Reviews for The King and I

"The King and I" is based on musical of the same name by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which is loosely based on a factual story of a British schoolteacher who taught the children of the king of Siam. This version is watered down and dumbed down for the target audience of young children. The plot, as it is, is basically that Anna, a British schoolteacher, is sent to Siam to teach the king's children about western culture. Also, the king's prime minister wants to takeover the throne, and the crown prince falls in love with a servant girl. The prime minister has magical powers, which he uses to send monsters and other such nonsense after the king. The prime minister also has an inept but mildly amusing sidekick. Many cute animals that serve no purpose were thrown in to keep the kids amused. Anna's son has an annoying pet monkey that is supposed to be the comic relief, the servant girl has a baby elephant, and the king has a pet panther. The animation isn't spectacular, but it's adequate. The music was taken from the Rodgers and Hammerstein version, and redone for this movie, with some success. However, the characters have no depth. Many of them, including most of the king's children, are never named. The action is horribly contrived, with many unneccesary hazards in the needlessly action-filled climax. I would only recommend seeing this movie if you're quite bored, or have young children around. I get the impression that the real Anna, the real King of Siam, and Rodgers and Hammerstein are all rolling over in their graves.