The King and I

The King and I is an animated adaptation of the original Broadway musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein. That production in turn was made into a film in 1956 starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.

Produced by Warner Bros., I would have to rate The King and I as a notch above their previous animation effort, Quest For Camelot. Still, for my money, the quality of the production places Warner Bros. a notch or two below both Disney and Paramount for animated movies. The characters’ movements are too mechanical, and the colors in the film leave much to be desired.

Most of you are familiar with the plot. Anna, the Deborah Kerr character, is a widowed British teacher who comes to Siam to educate the many children of the King, the role played by Yul Brynner. The King’s nemesis, the Kralahome, plots to overthrow him.

The animated version is dumbed down to the lowest common denominator for younger viewers. The number of songs are cut back in this rather brisk (90 minutes) presentation, but thank goodness they left in my favorite, "Getting to Know You."

Of course, the movie is replete with the extra touches typical of animated features today, such as cute little animals and buffoonish sidekicks, like the one toothed Master Little.

The King will give parents Excedrin Headache Number 42 with his constant litany of the term, "Et cetera."

There are two violent scenes that have me wondering if Hollywood producers are living on another planet as to their perception of acceptable limits for children. The opening that features a fire-breathing dragon threatening Anna’s ship is way over the edge, considering the target audience is five and under. These guys just don’t seem to get it.