writer, editor, and technical wizard -- Willis O'Brien. A little-known ace up "Joe"'s sleeve, however, is a young-but-bonafide budding genius named one Ray Harryhausen, credited as "First Technician" on the project. His precocious mastery (under O'Brien's supervision) is certainly evident and an all-around wondrous sight to gaze on. The SPFX techniques (rear projection, stop-motion blended with live-action) foreshadows what he would end up polishing in subsequent films, such as "Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers" and "It Came From Beneath The Sea". Joe is given mannerisms, playfulness, and a CHARACTER like "Kong". This 15-foot high (to scale) gorilla is one fleshed-out, emotive, angry, confused, but above all impressive creation.

And then they get him sloshed on 3 bottles of wine and burn his hand with a Zippo lighter (oops), which will lead him smack into the middle of two nightmarish set pieces (described in the editor's review). The results, even to these CGI-accustomed eyes, were truly awesome in Webster's definition of the word. Yeah, the film's black-and-white. Sure, the acting's fairly pantomime and wooden. But Mr. Joseph Young ensures that you will pardon all that, in case you have a bias on old films.

What is most endearing after it's all done is that the effects aid the relationship story BEFORE becoming an intense extravaganza. Lo, the days when filmmakers actually knew how to do that stuff. They called it "craft" back then... "Mighty Joe Young" should probably be considered a really offbeat buddy-movie with an occasional flaring temper. It's thoroughly entertaining, has a nice message to teach the kiddies, yet what happens in the story is distinctly adult, though less adult than "Kong". Might want to wait 'til the kid's 10 to show 'em this one. But this monkey's a real showstopper.

The 1998 remake: GOOD EFFECTS WORK, again. More syrup 'cause it's produced by Disney, more kid-oriented, but a very loveable leading man, nonetheless. Still inferior to the original, but worth a watch.

"Mighty Joe Young"(1949): 4.5 stars, but I'll round up for him. Joe's alright, like Argyle.