The King and I
USA 1999
Reviewed by Leslie Felperin
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
The mid-nineteenth century. Widowed Englishwoman Anna arrives in Siam with her son Louis to take up her post as schoolteacher to the King of Siam's children. While the King's aide the Kralahome schemes to overthrow the King, Anna defies custom by taking the royal children out to see the city beyond the palace walls, which provokes a quarrel with the King. The Crown Prince falls in love with servant girl Tuptim, but the laws forbid his marrying a commoner. The Kralahome manipulates Anna into thinking the King is a tyrant so she'll help him to persuade the British to overthrow the King and crown him instead. However, despite their verbal sparring, Anna and the King develop an affection for one another and he learns to be less autocratic.
At an official banquet for the British ambassador, the King makes a good show of being 'civilised', but his cover is blown when he learns of the Crown Prince and Tuptim's romance and threatens to execute Tuptim. He relents but later the Prince and Tuptim run off to elope. They fall into a river after the Kralahome uses magic to sabotage the bridge they're crossing. The King saves them in his hot-air balloon, despite the Kralahome's attempts to kill him with fireworks aimed at the balloon. The Kralahome is caught and punished. The King rewards Anna with a house of her own.
Review
Ever since Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), feature-length animated films have tended to use the musical as their generic template. The connection between the two forms was cemented recently when Disney bought the New Amsterdam Theatre on New York's 42nd Street, sent in its 'imagineers' to restore it and now shows there a musical version of its successful cartoon The Lion King, thus rehabilitating and sanitising what was once a thoroughly seedy neighbourhood. It recently followed this success with a stage show of Beauty and the Beast.
It was inevitable that once the fairytale well started to run dry someone would get around to translating a classic Broadway show into cartoon form, rather than the other way around. Presumably Disney is disinclined to dip into this source since it would have to share the profits with other copyright holders. So here comes Richard Rich, one-time Disney director and perpetrator of the shoddy and unlikable Swan Princess films, doing a service to an entire industry by providing a template for how notto adapt a classic musical into cartoon form: don't dilute the haunting sense of mortality the original contained by keeping a major character alive at the end just because you're afraid of upsetting the kiddies (the King doesn't die here; thank god they didn't take on Carousel); don't add pointless and deeply unfunny slapstick; and most importantly, don't trick out the film with irritating 'cute' animals just to ape Disney's successes.
True to Rich's earlier form, his version of The King and I is ugly and bereft of faintly memorable characters, some mean feat considering the original stage version is a gift, with a colourful setting and characters to match. For those fond of this version or the fine 1956 movie with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr, this animated rendition will be nothing short of sacrilegious, like seeing a majestic oak brutally pruned and trussed up with plastic swings and a tawdry playhouse. The animation itself is so poorly directed and disjointed one could almost guess which sections were executed by which international team of collaborators. The only interesting sequence depicts CGI stone statues coming to life, creeping stealthily up on the King like the topiary animals in the novel of The Shining. Look very closely and their faces almost resemble the wrathful features of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, bent on revenge.
Credits
- Producers
- James G. Robinson
- Arthur Rankin
- Peter Bakalian
- Screenplay
- Peter Bakalian
- David Seidler
- Jacqueline Feather
- Conceived/Adapted for Animation by
- Arthur Rankin
- Based on the musical by
- Richard Rodgers
- Oscar Hammerstein II
- Editors
- James F. Koford
- Paul Murphy
- Joseph Campana
- Music
- Richard Rodgers
- Lyrics
- Oscar Hammerstein II
- ©Morgan Creek Productions, Inc
- Production Companies
- James G. Robinson presents a Morgan Creek production in association with Rankin/Bass Productions and Nest Entertainment
- Executive Producer
- Robert Mandell
- Co-producers
- Terry L. Noss
- Thomas J. Tobin
- Scene Planning
- Geoffrey Schroeder
- Robert J. Richards II
- Production Controller
- Edna Wilkerson-Fuentes
- Senior Production Co-ordinators
- Jim Haas
- David A. Reiss
- Production Managers
- Animation:
- Brett Hayden
- Digital:
- Paul Cowell
- Post-production
- Morgan Creek:
- Alejandro Mendoza
- Casting
- Johnson-Liff Associates
- Geoffrey Johnson
- Vincent Liff
- Additional Dialogue
- Brian Nissen
- Colour Styling Supervisor
- Jeanette Nouribekian
- Model Painter
- Karen Noss-Crudge
- Character Design
- Bronwen Barry
- Elena Kravets
- Michael Coppieters
- Supervising Animators
- Patrick Gleeson
- Colm Duggan
- Character Animators
- Steven E. Gordon
- Athanassios Vakalis
- Chrystal S. Klabunde
- John Celestri
- Chris Derochie
- Craig R. Maras
- Steven Burke
- Michael Coppieters
- Elena Kravets
- Mark Bykov
- Jesse M. Cosio
- James A. Davis
- Tom Decker
- Jeff Etter
- Mark Fisher
- Heidi Guedel
- Leon Joosen
- Juliana Korsborn
- Larry Leker
- Lim Boohwan
- Lim Kyunghee
- Lee McCaulla
- Ken McDonald
- Sean P. Mullen
- Cynthia Overman
- Greg Ramsey
- Todd Shaffer
- Shin Kyung
- Song Kamoon
- Susan M. Zytka
- Joe D. Suggs
- Todd Waterman
- Larry Whitaker Jr
- Frank Gabriel
Kez Wilson- Deborah Abbott
- Dan Abraham
- Conrad Winterlich
- Siddhartha B. Ahearne
- Alan T. Pickett
- Gabriel Valles
- Manuel Carrasco
- Celine Kiernan
- Noel Kiernan
- Jacques Muller
- Sam Flemming
- Warren Liang
- Marcelo F. De Moura
- Nilo Santillan
- John D. Williamson
- Robert K. Shedlowich
- Bradley M. Forbush
- G. Sem
- Richard Baneham
- Additional Animation
- Giant Productions Inc
- Canuck Creations
- Partners in Production
- Monigotes Animación
- Stardust Pictures
- CGI Animation Supervisor
- Brian McSweeney
- CGI Artistic Supervisor
- Brian Sebern
- CGI Production Management
- P.M. Anohana
- T. Anohana
- CGI Animation
- Rich Animation Studios
- CGI Production Co-ordinator:
- Christina Da Silva
- CGI Technical Supervisor:
- Aimee Campbell
- CGI Animators:
- Robert Bardy
- Eduardo Silva
- Additional CGI Production
- Elektra Shock Inc
- CGI Animation
- Pentafour Software
- Technical Director:
- Usha Ganesarajah
- Production Executive:
- Sriram Sundar Rajan
- CGI Animators:
- P. Delle Kumar
- J. Pramod Dhaval
- P. Ajay Kumar
- T.K. Ajish
- K. Arun
- Anuradha Jayaram
- Kumar Chandrasekaran
- R. Pio Vaiz
- A. Prasanth Kumar
- Sreenivas Reddy
- Srinivas Kannan
- Sukumar Subramanian
- Vidya Sampath
- Vijay Kumar
- Ziauddin
- CGI Production Co-ordinators:
- Patro Navin Kumar
- S. Parasuraman
- CGI Production Supervisors:
- Subheesh Raamanathan
- Srikanth Pottekula
- CGI Senior Modellers:
- Rubeesh
- Ajith
- Sukumar Srinivas
- Effects
- Design/Supervisor:
- Brian McSweeney
- Co-ordinator:
- Rebecca Groombridge
- Animators:
- Actarus Aksas
- John Dillon
- Noel Kiernan
- Kevin M. O'Neal
- Bob Simmons
- Ricardo Echevarria
- Jeff Howard
- Juan Son Montuno
- Brett Hisey
- John Huey
- Lee Crowe
- Nate Pacheco
- Paul Lewis
- Randy Weeks
- Harry Moreau
- Ryan Woodward
- Eusebio Torres
- Young Kyu Rhim
- Conor Thunder
- Digital Compositing
- Rich Animation Studios
- Digital Compositing
Supervisor: - Timothy Yoo
- Digital Compositors:
- Robert J. Richards II
- Geoffrey Schroeder
- Sung Song
- Reymundo T. Reynoso
- Jayson W. Tom
- Youngjune Cho
- Digital Compositing
- Hanho Heung-up Co. Ltd
- Compositors:
- Hwang Eun Young
- Hee Yun
- Digital Compositing
- Pentafour Software
- Digital Compositing Supervisor:
- K. Suresh
- Digital Compositors:
- Ratheesh Kumar t.r.
- Gerard Sudhakar a.
- Digital Compositing
- Colorland
- Digital Compositors:
- Xue Fei
- Chai Yi-Tao
- Animation Checker
- Patricia Blackburn
- Clean-up Animation
- Hanho Heung-up Co. Ltd
- Overseas Supervisors:
- Denis Deegan
- Mark Sonntag
- Raymond Iacovacci
- Phillipe Angeles
- Senior Production Director:
- Choi Young Chul
- Production Manager:
- Chae Young Ki
- Production Co-ordinator:
- Kim Jung Gon
- Digital Colour Manager:
- Helena Collins-Liuag
- Layout
- Designs:
- Mike Hodgson
- Floro Dery
- Andrew Gentle
- Senior Artist:
- Dennis Richards
- Artists:
- Mike Hodgson
- Andrew Gentle
- Robert Orona
- Floro Dery
- Background
- Design/Supervisor:
- Donald Towns
- Co-ordinator:
- Courtney Dane
- Artists:
- Colene Riffo
- Junn Roca
- Annette Alholm
- Jeff Richards
- Eric Reese
- Brian Sebern
- J. Riche
- Kim Spink
- Marilyn Montgomery
- Shahen Jordan
- Fiona Stokes Gilbert
- Eugene Fedorov
- Digital Ink & Paint
- Rich Animation Studios
- Colorland
- Storyboard Artists
- Steven E. Gordon
- Floro Dery
- Larry Scholl
- Larry Leker
- Dale L. Baer
- Gerald Forton
- Robert Souza
- Titles
- Pacific Title/Mirage
- Music Performed by
- Philharmonia Orchestra
- Orchestrations
- William Ashford
- John Bell
- Louis Forestieri
- Benoit Grey
- Ron Hess
- Larry Kenton
- Susan Sommer
- Ken Thorne
- Steve Zuckerman
- Music Arranger/ Conductor/Orchestrations
- William Kidd
- Score Music Co-ordinator
- Audrey Deroche
- Executive Music Producer
- Mark Berger
- Music Editor
- Douglas Lackey
- Mixing Engineer
- John Richards
- Orchestral Recording
- Mike Ross
- Vocal/Synth Recording
- Michael Hutchinson
Vocal Recording- Gary Grey
- Recording Co-ordinator
- Paul Talkington
- Songs
- Lyrics:
- Oscar Hammerstein II
- Music:
- Richard Rodgers
- Arranger:
- William Kidd
- "I Whistle a Happy Tune" performed by Christiane Noll, Adam Wylie, Charles Clark, Earl Grizzell, Jeff Gunn, David Joyce, Larry Kenton; "Hello Young Lovers", "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" performed by Christiane Noll; "The March of the Siamese Children" by Richard Rodgers; "Getting to Know You" performed by Christiane Noll, Emma Stevenson-Blythe, Benjamin Fox, Andrew Harper, Beau Bruder, Cailiegh Harper, Tamara Rusque; "A Puzzlement" performed by Martin Vidnovic; "I Have Dreamed" performed by David Burnham, Tracy Venner Warren; "Shall We Dance?" performed by Christiane Noll, Martin Vidnovic, chorus
- Choreography
- Lee Martino
- Lisa Clyde
- Recordist
- Charlie Ajar Jr
- Re-recording Mixers
- Michael Casper
- Dan Leahy
- Rick Hart
- ADR
- Recordist:
- Greg Lowe
- Mixer:
- Alan Holly
- Foley
- Artists:
- Paul Holzborn
- Dominique Decaudain
- Mixer:
- Albert Romero
- Voice Cast
- Miranda Richardson
- Anna Leonowens
- Christiane Noll
- Anna Leonowens (singing)
- Martin Vidnovic
- the King of Siam
- Ian Richardson
- the Kralahome
- Darrell Hammond
- Master Little
- Allen D. Hong
- Prince Chululongkorn
- David Burnham
- Prince Chululongkorn (singing)
- Armi Arabe
- Tuptim
- Tracy Venner Warren
- Tuptim (singing)
- Adam Wylie
- Louis Leonowens
- Sean Smith
- Sir Edward Ramsay
- J.A. Fujii
- FirstWife
- Ken Baker
- Captain Orton
- Ed Trotta
- Sir Edward's captain
- Anthony Mozdy
- Burmese emissary
- Alexandra Lai
- Princess Ying
- Katherine Lai
- Princess Naomi
- Mark Hunt
- steward
- B.K. Tochi
- soldier
- reference - live action
- Lisa Clyde
- Jim Peace
- Jenifer Susan Foote
- Tom Hildebrand
- Alison Hooper
- Christi Case Kline
- Julie Letsche
- Ramona A. Marshall
- Audrey Messick
- Dayna Leigh Patterson
- Teri Shae Perez
- Sally Wong
- dancers
Certificate- U
- Distributor
- Warner Bros Distributors (UK)
7,973 feet- 88 minutes 36 seconds
- Dolby stereo/SDDS/DTS
- In Colour
- Anamorphic