Le château des singes (1999)

Director:

Jean-François Laguionie

Writers:

Norman Hudis (writer)
Jean-François Laguionie (writer)

Release Date:

2 June 1999 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family

Tagline:

A Funky Monkey Jungle Tumble

Plot:

A rebellious teenage monkey refuses to believe what he has been told and sets out to find the truth. |

Plot Keywords:

Monkey | Illness | Rebel | Tree | Lake

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Matt Hill	...	Kom (voice: English version)
Sally Ann Marsh	...	Gina (voice: English version)
John Hurt	...	Sebastian (voice: English version)
Rik Mayall	...	Gerard the Gormless (voice: English version)
Michael York	...	The King (voice: English version)
Michael Gambon	...	Master Martin (voice: English version)
Shirley Anne Field	...	The Governess (voice: English version)
French Tickner	...	Korkonak (voice: English version)
Diana Quick	...	Princess Ida (voice: English version)
William Vanderpuye	...	Lionel
Paul Dobson	...	Gavin (voice: English version)
Janyse Jaud	...	Kom's mother (voice: English version)
Peter Elliott	...	Monkey cries (voice: English version)
Tara Römer	...	Kom (French version) (voice)
Pierre Arditi	...	Le roi (French version) (voice)

Also Known As:

A Monkey's Tale (UK)
Das Schloss der Affen (Germany)
Kwom und der König der Affen (Germany)
The Castle of Monkeys (UK) (literal English title)

Runtime:

France:80 min | USA:76 min

Country:

France | UK | Germany | Hungary

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-6/4 | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:G

Company:

Cologne Cartoon

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#25.2)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

We Are One

I am on the fence about this film...

The obvious plus is the fine voice cast; John Hurt, Michael Gambon and Michael York. Alas, they have very little to work with. Do forgive me, it has been months since I saw this, but I do remember Monkey's Tale wasn't a very good film. Kids may like it, but adults will find plenty to criticise here. The biggest minus is the songs, I agree with one of the comments that they are awful,(the sort of thing you'll hear in pre-school) and they come out of nowhere as well. The animation wasn't very good either, it was flat, and there were some scenes where it felt rushed. However, I did like the story. It was a really nice idea, about Kom falling into another world, becoming smitten with a servant, and discovering a plot to overthrow the king. Unfortunately, the voice actors, who are all immensely talented, and the main reason why this isn't a complete disaster, didn't have desperately much to work with. There were times, when it wanted to get somewhere, but never did. I genuinely hate criticising movies, but this movie, while far from the worst movie ever, was very weak in the music, animation and scripting departments. 5/10 in respect to the voice actors. Bethany Cox