Alakazam - König der Tiere

This excellent Japanese animated fantasy is an adaptation of the old Chinese Legend of the Monkey King. Having seen the original Japanese version of this film, I don't have any problems with what American International did with this film, they have removed most of the religious references, but the story is still more or less intact, and AIP hired good talent for the voices.

The American score is by film music great Les Baxter, and this is probably the most symphonic score written for an animated film at the time of its U.S. release as Alakazam The Great. Gorgeous stuff, and the movie is lots of fun for both children and adults, who will enjoy a lot of humor added to keep parents awake.

I saw Alakazam first when I was quite young. I thought it was a good cartoon then and like it more now. It has a good moral to it and it's not made to sell toys like most cartoons are made to do now. Comparing it to todays cartoons is a bit silly since it was made over 40 years ago, the themes and characters are much different then the standard anime fluff we see now. I can't see anyone going wrong renting it and watching it with their family.

Although it's not the spectacle of the greatness of Japanese Anime, the Western release of Saiyu-ki was a testament to the early days of the art.

Alas, like so many classics of animation, such as Toei's "Gulliver's Travels Beyond The Moon (Gariba no uchu ryoko)" or Nelvana's "Rock & Rule", this film will never be seen again except on rare, pirated copies, for it has been cast into the pit of Moritorium Hell, where major video chains unceremoniously trash the remaining copies into a dumpster without the opportunity to purchase them to try to salvage history. This disgusting form of book burning for profits by the major studios that now run the major video rental chains, leading to the demise of the Mom & Pop stores of the past will be remembered as corporate greed at it's worst.

I hope there is a special Hell for these arrogant suits.

I fortunately as a child was able to see this film twice, and the memories have out-lasted many of those of the Disney classics that bombarded my adolescent senses at the same time. For years I have scoured video bins worldwide in an attempt to locate a copy of this long last classic, but as yet to no avail. This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest and most memorable animated films and stories presented to date (that is the US-dubbed and scored version, for I've never seen the original Japanese version). Great characters and animation, awesome moralistic and quasi-religious end messages, and a just plane fantastic story. The depth is nearly as great as that of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Putting aside all the lost cinema gems still kicking around the depths of my childhood memories, this is the one I would most like to revisit and share with the children of today.

I was stunned to see this listing; I have been trying to find this movie for years. It may be lame, a terrible dubbed version of a chopped up hack job, but I still have dreams based on this film 30 years later. It would show up on the afternoon movie program and I would always greet it like an old friend; I would love to see it again.