When it comes to centuries-old classics likeMary Shelley’sFrankensteinorBram Stoker’sDracula, stories that have been adapted for the screen time and time again, those backing their transformations have felt the pressure to breathe new life into the characters while still holding on tightly to the reason that they’re classics to begin with. Now, imagine taking the plunge into a story that’s been around since the 16th century and that’s the pressure thatAnthony Stacchi, the director of the upcoming animated featureThe Monkey King, was under. Fortunately, thanks to the trailer Collider is excited to exclusively share, it looks like he succeeded beautifully.
Speaking through email with Collider’sArezou Amin, Stacchi explained how he brought a 500-year-old tale to vibrant life and how he and the rest of the team stayed true to the story while forging a path of their own. A project near and dear to his heart, Stacchi said, “I never wanted to forget what I felt the first time I readJourney to the West- it’s 500 years old and it is hilarious! The satire and over-the-top characters are surprisingly modern,” adding that his favorite character wasMonkeyand that he respected “his anti-authoritarian bravado and mischievous attitude,” even going so far as to say that the character “puts a lot of ourmodern, wise-cracking, anti-heroesto shame. Monkey is the original.” The next challenge was to put a fresh spin on the story and find a way to “introduce this ancient Chinese tale to audiences who have never seen it before, make it entertaining and comprehensible, all the while retaining, with as much authenticity as possible, the culturally unique characters, motivations and story arcs.” At the core, Stacchi wanted to ensure that “The Monkey King’s rebellious, obnoxious and hilariously selfish anti-hero” personality would shine through.
And, if you’re thinking that this will be another anti-hero-to-hero story where the character becomes all good in the end, Stacchi confirms that this won’t be the case. “It was important to everyone, especiallyStephen Chow, that we not compromise Monkey’s personality to Western ideas of acceptability or any traditional story structure arc whereby he learns from his mistakes and becomes just a nice guy with superpowers by the end,” he says, adding that there will be plenty of new bits mixed in with the centuries-old tale but that type of a character arc won’t be one of them. One of the new additions comes in a character named Lin. Voiced byJolie Hoang-Rappaport, Lin, “a young peasant girl… who dreams of accomplishing something big in the world” will be “the perfect partner for a super-powered monkey who accepts all challenges and is forever battling any demon, dragon or God that gets in his way.”
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The Beginning of Enlightenment
Speaking about the “spiritual journey” that audiences will watch Monkey take during the film, the helmer says that while the original book is 100 chapters, the movie will only be around seven, marking the character’s “first step” on his quest in becoming “an enlightened being.” Along the way, Stacchi teased that audiences can expect to see “a flamboyant night club singing Dragon… two of the most powerful Gods in Jade Heaven, the King of Hell and a dozen bizarre demons who Monkey battles.”
Along with all of these colorful showdowns, which were crafted byfight choreographerand Peking Opera actorSiwei Zou, Stacchi says that he’s most excited for audiences to dive into the bond between Monkey and Lin. “My favorite scene is a quiet, emotional moment late in the story between Monkey and the young peasant girl Lin,” he explains, adding, “In that moment, Lin embraces everything she has learned traveling with Monkey and uses her new-found feelings of empowerment to take control of her destiny and fulfill her dream of “writing her own scroll” and doing something big with her life.”
With a handful of other highly-anticipated animated titles coming out this year, Stacchi remains certain thatThe Monkey Kingwill hold up on its own. To this he says,
“A lot of folks involved with this story have dreamed of making aMonkey Kingstory for a long time and have tried at many studios and failed. Usually the excuses were, the story is too complex, the world is confusing for those who didn’t grow up knowing the tale, too many religious overtones, Monkey is too unlikeable etc.The Monkey Kingcould have only happened now when there is an openness to more diverse stories, a need for so much more content and the realization by studios that doing the same old stories isn’t going to work anymore. We benefited from all those trends. It has been said, ‘Everyone falls in love with Monkey. Each generation has its own Monkey’ Hopefully we have contributed to that great inheritance.”
The Monkey Kingalso features the vocal talents ofJimmy O. Yang,Nan Li,Bowen Yang,Jo Koy,Ron Yuan,Hoon Lee,BD Wong,Andrew Kishino,Sophie Wu,Jodi Long,James Sie,Andrew Pang,Stephanie Hsu, andKuno Inghram.
Check out the new trailer forThe Monkey Kingbelow and join the adventure when the animated feature swings ontoNetflixon August 18.
