The Mighty Kong is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated, musical adaptation of the classic King Kong story. Jodi Benson and Dudley Moore (in his last role before his death in 2002) headed its cast of voice actors. It features original songs by the Sherman Brothers. It was released on VHS on June 16, 1998 by Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment.
Plot summary
Ann Darrow, a down-on-her-luck actress looking for work, meets film director Carl Denham, who offers her a job in a new movie. They board the Venture to leave for the film shoot. The monkey that lives on board causes trouble throughout the trip. They arrive on the island and the natives, who are friendly to the crew, ask that the crew leave Ann so they can sacrifice her. Ann is then sacrificed to the giant ape King Kong who makes off with her into the jungle. Together they fight a Tyrannosaurus, Pterodactylus and a Titanoboa and are off the island in five minutes.
The film then follows Kong's rampage of New York City. Kong takes Ann up on top of the Empire State Building. The biplanes come and attack Kong with guns, but miss most of the time. When all the planes have been knocked down the army sends two blimps with a net in between them to catch Kong. They catch him successfully. Kong tries to get out of the net, but the net rips and when Kong reaches for Ann, he falls from the net. He bangs into a balcony and plummets to the ground. During his fall he is shown crying. Kong's "mightyness" ends when he slams into the streets of New York. However, Kong survives the fall.
Cast
- King Kong as himself
- Dudley Moore as Carl Denham
- Jodi Benson as Ann Darrow
- Randy Hamilton as Jack Driscoll
- William Sage III as Roscoe
- Jason Gray-Stanford as Ricky
- Richard Newman as Captain
- Rolf Saxon as Narrator
Additional voices are: William Sage III, Don Brown, Ian James Corlett, Michael Dobson, Paul Dobson
Similarities and differences
- The film features the waterfall shower scene which was in the 1976 remake of King Kong.
- The film also features a Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and a Pterodactylus which were in the 1933 original of King Kong and a Titanoboa from the 1976 remake of King Kong.
- Instead of being shot down by planes, Kong gets tangled up in a net suspended by two blimps.
- Tong survives the fall from the Empire State Building to provide a more family-friendly ending.
- He doesn't rip the Tyrannosaurus's (or Titanoboa's) jaws apart to provide a more family-friendly fight.
- He looks more like Utam from Mighty Peking Man more than himself.
