lyn henderson Fresno Bee ".… Oscar -winning salute to the Great Ape." Reel Guide "… a lighthearted romp for families with delightful tunes, appealing vocal performances. Audiences rate a 10 for family appeal." Fort Worth Star Telegram "This is a great family movie that everyone will enjoy." Daily Tribune "This animated adaption literally brings the house down." The New York Times "… a spectacular feature film." Ventura County Reporter "… this handsomely animated feature…. sure to entertain kids of all ages." Gary Post Tribune "… an underlying moral thread… the beast and his story have meaning." New Orleans Times Picayune "True to the original - only it's kid friendly." School to Work News "… the classic story of beauty and the beast is sure to become a favorite that will entertain the whole family." 20 weeks on Billboard's Top Kid Video sales.

mrspock25 Honestly, me being an avid original Kong fan, this film was a disgrace. I can't help but feel that it's just dumbing down an advanced story for a wider audience. If you're like, under the age of 5, like bad songs, and want a more family friendly ending, because Kong dying was too "mean", then you'll love this piece of crap of a movie. So much about the original story is omitted. Kong does no rampaging, he's friendly, and doesn't die at the end. For god's sake, they raped one of the greatest films of all time, and my personal favorite movie of all time! You mother f*ckers! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!But i digress.Anyway, the movie blows, if you have any knowledge of the original story and have a non- lobotomized brain. The grittiness that they robbed from the original story just causes the movie to lack any sort of depth. And rather than compliment the story, the songs cheapen it and arrive at abrupt times. If you have a brain, skip this putrid pile of platypus sh*t. You can do without it.

petekrug17 I guess the fact that this film exists would make the upcoming one by Peter Jackson the third KING KONG remake. (After this one and the much under-rated Dino De Laurentis 1976 film.) Instead of appealing to all ages like the live-action KONG films (though some parts in those movies might actually scare the really young ones, especially the '76 remake). Anyway. The key differences here, other than it's done in cartoon, are that the heroine is much more outspoken, there is a cabin boy and his "cute" pet monkey on the ship, (don't ask what they're doing there,) the inclusion of Broadway-type moments where characters break out into song, and, of course, the violence is toned way, way down. In fact, if I remember correctly, (it's been some years since I saw this,) not a single character dies in the entire movie. And I suppose I'm blowing the ending here, but it must be said: at the end of the film, after Kong's battled the fighter biplanes, (somehow without showing a single bloody bullet hole, 'cause, you know, it's a kid's movie,) and falling off the Empire State building, and the line,"'Twas beauty that killed the beast.", guess what? No, Kong DIDN'T die! Yes, the filmmakers decided to tack on a phony happy ending to please the kids. And when Kong turns out to still be alive, (after being shot about a hundred times by the planes and falling off the Empire State building,) the crowd erupts in cheers. Yes, the giant ape that was terrorizing New York just moments earlier is still alive, and everyone's happy about it! Whatever. Unless you have youngsters you think would like this, don't bother unless you're a die-hard KONG completest. (And I mean if your collection includes KING KONG LIVES. Yes, even that notorious bomb just might still be better than this one.)

redstring The Sherman Brothers (THE TIGGER MOVIE, MARY POPPINS, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, CHARLOTTE'S WEB) provide a terrifically witty score for this musical retelling of the King Kong story. I had the opportunity of seeing this film in a theatre when it first opened in 1998 and the audience actually laughed out loud at some of the lyrical humor. The ballad, "I've Known You All My Life" is beautiful and may one day be thought of as a classic! Dudley Moore's vocal portrayal of C.B.Denham was terrific-- sadly, it may have been his final performance. He sings in the film as does Jodi Benson (ALADDIN).