The King and I (1999 film)

The King and I
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Richard Rich
Produced by
Screenplay by
Based on
Starring
Music by
  • Richard Rodgers
  • Oscar Hammerstein II
Edited by
  • Joe Campana
  • Paul Murphy
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • March 19, 1999 (1999-03-19)
Running time
 89 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $25 million[2]
Box office $12 million[2]

The King and I is a 1999 American animated musical film directed by Richard Rich and written by Peter Bakalian, Jacqueline Feather, and David Seidler, loosely adapted from the Anna Leonowens story, and uses songs and some of the character names from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's stage musical of the same name.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on March 19, 1999 and grossed $12 million domestically on a $25 million budget.[2]

Plot

In 1862 Siam, the King of Siam rules with traditional beliefs and refusal to change. With the arrival of Englishwoman Anna Leonowens and her son Louis, his Prime Minister, Kralahome, plots to have the King overthrown with deceit. At the same time, the Crown Prince Chulalongkorn falls in love with Tuptim, a servant given to the King as a gift from Burma, but their love must remain a secret as such is strictly forbidden.

Voice cast

Musical numbers

  1. "I Whistle a Happy Tune" – Anna, Louis, Chorus
  2. "Hello, Young Lovers" – Anna
  3. "Getting to Know You" – Anna, Children
  4. "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" – Anna
  5. "A Puzzlement" – King
  6. "I Have Dreamed" – Chulalongkorn, Tuptim
  7. "Prayer to Buddha" – King, Anna
  8. "Anna Remembers/Shall We Dance Fantasy" – Anna
  9. "Shall We Dance? (Finale)" – Anna, King
  10. "I Have Dreamed/We Kiss in a Shadow/Something Wonderful" (end credits) – Barbra Streisand[3]

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album was released on March 16, 1999 by Sony Classical Records.[4] It was released on both CD and cassette formats.[5] All the songs on the album were composed by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers. William Ruhlmann of Allmusic.com gave the album a rating of 3 stars out of 5, describing it as a "surprisingly adequate" soundtrack to a "badly received" film. He adds, however, that the "overly effusive vocal performances" and "overly busy arrangements" make it "by far the worst version of this music ever recorded", and cites the use of "nine different orchestrators" as a possible factor. He concludes by conceding that there is good singing on the album.[6] John Kenrick in his article Comparative CD Reviews Part III, describes the 1999 recording as a "total disgrace" that sees "superb Broadway singers...labor against mindless cuts and gooey orchestrations".[7] In a relatively negative review of the animated adaption, The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia does say that "some of the songs survive nicely, and the singing vocals throughout are very proficient".[8]

Track numberTitlePerformerTime
1I Have Dreamed/We Kiss in a Shadow/Something WonderfulBarbra Streisand4:51
2Getting to Know YouBeau Brader / Christiane Noll / Emma Stephenson3:34
3March of the Siamese ChildrenThe Philharmonia Orchestra2:56
4A PuzzlementMartin Vidnovic2:26
5I Whistle a Happy TuneCharles Clark / Jeff Gunn / David Joyce / Larry Kenton / Christiane Noll / Adam Wylie2:08
6Hello, Young LoversChristiane Noll1:55
7I Have DreamedDave Burnham / Tracy Venner Warren3:01
8Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?Christiane Noll1:52
9Prayer to BuddhaMiranda Richardson / Martin Vidnovic1:53
10Anna Remembers/Shall We Dance FantasyChristiane Noll1:43
11Shall We Dance? (Finale)Christiane Noll / Miranda Richardson / Martin Vidnovic2:19
12PrologueThe Philharmonia Orchestra0:54
13Arrival in Siam/Moonshee's MischiefThe Philharmonia Orchestra2:54
14Two Servants/Anna's DemandsThe Philharmonia Orchestra2:59
15Kralahome's Scheme/Tuptim's Gift/Anna's AcademyThe Philharmonia Orchestra2:48
16Everything Scientific/Children Outside PalaceThe Philharmonia Orchestra2:03
17What to Say to Growing Son/Evil DuoThe Philharmonia Orchestra1:14
18Anna Will StayThe Philharmonia Orchestra4:05
19Mango Madness/Kralahome's Sinister TrapThe Philharmonia Orchestra2:07
20Banquet/King's Threat/Balloon RescueThe Philharmonia Orchestra5:12
21King's Fate/Prince's Future/Kralahome's Demise/Anna's SurpriseThe Philharmonia Orchestra5:29
22FinaleThe Philharmonia Orchestra0:54

Release

The King and I was released theatrically on March 19, 1999 by Warner Bros. Pictures under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label and produced by Morgan Creek Productions, Rankin/Bass Productions, Nest Family Entertainment, and Rich Animation Studios. It also has 2 shorts that took place after the film "The Retreat" and "Hide & Seeking" were released the same day it's DVD release came out. A Blu-ray version of the film has yet to be announced.

Box office

The film was a box office bomb. It took in $4,007,565 in its opening weekend, taking the #6 spot at the box office, but only managed to gross just under $12 million at the box office, and was overshadowed by the release of Doug's 1st Movie, which was released the following week.[2]

Critical reception

The King and I received negative reviews and has a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[9] Historian Thomas Hischak wrote that it was "surprising to think that the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization allowed it to be made ... children have enjoyed The King and I for five decades without relying on dancing dragons".[10] Hischak, in his work The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television, says the film is "easily the worst treatment of any Rodgers and Hammerstein property".[11] The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia says "whether or not one agrees about the 1956 film of The King and I being the best R&H movie, most would concede that [the] animated adaption is the worst". Roger Ebert gave it 2 stars out of 4 and felt that animated adaptations of musicals have potential but found the film rather dull.

References

  1. ↑ "The King and I (U)". British Board of Film Classification. April 15, 1999. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The King and I (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  3. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "1999 Soundtrack: The King and I", Allmusic.com, accessed December 24, 2012
  4. ↑ Artists, Various. "The King and I – Original Animated Feature Soundtrack [Music Download]: Various Artists". Christianbook.com. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  5. ↑ "The King and I [Original Animated Feature Soundtrack] – 1999 Soundtrack : Releases". AllMusic. 1999-03-16. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  6. ↑ Ruhlmann, William (1999-03-16). "The King and I [Original Animated Feature Soundtrack] – 1999 Soundtrack : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  7. ↑ "Comparative CD reviews – 3". Musicals101.com. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  8. ↑ Hischak, Thomas S (2007-06-30). "The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia". ISBN 9780313341403.
  9. ↑ "The King and I (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  10. ↑ Hischak, Thomas S. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, p. 151 ISBN 978-0-313-34140-3
  11. ↑ Hischak, Thomas S (2008-06-02). "The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television". ISBN 9780195335330.
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