The Mighty Kong (1998) User Reviews

Kid Kong

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 25 March 2021]

When someone asks you, because they will, "What was Dudley Moore's last movie?" you can now confidently look them in the eye and say, "He played both Carl Denham and King Kong in the 1998 animated film The Mighty Kong."

Somehow, this movie also features music by the Sherman Brothers. Yes, the same men who wrote the songs for Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Aristocat and "It's A Small World After All" for the Disney theme parks. And it has Jodi Benson (yes, Ariel herself) as the Fay Wray character.

All of these things sound fantastic until you see this movie, which is animated in perhaps the cheapest form of classic animation possible in 1998. Do not expect a Disney film but instead, Kong as told by folks trying their best to be Disney on a shoestring.

This is the same Kong story as always - it even borrows the waterfall scene from the 1976 remake - except beauty does not kill the beast. It does, however, knock it out for a spell.

Art Scott only directed one movie and this is it. His career was mainly at Hanna Barbera, working on shows like The Herculoids, Wacky Races, The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang and more. He worked on several Disney shorts early in his career and even did some of the DTV animation pieces late in it. This was written by William J. Keenan, who was the right guy for the job, seeing as how he produced the 1966 American TV series of King Kong and wrote the translated dialogue for King Kong Escapes.

If you want a very kid-friendly intro to Kong, this will work.

This one is strictly for kids

[petekrug17 · 4/10 · 11 November 2005]

I guess the fact that this film exists would make the upcoming one by Peter Jackson the third KING KONG remake. (After this one and the much under-rated Dino De Laurentis 1976 film.) Instead of appealing to all ages like the live-action KONG films (though some parts in those movies might actually scare the really young ones, especially the '76 remake). Anyway. The key differences here, other than it's done in cartoon, are that the heroine is much more outspoken, there is a cabin boy and his "cute" pet monkey on the ship, (don't ask what they're doing there,) the inclusion of Broadway-type moments where characters break out into song, and, of course, the violence is toned way, way down. In fact, if I remember correctly, (it's been some years since I saw this,) not a single character dies in the entire movie. And I suppose I'm blowing the ending here, but it must be said: at the end of the film, after Kong's battled the fighter biplanes, (somehow without showing a single bloody bullet hole, 'cause, you know, it's a kid's movie,) and falling off the Empire State building, and the line,"'Twas beauty that killed the beast.", guess what? No, Kong DIDN'T die! Yes, the filmmakers decided to tack on a phony happy ending to please the kids. And when Kong turns out to still be alive, (after being shot about a hundred times by the planes and falling off the Empire State building,) the crowd erupts in cheers. Yes, the giant ape that was terrorizing New York just moments earlier is still alive, and everyone's happy about it! Whatever. Unless you have youngsters you think would like this, don't bother unless you're a die-hard KONG completest. (And I mean if your collection includes KING KONG LIVES. Yes, even that notorious bomb just might still be better than this one.)

A very cheap and lazy remake!

[ryanward-45039 · 3/10 · 11 April 2022]

The film begins with Ann Darrow (voiced by Jodi Benson from The Little Mermaid) as a down-on-her-luck actress looking for work. Meeting film director Carl Denham (oh wait I should say CB Denham, voiced by Dudley Moore) who offers her job in a new movie. They board the Venture, oh wait never mind it, I guess it's called the Java Queen! Anyway they board the ship and leave for the film shoot. Oh by the way there's a monkey who lives on board causing trouble throughout the trip. He's really kind of like the snark of the group. They arrive at the island and the natives who are friendly to the crew asked them to leave so that Ann can be used to sacrifice and is then sacrificed to the giant ape King Kong, oh wait sorry the Mighty Kong, who makes off with her to the jungle. Together they fight a dinosaur and are off the island in five minutes. No really really they only end up on the island for like five to ten minutes is real stupid. The film then falls Kong's rampage of New York City, Kong then retrieves Ann and takes her to the top of the Empire State Building. The biplanes of course come in to attack Kong with their guns, but miss most of the time. (Well it is a cartoon) When all the planes have knocked down, the army sends two blimps with a net between them to catch Kong and they do catch him successfully. King tries to get out of the net, but the net rips when Carl reaches for Ann and he falls from the net. He bangs into a balcony and plummets to the ground. Kong's mightiness ends when he slams into the streets of New York, however Kong survives the fall to make more of a family-friendly ending.

This is what the animated Titanic movies are to the nostalgia critic for me. A cheap and lazy animated feature to cash in on Mighty Joe Young and Godzilla. Not much is known about the making of the film, but from what I've seen. The animation looks cruddy and the music by the infamous Sherman Brothers is not that great and it's really annoying. What is it with most calling productions where the musical numbers are real stupid? Hope that's not the case for the King Kong musical right now.

Dudley Moore's Denham being the last role before his death is the only thing enjoyable about the film. He plays it very British and keeps switching characters from good to bad. Jodi Benson as Ann while a great choice for the animated version of the character is completely wasted here and has not much to do. Jack Driscoll in this version is even more bland and boring than in the original 1933 film. How does that work? Well Bruce Cabot had sort of a tough guy with a soft heart character. This guy is dull as rubbish. He doesn't do anything. He's mostly an idiot in this movie and every other scene, he restarts his line of what? God that's so annoying. Other characters like Englehorn, the cabin boy and the monkey, the crew and natives are really forgettable. Kong in this film looks like crap. They made him more manly than the other versions and it almost looks like he's on steroids.

The dinosaurs are completely wasted and only appear in brief seconds. That's right. If you're looking for a royal animated rumble between Kong and the T-Rex, it's five seconds.

Like the animated Titanic movies, the animation in this is horrible. Not even matching the lip movements and sometimes resort into restocking shots. Yep you get to see some of the shots twice.

Overall, the movie is bad, with horrible animation, bad dubbing and annoying music. I'd say again to get it if you're a hardcore fan, but only as an item and not for watch. Skip it, you'll be glad you did.

3/10.

Good idea that did not quite work out

[DeborahPainter855 · 6 August 2004]

THE MIGHTY KONG is one of those kid's musicals that had a lot of potential but did not make a big splash. I don't even know anyone with kids who bought this video for them and I don't know any kids who have even heard of it! I liked the musical numbers and I liked the period setting. My favorite scene is Ann Darrow's debut musical number in "Carl Denham's Electrifying Mystifying Wild Animal Follies".

Carl Denham's character was nothing like the one in the original 1933 film, and his film crew was portrayed as being totally inept. What do kids learn from stuff like this? That documentary filmmakers are clumsy idiots? Why do filmmakers make themselves look bad in their own movies? I wish someone would answer this question for me.

The little monkey mascot on board the ship heading to Skull Island was OK, but the cabin boy served no purpose and would not have been needed on a small steamer like the one being used. He was your typical "we gotta put a kid in this movie so that the kids can relate to it" character. Nonsense. Kids can enjoy movies that don't have other kids in them.

Then, when the filmmakers actually make landfall on Skull Island, the plot really begins to unravel and many subplots are basically thrown away.

Show your kid the original KING KONG made by RKO 70 years ago.

A Terrible Remake

[mrspock25 · 1/10 · 26 March 2010]

Honestly, me being an avid original Kong fan, this film was a disgrace. I can't help but feel that it's just dumbing down an advanced story for a wider audience. If you're like, under the age of 5, like bad songs, and want a more family friendly ending, because Kong dying was too "mean", then you'll love this piece of crap of a movie. So much about the original story is omitted. Kong does no rampaging, he's friendly, and doesn't die at the end. For god's sake, they raped one of the greatest films of all time, and my personal favorite movie of all time! You mother f*ckers! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!

But i digress.

Anyway, the movie blows, if you have any knowledge of the original story and have a non- lobotomized brain. The grittiness that they robbed from the original story just causes the movie to lack any sort of depth. And rather than compliment the story, the songs cheapen it and arrive at abrupt times. If you have a brain, skip this putrid pile of platypus sh*t. You can do without it.

Gag: King Kong, the animated musical

[TheLittleSongbird · 2/10 · 5 June 2011]

The only reason why this isn't a 1 is because of the voice cast, both Dudley Moore and Jodi Benson do play Kong and Anne very well. However, the animation quality is very uneven, the colours are nice and Anne looks lovely but some of the other character designs are wonky and the backgrounds especially after the Skull Island sequence, sequentially the film's best bit, are shoddy. The story meanders at this point too, with subplots that unravel faster than a ball of wool and a romance that feels contrived in alternative to poignant, and when it came to the characters Carl's part is very corny and the cabin boy was completely unnecessary. While most of the dialogue is embarrassing being quite hackneyed, the musical numbers are where the film really falls down. Not only are they not needed but they are very dull and insipid, with Carl's number faring worst mostly because the lyrics were so gut-wrenchingly awful. After seeing this, I have changed my mind which is the worst King Kong movie(initially the 1976 movie), this takes the cake. 2/10 Bethany Cox

One of the scariest monster stories of all time turned into sap.

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 4/10 · 18 March 2017]

This is was not a good idea. To make a remake of a monster movie and make it kid friendly. The original King Kong is one of the scariest movie of all time. And this animated remake is sappy. It has a bunch of awful music numbers. See Son of Kong. That is good movie. If you have seen the original King Kong there is no point to seeing this movie. King Kong vs Godzilla is so such better then this movie. King Kong escapes is also a lot better. The 1976 remake of King Kong is also a lot better. This is a very scary movie. King Kong lives is a lot better. the Animated series of Kong from 2000-2006 is also a lot better. Kong King of Atlats is also a lot better. The King Kong remake from 2005 is very scary. That is also a lot better. Kong Skull island is also a lot better. This movie is just campy. I do not believe in the rating system. If I would a kid to know the story of King Kong. I would shown them any version except this one. It is so stupid. 5.1 is overrating this movie. I give this 4. Do not see it. See any live action version of King Kong do not see this.

It's not awful. It's just unnecessary.

[I_Ailurophile · 5/10 · 9 November 2023]

It's safe to say I was skeptical from the outset, and frankly I'd also have doubts about anyone who wasn't. It's hard enough trying to imagine 'King Kong' rendered as an animated movie musical; for anyone who has seen similar titles - like, say, the animated flicks about the Titanic that Italian companies produced circa 2000 - we have firm reason to cast suspicion upon this sights unseen. The difficulty is that even if there's nothing outwardly amiss about the whole affair, one struggles to take seriously something that smashes together a classic, violent monster picture, one that is an allegory for the transatlantic slave trade (which is a whole discussion in and of itself), with the sensibilities of Saturday morning cartoons. How much entertainment can we truly derive from such a project, and how sincere was the production in the first place? Well, for what it's worth, I do think 'The mighty Kong' manages to be lightly enjoyable on its own merits, and it's not bad. It's also nothing that one especially needs to see, and is probably best regarded as a cinematic curiosity reserved for those who will watch anything and everything.

I think it's very reasonable to question how the native islanders were depicted, though in fairness, this is an issue that has plagued the medium at large since its inception. There's also the matter of Disney-fying the concept, replete with musical numbers that warp and arguably soften and sterilize the story - though, then again, the issue of how to convey an earnest story through the musical format has similarly been the crux of that genre for many years, in film and on stage. There are also the cutesy gags and silliness that characterize most any cartoon, contrasted with the sobriety of the narrative, and that may be a more significant factor weighing against this 1998 feature. I think the biggest issue stymieing 'The mighty Kong,' however, is that of all the biggest changes it makes, the worst is shortchanging the sense of adventure that Merian C. Cooper brought to the '33 masterpiece. Pretty much all the same beats, themes, and ideas are here, including the dubious, exploitative side of Carl Denham, but their power is diminished to a fragment of their former selves. The exploits of Jack and the ship's crew on Skull Island are reduced to unimpressive, flat, fleeting seconds, bereft of any thrills or sense of danger; the development of romance between Jack and Ann, and Kong's obsession with Ann, are both forced into small corners. With the latter facet in mind in particular, the last act of the tale, in which the chained Kong rages upon perceiving Ann to be threatened, is almost nonsensical. And while I've no issue with how writer William J. Keenan altered the ending, under Art Scott's direction that ending is rushed, and all too brusque, and is likewise robbed of its potential.

I suppose none of this is especially surprising; it's more or less what I expected. Still, though the storytelling suffers, this is at least well made in other regards. The animation is nothing remarkable, but it fits right in with contemporary fare of the late 90s. The songs themselves are suitably well written, with some being stronger than others, and it's just a question of how they're employed as part of the weaving of the saga. Likewise, though no one in the voice cast stands out in terms of their contributions, they all do their part to help realize the project. All told I must repeat that I don't think the movie is outright bad; the problem is that the superlative version of the story was already seen sixty-five years before, in a format that made every notion feel more tangible and meaningful than what we see here. Points are to be awarded for the novelty, perhaps, but the simple fact of the matter is that an animated musical interpretation of 'King Kong' was just unnecessary. If you can't get your hands on enough Kong material then I guess this is for you, and likewise for devotees of the musical stylings. Otherwise it's only the ardent, curious cinephile who will have any reason to watch 'The mighty Kong,' and for anyone else there's no need at all. There are worse ways to spend your time, but there are far better ways, too - and one of those came more than six decades before. Oh well.

A Lo-Fi Lullaby

[visualsbyalan · 3/10 · 30 March 2024]

One can't help but raise an eyebrow at the curious concoction that is The Mighty Kong. On paper, it boasts a pedigree ripe for cineastic fireworks: the legendary vocal talents of Dudley Moore tackling both the bombastic filmmaker Carl Denham and the mighty ape himself, and a score courtesy of the Sherman Brothers, the musical masterminds behind Mary Poppins. Anticipation soars.

But then the film flickers to life, and reality crashes down with the weight of a poorly animated steamship. The Mighty Kong suffers from a case of severe budgetary anemia. The animation is a far cry from Disney's polished perfection, with characters that jerk around the screen and faces that morph uncomfortably with every expression.

The narrative, too, is a predictable beast, a rote rehash of the classic King Kong tale with a Beauty and the Beast garnish thrown in for good measure. Thankfully, the damsel in distress avoids the typical demise this time around. There's even a shoehorned-in child sidekick, a desperate attempt to lure the younger set, that feels as unnecessary as a monocle on a clown.

Despite these shortcomings, The Mighty Kong isn't entirely without charm. The period setting offers a certain nostalgic appeal, and the sheer audacity of Moore's dual role (executed with varying degrees of success, it must be said) is undeniably intriguing. The Sherman Brothers' score, while not their strongest work, provides a few toe-tapping moments.

Ultimately, The Mighty Kong is a cinematic oddity - a lo-fi lullaby to a classic tale. It might hold some appeal for die-hard Kong enthusiasts or those with a penchant for delightfully strange films. But for most viewers, this ape will likely leave them scratching their heads and yearning for the mighty original.

A (arguably) good remake.

[Mightyzebra · 7/10 · 29 December 2007]

Genre: Cartoon remake, America, Scary island, Film stars. ? ? Actors: The one and only Dudley Moore :-) (C.B Denham) and Jodi Benson, (Anne).

Main characters: C.B Denham, Anne and the mighty Kong.?

What happens: Those of you who have watched the original of this (or another remake) will know the story (I didn't). An ambitious film director is making a motion picture – but he has one thing lacking… His star. Oh dear. Luckily, he finds a beautiful and feisty apple thief Anne and within eight hours she is on a cruise ship to their film setting! It turns out things don't go as planned though…

My thoughts: I like this remake. Already the songs are going around in my head (pleasantly luckily) and also good bits of the film. I like the film itself, never having seen any Kong film or series beforehand. The characters, actors, story and action are enjoyable, pleasant and also exciting. One highlight of the film for me was Dudley Moore, whom I really like (even though I've only seen him in about one other thing). Jodi Benson, the same girl who gave us our little red-haired mermaid is here too as Anne! ? ? The songs are enjoyable, as I've told you before. Some people may not like them. For one thing there are quite a few and they are mainly aimed for the enjoyment of children (well – I guess this whole film was aimed for children REALLY). Some cautious parents may wish to fast forward some of the scary parts for young children. Some of the explosions, some of the dinosaurs and the screaming may be unpleasant for both adults and children. Also, some people might not like the sidekicks, a monkey and a boy. I myself thought they enhanced the entertainment and friendliness of the film, of course others may think otherwise. So all in all, not perfect, but I certainly enjoyed this film!

Recommended to: People who would like a harmless remake, the BFK(big friendly kong), children and families who enjoy an average yet very pleasant children's film. Enjoy! :-)

A kid friendly animated remake of King Kong

[qeditor · 8/10 · 12 July 1999]

This film has everything that kids could want...a fun musical score and enough action to hold their interest. In these days of even G rated films containing questionable scenes/language, its a relief to see something that is safe and fun.

Good movie

[Trashbag · 11 June 2003]

Warning: A few minor spoilers

This is a great movie. It follows the original better than the '76 remake. But Kong is standing up on his hind legs like the remake. And Ann still weeps his death like in the remake. And they included the scene in the remake where Kong bathes Ann. But all the characters return from the original. No Dwan, Jack Prescott, or Smith anywhere. All dinos return. The famous line returned too.



"It was Beauty that killed the beast"

Quality Sherman Brothers Score!

[redstring · 11 March 2000]

The Sherman Brothers (THE TIGGER MOVIE, MARY POPPINS, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, CHARLOTTE'S WEB) provide a terrifically witty score for this musical retelling of the King Kong story. I had the opportunity of seeing this film in a theatre when it first opened in 1998 and the audience actually laughed out loud at some of the lyrical humor. The ballad, "I've Known You All My Life" is beautiful and may one day be thought of as a classic! Dudley Moore's vocal portrayal of C.B.Denham was terrific-- sadly, it may have been his final performance. He sings in the film as does Jodi Benson (ALADDIN).

Some comments from the Press in 1998

[lyn_devallance · 9 October 2014]

Fresno Bee ".… Oscar -winning salute to the Great Ape." Reel Guide "… a lighthearted romp for families with delightful tunes, appealing vocal performances. Audiences rate a 10 for family appeal." Fort Worth Star Telegram "This is a great family movie that everyone will enjoy." Daily Tribune "This animated adaption literally brings the house down." The New York Times "… a spectacular feature film." Ventura County Reporter "… this handsomely animated feature…. sure to entertain kids of all ages." Gary Post Tribune "… an underlying moral thread… the beast and his story have meaning." New Orleans Times Picayune "True to the original - only it's kid friendly." School to Work News "… the classic story of beauty and the beast is sure to become a favorite that will entertain the whole family."

20 weeks on Billboard's Top Kid Video sales.