''The Monkey King Conquers the Demon'' is a 1985
Chinese donghua feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
directed by
Te Wei
Te Wei (; in Shanghai in Shanghai) was a Chinese manhua artist and animator. He is probably best known for the 1956 short animated film ''The Proud General''. From about 1960, he worked in an ink-wash animation style that was influenced by the pai ...
, Lin Wen Xiao, and Ding Xian Yan and produced by the
Shanghai Animation Film Studio
Shanghai Animation Film Studio () also known as SAFS () is a Chinese animation studio based in Shanghai, China, as part of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Shanghai Animation Film Studio was officially established in April, 1957, led by pione ...
. The film serves as a loose sequel to ''
Havoc in Heaven
''Havoc in Heaven'', also translated as ''Uproar in Heaven'', is a Chinese donghua feature film directed by Wan Laiming and produced by all four of the Wan brothers. The film was created at the height of the Chinese animation industry in the 196 ...
'', and adapts later episodes in the 16th century Chinese novel ''
Journey to the West
''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popu ...
''.
Plot
As a punishment for rebelling against the heavens, Sun Wukong, the
Monkey King
The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...
, has been trapped under a mountain for 500 years, until he is helped by the monk
Tang Sanzang
Tang Sanzang () is a central character in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. Tang Sanzang is based on the historical Buddhist monk Xuanzang. He is also widely known by his courtesy name, Tang Seng, () or Sanzang ().
...
. The two come to respect each other and the Monkey King decides to help him on his
pilgrimage to the West and to become his disciple. They are joined along the way by Pigsy and Sandy.
Meanwhile, a group of demons plot to attack Monk Tang and eat his flesh, as they believe that it will give them immortality. The White Bone Demon,
Baigujing
Baigujing () is a demon from the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West''. The name is translated into English as ''White Bone Spirit'' in the William John Francis Jenner translation. Baigujing is a shapeshifting demoness, and in her true form ...
, arrives and warns them that the Monkey King is the monk's disciple, and that he is a very powerful opponent. Though this causes all the other demons to lose hope, Baigujing devises a scheme to subdue the Monkey King by disguising herself as an innocent beautiful woman.
When the group encounters Baigujing in disguise, she tells them that she would like to travel with them. However, the Monkey King sees through her illusions and attacks her, resulting in her apparent death. This leads Monk Tang to become angry at the monkey for attacking the ostensibly innocent woman.
The group travels on and discovers a young child claiming to have lost his mother. Once again, the Monkey King sees through the demon’s disguise and attacks her. After a battle between the two, the demon tricks him and manages to escape, so that she can disguise herself as an elderly man in front of Monk Tang. When the Monkey King once again attacks this seemingly innocent person, Monk Tang defends the old man, allowing the demon to escape. The monk decides to reject the Monkey King as his disciple and the two part ways.
The Monkey King flies away and returns to his home where he is greeted by his people. He learns that they have been ravaged by the heaven for the past 500 years while he was trapped beneath the mountain. The Monkey King calls upon the gods in heaven to help him rebuild his home.
Monk Tang, Pigsy, and Sandy travel onward into a buddhist temple, where they are attacked by Baigujing. While the monk and Sandy are captured, Pigsy manages to escape to go warn the Monkey King. Realizing the demons might have followed Pigsy, the Monkey King refuses to come back with him, and instead chooses to follow him in secret. He tricks Baigujing into thinking he is her mother (the Nine-Tailed Vixen from the Golden and Silver Horned Kings adventure in the original novel) and manages to defeat her and free Monk Tang. Having seen that the Monkey King was telling the truth, the monk asks for his forgiveness, which he accepts.
Cast
* Li Yang as Sun Wukong (The Monkey King)
* Tan Pengfei as Monk Tang
* Zhan Che as Pigsy
* Zhao Bing as Sandy
* Hong Rong as Baigujing
Differences from the original novel
*When she took on the identity of a young woman in the original novel, she's a maiden instead of a widow.
*Her second impersonation is an elderly mother of her first in the original novel instead of being her young son.
*In her last impersonation, she did manage to avoid being killed by the Monkey King hence, succeeded in capturing the Tang Priest unlike the original novel.
Production
Te Wei was the producer of ''
Havoc in Heaven
''Havoc in Heaven'', also translated as ''Uproar in Heaven'', is a Chinese donghua feature film directed by Wan Laiming and produced by all four of the Wan brothers. The film was created at the height of the Chinese animation industry in the 196 ...
'' and director of the
Shanghai Animation Film Studio
Shanghai Animation Film Studio () also known as SAFS () is a Chinese animation studio based in Shanghai, China, as part of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Shanghai Animation Film Studio was officially established in April, 1957, led by pione ...
at that time. During this period, he expressed interest in directing his own film, with fellow director Ding Xian Yan reminiscing years later that "It was obvious that Te Wei wanted to make an animated feature film. He asked me to accomplish his long-cherished wish."
Production for the film began in 1982, and completed in 1985. It was originally created as a 5-episode series, but was condensed into a single film. Much of the artistic style stayed true to what was established by ''Havoc in Heaven,'' but its "animation had more delicate depictions of the details of the character actions and psychology"
Release
The film was screened as part of the official competition for the 1987
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...
.
A remaster of the film was released in April 2006 on a two-disc DVD special edition. It was adapted to Dolby 5:1 surround sounds, and contains English subtitles.
Awards
* Won:
Best animation
6th Chicago International Children's Film Festival
* Won First Prize
Ministry of Radio, Film, and Television
* Won: Outstanding Film Award
Shanghai Literature and Art Award
* Won: Outstanding Film Award
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monkey King Conquers the Demon
1985 animated films
Chinese animation
Chinese animated films
Films based on Journey to the West
History of animation
1980s Mandarin-language films
1985 films