Alakazam the Great
| Alakazam the Great | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 1961 US release lobby card | |
| Directed by |
Taiji Yabushita Daisaku Shirakawa |
| Produced by | Hiroshi Okawa |
| Written by | Keinosuke Uekusa |
| Based on |
Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en Boku no Son Gokū by Osamu Tezuka |
| Starring |
Kiyoshi Komiyama Noriko Shindō Hideo Kinoshita Setsuo Shinoda Peter Fernandez Frankie Avalon |
| Narrated by | Sterling Holloway |
| Music by |
Ryoichi Hattori (Japanese Version) Les Baxter (American Version) |
| Cinematography |
Harusato Otsuka Komei Ishikawa Kenji Sugiyama |
| Edited by |
Shintaro Miyamoto Kanjiro Igusa Salvatore Billitteri Laurette Odney |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
Toei Company (Japan) American International Pictures (USA) |
Release dates |
|
Running time |
88 minutes (Japanese Version) 80 minutes (American Version) |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Alakazam the Great (西遊記 Saiyu-ki, lit. "Journey to the West") is a 1960 Japanese musical anime film, based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West, and was one of the earliest anime films to be released in the United States. Osamu Tezuka was named as a director of the film by Toei Company. However, Tezuka later stated that the only time he was in the studio was to pose for publicity photos.[1] His involvement in promoting the film, however, led to his interest in animation.[2]
It was included as one of the choices in The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, and is the only animated film featured in the book.[3]
Plot
Alakazam is a young and brave monkey (a macaque) who has been encouraged by all the other monkeys to become their king. After attaining the throne, he becomes rude and dictatorial, and does not believe that human beings are greater than he is. Then he tricks/forces Merlin the magician to teach him magic (reluctantly on Merlin's part, who warns Alakazam that the powers he acquires now will bring him much unhappiness later).
Alakazam becomes so arrogant that he abuses his magic powers, and chooses to go up to Majutsu Land (the Heavens), to challenge King Amo. He is defeated by King Amo. For his punishment, he is sentenced to serve as the bodyguard of Prince Amat on a pilgrimage; in order to learn humility, mercy and to fight with wisdom. Ultimately, he learns his lesson and becomes a true hero.
Characters
| Japanese name | Japanese voice actor | English name | English voice actor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Wukong | Kiyoshi Komiyama | Alakazam | Peter Fernandez Frankie Avalon |
| Lin-Lin | Noriko Shindō | DeeDee | Dodie Stevens |
| Zhu Bajie | Hideo Kinoshita | Sir Quigley Broken Bottom | Jonathan Winters |
| Sha Wujing | Setsuo Shinoda | Max Lulipopo | Arnold Stang |
| Xuanzang | Nobuaki Sekine | Prince Amat | |
| Shakyamuni | Kunihisa Takeda | King Amo | |
| Guanyin | Katsuko Ozaki | Queen Amass | |
| Shōryū | Michiko Shirasaka | Filo Fester | |
| Bull Demon King | Kinshiro Iwao | King Gruesome | |
| Princess Iron Fan | Tamae Kato | Queen Gruesome | |
| Golden Horned King | Kiyoshi Kawakubo | Herman Mcsnarles | |
| Silver Horned King | Shuichi Kazamatsuri | Vermin Mcsnarles | |
| Subhuti | Merlin | ||
| Taibai Jinxing | |||
| Erlang Shen | |||
U.S. release
The film was released in the United States by American International on July 26, 1961. For the American release, a few scenes were heavily edited and rearranged and bandleader Les Baxter was hired to compose a new soundtrack. Teen idol Frankie Avalon supplied the singing voice of Alakazam (the speaking voice was done by Peter Fernandez), and Sterling Holloway provided English-language narration. Other famous voices included Jonathan Winters, Arnold Stang, Dodie Stevens, & E.G. Marshall.
Reception
Despite a large marketing budget and heavy promotion, the film was unsuccessful in America. The Los Angeles Times called it "warm, amusing and exciting... the art work is really excellent".[4] It was included as one of the choices in The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, and is the only animated film featured in the book.[5]
Home media release
The AIP version of the film was first released on VHS in the 1980s by HBO/Cannon Video (under licensed from then-owner Orion Pictures). Orion Home Video re-released the film in both pan-and-scan and widescreen letterbox VHS editions and on a widescreen laserdisc in 1995. As of May 27, 2014, plans for a DVD and Blu-ray release of the AIP version have yet to be announced.
See also
- Journey to the West
- List of animated feature films
- List of Osamu Tezuka anime
- List of Osamu Tezuka manga
- Osamu Tezuka
- Osamu Tezuka's Star System
References
- ↑ Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1-55652-591-5.
- ↑ Patten, Fred (1996). "A Capsule History of Anime". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2014-12-04.
- ↑ http://www.listchallenges.com/the-fifty-worst-films-of-all-time
- ↑ Warren, Geoffrey (23 September 1961). "'Alakazam' Delightful New Cartoon Movie". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif. p. A6.
- ↑ http://www.listchallenges.com/the-fifty-worst-films-of-all-time