icarpenter
So for the first time in decades I watched Alakazam the Great, a 1960 anime movie that I saw on TV several times in 1963-64 while living in California. I always have held it in some affection because of those memories. Now I notice that it is largely taken from the popular Chinese story, Journey to the West. Alakazam is Sun-Wukong, the Monkey King. Lulipopo is Sha Wujong or Sandy, and Sir Quigley Broken Bottom (voiced by Jonathan Winters) is Zhu Bajie or Pigsy. These days I guess the main reasons to watch it are to see one of the very first anime movies to ever be shown in the US (even if it was a box office failure), to hear the singing of Frankie Avalon and to see how pervasive the archetypes of Journey to the West are in Asian art forms.
stratorick
I too saw this as a youngster at the Crest Theater in Shoreline (Seattle) Wa. I remember being terrified by the charging, red eyed bull and enchanted by the Magic Fan. I went back time and again, probably 4 times in one weekend! Schmaltzy and corny? You bet! But it does have a simple message completely lacking in today's overblown empty spectacles. The plot has been hashed over many times here so I will confine myself to the available versions. AVOID the Movies Unlimited DVD at all costs. The quality is blurry and crappy. Someone said there was a widescreen VHS version out there but i've never seen it. The DVD's floating around are full-screen and the quality's not great. After waiting years I finally scored the Laser-Disc on EBay. This is probably the best print available. The colors are vivid and the image sharp. The sound could be better but I never cared for the musical number anyway... at least I won't admit I do. There was another animated feature out around the same time called "Magic Boy" and I'd love to see that again.
davidaquarius
This movie, believe it or not, was shown yearly at my Catholic school's Christmas Festival. Christ the King Elementary would bring all the kids to the union hall to see Santa, get lots of candy, and see "Alakazam". Strange that a movie with such a non-Christian storyline would be seen in such a venue, but that just shows you the mind set of the '60's. I'm not sure if they purchased the 16mm or rented it, but for all these years, I have been searching for the video. Movies Unlimited had it in its catalog, but it was listed as 'unavailable' eBay had a few copies for sale but I was sceptical. We need to bring this title back from the void and allow our younger friends the opportunity to experience the lessons of 'Alakazam'.
carolsco
This excellent Japanese animated fantasy is an adaptation of the old Chinese Legend of the Monkey King. Having seen the original Japanese version of this film, I don't have any problems with what American International did with this film, they have removed most of the religious references, but the story is still more or less intact, and AIP hired good talent for the voices.The American score is by film music great Les Baxter, and this is probably the most symphonic score written for an animated film at the time of its U.S. release as Alakazam The Great. Gorgeous stuff, and the movie is lots of fun for both children and adults, who will enjoy a lot of humor added to keep parents awake.
AD
