The Monkey King

IN A NUTSHELL: This adorable animation was inspired by an epic Chinese tale, translated into an action-packed comedy. A special monkey uses his magical fighting stick to battle demons, dragons, gods, and the greatest adversary of all: his own ego.

The film was directed by Anthony Stacchi. Writing credits go to Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman.

THINGS I LIKED: I've been to China many times and can tell you the legend of the Monkey King is very much alive and well over there today! You can walk through a park and find a random guy dressed like the Monkey King in order to get money from people. Ha ha I love all of the little Chinese details in the film that will introduce kids and their parents to Chinese culture.

Voice talents include BD Wong (Buddha), Jimmy O. Yang (The Monkey King), Stephanie Hsu, Hoon Lee, Bowen Yang (I have a son named Bowen!), Jo Koy, and many more. They all do a fantastic job.

The movie is extremely colorful and creative.

The sound effects are often hilarious.

There's an action sequence that looks like it came straight out of the Spider-verse movie with quick 2D movements. Cute and fun.

The color palette is rich and detailed.

Lots of visual and spoken humor.

There's mention of Chinese egg tarts. YUM! They're originally from Portugal, but SUPER popular in the Canton region of China.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The Monkey King's personality is overly confident and cocky.

There are some random musical numbers.

Some of the musical numbers sound like heavy metal, which didn't quite fit the movie. How about something with a Chinese vibe, eh?

I can imagine that some parents will tire of all the loud, chaotic fight scenes.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: You'll need to talk to your kids about who Buddha was.

Lots of fighting sequences and animated violence.

Lots of destruction.

No profanity. Instead, words like "heck" are used. "What the heck?"