The Mighty Kong
The Mighty Kong | |
---|---|
Directed by | Art Scott |
Written by | William J. Keenan |
Based on | King Kong by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace |
Produced by | Denis deVallance Lyn Henderson |
Starring | Dudley Moore Jodi Benson Randy Hamilton William Sage Jason Gray-Stanford Richard Newman Don Brown Ian James Corlett Michael Dobson Paul Dobson |
Cinematography | John Powell |
Edited by | John Carnochan |
Music by | David Siebels Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman |
Production companies | L.A. Animation Lana Productions Hahn Shin Corporation (Animation Production) |
Distributed by | Legacy Releasing Warner Home Video |
Release date | June 16, 1998 |
Running time | 71 minutes |
Countries | United States South Korea |
Language | English |
The Mighty Kong is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated, musical adaptation of the classic King Kong story, produced by Lana Productions.[1] Jodi Benson and Dudley Moore (in his final role before his death in 2002) headed its cast of voice actors. The film was animated overseas by the South Korean animation studios including Hahn Shin Corporation, and by Jade Animation in Hong Kong. It features original songs by the Sherman Brothers. The film was released on VHS on June 16, 1998 by Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment as a part of their 75th Anniversary promotion.
Plot summary
Ann Darrow, a down-on-her-luck actress looking for work, meets film director Carl Denham, who offers her a job in a new film. They board the Venture to leave for the film shoot. The monkey that lives on board causes trouble throughout the trip. They arrive on the island and after a run-in with the natives, Ann then sacrificed to the giant ape King Kong who makes off with her into the jungle. Together they fight a Tyrannosaurus, Pterodactylus and a Gigantophis.
The film then follows Kong's rampage of New York City. Kong takes Ann up on top of the Empire State Building. The biplanes come and attack Kong with guns, but miss most of the time. When all the planes have been knocked down the army sends two blimps with a net in between them to catch Kong. They catch him successfully. Kong tries to get out of the net, but the net rips and when Kong reaches for Ann, he falls from the net. He bangs into a balcony and plummets to the ground. During his fall he is shown crying. Kong's "mightyness" ends when he slams into the streets of New York. However, Kong survives the fall.
Cast
- King Kong as himself
- Dudley Moore as Carl Denham
- Jodi Benson as Ann Darrow
- Randy Hamilton as Jack Driscoll
- William Sage III as Roscoe
- Jason Gray-Stanford as Ricky
- Richard Newman as Captain Englehorn
Additional voices are: William Sage III, Don Brown, Ian James Corlett, Michael Dobson, Paul Dobson
Trivia
This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2020) |
- Despite being produced in 1997, the film wasn't released until June 16, 1998.
Similarities and differences
- The film features the waterfall shower scene which was in the 1976 remake of King Kong.
- The film also features a Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus and a Pterodactylus which were in the 1933 original of King Kong, aTriceratops, which was part of the 1933 film's original script but didn't make it into the film itself, and a giant snake from the 1976 remake of King Kong.
- Instead of being shot down by planes, Kong gets tangled up in a net suspended by two blimps.
- Kong survives the fall from the Empire State Building to provide a more family-friendly ending.
- He doesn't rip the Tyrannosaurus's (or the snake's) jaws apart to provide a more family-friendly fight.
Release dates
- June 16, 1998 (United States/Canada)
- 1998 (United Kingdom)
- 1999 (Australia)
References
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-8160-6600-1.
External links
- 1998 animated films
- 1998 films
- 1998 direct-to-video films
- 1990s American animated films
- 1990s fantasy films
- 1990s musical films
- 1990s monster movies
- American children's animated fantasy films
- American films
- American children's animated musical films
- Animated films about apes
- Direct-to-video animated films
- Films set in New York City
- Films set in the 1930s
- Films set in 1933
- King Kong (franchise) films
- Lost world films
- Musicals by the Sherman Brothers
- Warner Bros. direct-to-video animated films