The King and I (1999 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The King and I
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Rich
Screenplay by	Peter Bakalian Jacqueline Feather David Seidler
Starring	Miranda Richardson Martin Vidnovic Ian Richardson Darrell Hammond
Music by	William Kidd
Editing by	Joe Campana Paul Murphy
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	March 19, 1999 (1999-03-19)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Money made	$12 million

The King and I is a 1999 American animated musical film directed by Richard Rich. It is the only animated feature film made by Morgan Creek Entertainment. Loosely based on the 1951 musical of the same name, it portrays a fictionalized account of English school teacher Anna Leonowens' historical encounter with the King of Siam Mongkut, and royal court. The voice cast stars Miranda Richardson and Martin Vidnovic as Leonowens and Mongkut, respectively, with Ian Richardson, Darrell Hammond, and Adam Wylie. The score, songs, and some of the character names come from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's 1951 stage musical of the same name. Screenwriters Peter Bakalian, Jacqueline Feather, and David Seidler took creative liberties with the history and with the source material from the musical in an attempt to make the film palatable to all audiences.

The King and I was released on March 19, 1999, eight months prior to Anna and the King, a live-action adaptation of the same story. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes calls it "charmless and shoddily animated". The King and I earned $12 million at the box office and its gross was seen as disappointing compared to that of other animated films released at the time. The film received five nominations including the London Critics Circle Film Award for British Actress of the Year for Richarson and the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Animated Feature.

Plot

In 1862, a ship sails from London to Bangkok, on board are Anna Leonowens and her son Louis. Kralahome, Prime Minister, uses his powers of illusion to cause it to appear as if a massive sea serpent is attacking the ship as its battered in a storm. Anna, with the help of Captain Orton, manage to save Louis from drowning. As they approach Bangkok, the captain explains to Anna how the kingdom is politically structured.

In the Grand Palace, in Siam, Anna witnesses King Mongkut receive a gift in the form of a slave, Tuptim, a young woman from Burma. Despite being promised her own house outside the palace, Anna is denied it. The King drags Anna to his workshop in which he tests new inventions such as hot air balloons and trains. Louis is taken on a tour of the armory by the Kralahome's henchman, Master Little, who barely misses an injury. The King's wives help Anna unpack despite her protests, and Anna sees Prince Chulalongkorn and Tuptim getting to know each other in the courtyard. Anna who wants to leave since she will not receive the house but changes her mind after she meets the royal children, especially Chulalongkorn.

With the Kralahome still plotting to overthrow the king, he writes a letter to the British Empire that claims that Anna is in danger. Anna begins to teach the children and learns that they never been outside the palace walls. To give the hands-on experience she takes all of the royal children around the city to see how other people live, which in turn angers the King. The Kralahome reported it from Master Little, who told him of seeing the outing. It boils over into a fight, with Anna still complaining about the house that she was promised but has yet to receive.

Chulalongkorn meets with his father to discuss traditions. He wants to be with Tuptim but knows that his father would never allow it. Confused, Mongkut goes to pray to Buddha. The Kralahome then uses his powers on the statues in the room to try and attack the king, which the king's black panther, Rama, fights off. When Chulalongkorn is kickboxing, Tuptim finally learns that he is the crown prince and that their love is forbidden. However, he tells her that he does not care about tradition and wants to be with her. Master Little learns of their relationship and tells the Kralahome, who plans to use it to anger the king at the right time.

Anna goes to the king to learn that he is troubled after he learned that the British are coming because he is allegedly a barbarian, which she knows is false. Anna advises the King to throw a banquet for the British when they arrive so that he can show that he is civilized. At the dinner, the Kralahome mentions the royal ivory pendant that the king is supposed to wear, which he gave to his son, who then gave it to Tuptim. When it is revealed that Chulalongkorn gave it away, Tuptim is brought in by guards. Dishonored by the relationship, the king threatens to whip Tuptim to death, but she and Chulalongkorn escape into the jungle with Louis.

While they escape, the Kralahome uses his powers to guide them through the jungle across a rope bridge. The bridge collapses, and Tuptim and Chulalongkorn are almost swept away by a river. The king, having had a change of heart and using one of his hot air balloons, rescues them with Louis's help in distracting Master Little's interference. However, on their journey back to the palace, the Kralahome fires a firework, destroys the balloon, and causes it to crash. Everyone but the king was able to jump into a lake to safety. When the Kralahome leaves victorious, Sir Edward and the royal guards get angry at him for trying to kill the king. An injured bedridden king lays in bed tells his son to be ready to lead Siam if he dies and allows him and Tuptim to be married.

The Kralahome loses his position and as a punishment but is forced to clean the elephant stables, with Master Little as his boss. He then gets assaulted by Master Little after his last tooth falls out. However, the king does not die unlike in the musical; instead, he heals and presents Anna with her house outside the palace walls, and the two of them dance.

Voice cast

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album was released on March 16, 1999 by Sony Classical Records. It was released on both CD and cassette formats. All the songs on the album were composed by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers. William Ruhlmann of Allmusic.com gave the album a rating of 3 stars out of 5, describing it as a "surprisingly adequate" soundtrack to a "badly received" film. He adds, however, that the "overly effusive vocal performances" and "overly busy arrangements" make it "by far the worst version of this music ever recorded", and cites the use of "nine different orchestrators" as a possible factor. He concludes by conceding that there is good singing on the album. John Kenrick in his article Comparative CD Reviews Part III, describes the 1999 recording as a "total disgrace" that sees "superb Broadway singers...labor against mindless cuts and gooey orchestrations". In a relatively negative review of the animated adaption, The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia does say that "some of the songs survive nicely, and the singing vocals throughout are very proficient".

See also

In Spanish: El rey y yo (película de 1999) para niños