The King and I (1999 film)

The King and I
Original one-sheet poster.
Directed by	Richard Rich
Written by	Screenplay: Peter Bakalian Jacqueline Feather David Seidler Musical: Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Margaret Landon
Produced by	James G. Robinson Arthur Rankin Peter Bakalian
Starring	Miranda Richardson Martin Vidnovic
Edited by	Joe Campana James Koford Paul Murphy
Music by	Richard Rodgers
Production companies	Rich Animation Studios Morgan Creek Productions Rankin Bass Animated Entertainment Pentamedia Graphics
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Release date	March 19, 1999 (1999-03-19)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Box office	$11,993,021 (USA)

The King and I is a 1999 animated film adaptation of the stage musical The King and I, which in turn is adapted from the Anna Leonowens story. The film was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Morgan Creek Productions, and released theatrically by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment on March 19, 1999. The animation was done by the Indian company Pentamedia Graphics and the US-based Rich Animation Studios in association with Rankin/Bass Productions.

Synopsis

The story follows an a young Englishwoman who travels to the Siam to become the King's royal schoolteacher in the 1860s. A clash of cultures occurs when the strong-minded Anna Leonowens brings a different way of thinking to the King of Siam and the many children in the royal academy. At one point Master Little gets tickled by a monkey named Moochy!

Differences from the musical and 1956 film

This animated version of the original musical contained numerous changes, so many, in fact, that all but the basic plot of the original musical is nearly deleted from the film as a whole. Among the many changes:

• In the original play, Tuptim falls in love with Lun Tha, who is absent from this film. He is replaced by an adult Chulalongkorn.
• In the original play, while the Kralahome is a cold and 'unfeeling' man, he never plots to destroy the king and take over the throne, as in this version. In truth, he actually is seen originally as very loyal to the king. Nor does he have a little assistant named Master Little.
• Instead of just functioning as a prime minister, the Kralahome is a sorcerer in the film, capable of projecting powerful illusions and animating stone statues.
• Lady Thiang is never addressed by name, and only makes a small appearance during the "Hello Young Lovers" scene.
• Anna is called sir by Lady Thiang. Lady Thiang also calls her "sir" in the 1956 film, but only once.
• Tuptim's love affair is discovered in the original film when she is trying to escape with Lun Tha. Here, she is seen wearing Chulalongkorn's white elephant pendant. Also, while in the play it is hinted that Tuptim is executed after she is caught, in the cartoon, she and Chulalongkorn are both given permission by the king to court happily.
• The king does not have a 'scientific' experiments room, nor does he ever fly in a hot air balloon.
• Anna never takes the children outside the palace.
• In the 1956 film, Tuptim is very enthusastic about reading, and is openly allowed to do so, while in the animated film, it is expressivley forbidden for servants to read.
• In the animated film, Edward Ramsey is seen only as a friend of Anna's, where in the original play, he was a frustrated suitor who lost her to her husband.
• Anna has many costume changes.
• Louis is a moderately major character in the animated version, but he is a very small character in the play, and the same age as Chulalongkorn.
• While the king comes close to death at one point, he doesn't actually die, as in the play.
• The "Small House" ballet written by Tuptim is absent.
• During the scene where Tuptim and her lover meet in the garden at night in the original movie, she and Lun Tha sing "We Kiss in a Shadow" and the instrumental version of "I Have Dreamed" plays momentarily in the background, but not sung. Interestingly, this is the exact opposite in the cartoon version of the scene with Tuptim and Chulalongkorn.
• Over half the original songs are cut.
• The solo numbers "A Puzzlement" and "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" were shortened.
• Anna is seen getting a house at the end of the film, while in the original musical, the King promises to Buddha that he shall give Anna a house of her own, though she is never seen to get it.
• In stark contrast to the original play and the 1956 film, the animated film is strikingly similar to Disney's Aladdin. Such similarities include Anna's profile as an upper class and well bred, but spunky and very strong-willed woman (very much like Princess Jasmine), the mischievous monkey, the big cat (in this case, a black leopard), the palace's distinct resemblance to the Taj Mahal, the serious yet absentminded nature of the King, Kralahome's role as an evil, traitorous advisor to the King, and Kralahome's hilarious and incompetent lackey Master Little.

Voice cast

• Miranda Richardson - Anna Leonowens (speaking)
• Christiane Noll - Anna Leonowens (singing)
• Martin Vidnovic - The King of Siam
• Ian Richardson - The Kralahome
• Darrell Hammond - Master Little
• Allen D. Hong - Prince Chulalongkorn (speaking)
• David Burnham - Prince Chululongkorn (singing)
• Armi Arabe - Tuptim (speaking)
• Tracy Venner Warren - Tuptim (singing)
• Adam Wylie - Louis Leonowens
• Sean Smith - Sir Edward Ramsay

Box office

The film was a box office flop. It took in $4,007,565 in its opening weekend, taking the #6 spot at the box office,but only managed to gross nearly $12 million at the box office.

Because of the negative criticisms of the film, the estates of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein have since refused to allow any of their Broadway musicals or films to be transformed into an animated feature ever again.

External links

• The King and I at IMDb