Other than the title and some of the characters, this film bears little resemblance to the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon (which spawned the acclaimed 1956 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I, and a considerably lesser 1999 animated feature film, reviewed in VL-7/99). Here, the widowed Mrs. Anna Leonowens and her son Louis travel to Siam to instruct the King's children in Western culture. Initially, the King's eldest son and Louis hate one another and ridicule and belittle each other's customs and culture. Eventually, however, they become good friends and work together to foil the efforts of two counterfeit art dealers who try to sell the King a fake Mona Lisa (like I said, little resemblance to the original). The simple plot is easy to follow and will be mildly entertaining for the younger set who don't have the attention span to sit through a full-length motion picture. On the plus side, kids will learn to value different cultures, how to make a bully into a friend, and the importance of working together to achieve a common purpose. On the minus side, the animation is only a little above par with Saturday morning cartoons. Optional. Aud: P. (L. Stevens)
Anna and the King
(1999) 50 min. $19.95. Goldhil Video. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 14, Issue 5
Anna and the King
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