Voices of Miranda Richardson, Martin Vidnovic, Ian Richardson, and Allen D. Hong
Directed by Richard Rich
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Warner Bros has never had much luck with their animated features. They distributed three independent animated films from 1990 to 1994, all of which underperformed at the box office. Their breakthrough came with Space Jam in 1996, which wound up being one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Neither the medieval fantasy Quest for Camelot nor the musical Cats Don't Dance from the newly-acquired Turner Animation, both released a year later, came close.
They tried again with another independent company, Morgan Creek Pictures. Producer Arthur J. Rankin Jr. convinced the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization that animated family-friendly versions of their shows would expand their audiences, and even got Richard Rich, whose Swan Princess failed at the box office but did well on video, to direct. How did the first animated Rodgers and Hammerstein musical turn out? Let's begin at sea, as Anna Leonowens (Miranda Richardson) and her son Louis (Adam Wylie) travel to Siam (present-day Thailand) in 1862 and find out...
The Story: Anna's ship is battered in a fierce storm that nearly washes Louis overboard. They're attacked by a sea serpent, but manage to escape thanks to Captain Orton (Ken Baker). The serpent was sent by the Kralahome (Ian Richardson), who intends to use his magic to overthrow King Mongut (Vidinovic) and make himself king. Anna nearly leaves when she sees the king accept a gift of a slave girl from Burma named Tuptim (Armi Arabe) and realizes he hasn't built the house he promised. She finally decides to stay when she meets the king's adorable children, especially his teen son Chulalongkorn (Hong).
Kralahome is still determined to get rid of her and get the kingdom, and he sends his lackey Master Little (Darrell Hammond) to eliminate her son and the other kids. The arrival of the British, however, may do more damage than the Kralahome ever could when Sir Edward Ramsay (Sean Smith) arrives to see how "civilized" the King is.
The Animation: Full of the rich colors of Siam, with glowing golds, greens, and reds creating a splendid backdrop for Anna and Mongut's adventures. The rest of the animation was farmed out to companies in 24 countries...and looks it. The lighting is terrible, the characters that are supposed to look Thai don't (except for Master Little, who falls a little too far into stereotypes territory), and there's scenes where characters barely move at all. On the other hand, they actually manage to nicely integrate the CGI and 2D animated effects, something you don't always see even in Disney movies during this era.
The Song and Dance: For all the problems, Richardson and Vidnovic put in surprisingly convincing performances as Anna and the King, and Hong isn't bad as the young prince torn between his duty to his father, what he's learned from Anna, and his feelings for Tuptim. We even get a song for Anna, "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?," that was cut from the 1956 live-action film. When the songs are blended well with the concepts, as with the elegant "Shall We Dance?," the movie almost works. I also like that, for all they whitewashed, they did keep the sequence with the King threatening to whip Tuptim and even make it fairly suspenseful.
Favorite Number: "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" makes its screen debut as Anna rages and trips and kicks over the King telling her he won't build the promised house. For his part, the King wonders what all the fuss is about. It's "A Puzzlement" to him. Anna and the kids are "Getting to Know You" as they explore the markets and streets of Bangkok. Master Little's not far behind, but he's not terribly good at trying to catch her and the children. Tuptim and Chulalongkorn get a fairly romantic "I Have Dreamed/We Kiss In a Shadow" when she points out that their romance is forbidden. "Shall We Dance?" is just lovely, both when Anna and the King dance along to it in a fantasy world, and in the finale, when it's finally just the two of them and the music.
What I Don't Like: You can tell this was adapted by the same team that mangled Quest for Camelot. Why on Earth did Rankin Jr. think this particular Rodgers and Hammerstein property would make a great 90's animated fantasy musical? The Kralahome wasn't a pleasant person in the original show, but he wasn't Scar or Jafar, either. There's enough comic relief animals to fill the Bangkok Zoo, none of which add anything to the film but a few gags. Combining the eldest Prince with the slave who falls for Tuptim just makes that side-story even more cliched than it can come off in the actual show. Master Little is also unnecessary comic relief, and badly stereotyped comic relief at that.
This also has the same problem as Camelot with inappropriate musical numbers, or numbers where the song doesn't really match the visuals. Why is "I Whistle a Happy Tune" done during that huge storm with the dragon? It sounds and looks utterly ridiculous. The otherwise well-sung and thought out "Getting to Know You" is mangled by Master Little and his ill-timed slapstick that's more suited for a Looney Tunes short than a major animated musical. And giving the story a happy ending doesn't make it any less dated or show the culture and history of Thailand in a better light.
The Big Finale: I'm afraid even some good performances and songs can't save this one. No wonder the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization banned any further animated retellings of their shows. Only for the most ardent fans of theirs or for families with indiscriminate younger children who may enjoy the animal antics and songs.
Home Media: Easy to find on all formats; it's currently free on Amazon Prime with a subscription.
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