I saw this on TV about 23 years ago, when I was still a kid. Oddly enough, I have been teaching myself Mandarin Chinese lately, so it has finally clicked for me that "Da Niao" really does mean "Big Bird"!
But I remember as a kid being afraid of "The Monkey King." How could they put a character like this in a children's movie? He looked like a clown with a bleeding face, and he acted like a mental patient.
I wonder if I'd still be scared of "M.K." if I saw him again.
Some more on The Monkey King:
He is one of the most fascinating figures in Chinese mythology, and one for whom no clear Western equivalent exists; perhaps his closest counterpart in the West is Loki, the Norse trickster-god. A true amoralist, he combines both good and evil traits.
Known as Sun Wukong (pronounced "swun woo-keung") in the Chinese language, he was born when a bolt of lightning struck a rock. After gaining dominion over the monkeys, he sought immortality and equality with the gods. In the course of his quest, he mastered kung fu (or "gong fu," as it's known in China) and acrobatics and developed superhuman strength. He was also able to transform himself into any person or animal - but since he was unable to make his tail disappear, it was not hard to figure out he was a monkey.
He declared war on Heaven and fought all of the gods to a standstill. When the gods finally managed to defeat him, they tried to execute him - but as his neck was made of metal, they were unable to cut off his head. So instead they threw him in prison.
Many centuries later, Sun Wukong performed penance for his rebelliousness by serving as a guide to the Buddhist monk Xuanzang ("shwahn-zahng") on his trip to India. (Xuanzang was an actual figure from Chinese history who, over the centuries, has become legendary, much like Davy Crockett.) Xuanzang brought back ancient Sanskrit texts and translated them into Chinese.
The story of Xuanzang and Sun Wukong is told in the book JOURNEY TO THE WEST, which will be adapted this year as a Hong Kong action film starring Chow Yun-Fat, Aaron Kwok, Kelly Chen, Peter Ho, Cheung Siu-Fai, Calvin Cheng Ka-Sing, and of course Donnie Yen as the titular MONKEY KING!
I just watched this for the first time in many years. Memories. I didn't like Sesame Street as a kid... but for some reason or another, I found this particular movie tolerable, even likable. Has a peaceful and slightly mysterious vibe to it, nice scenery and not too many annoying Sesame Street character antics or puppets, etc. (I was getting tired of Big Bird's shouting all the time though...dial it down a notch, dude!)
Yeah I remember the monkey king being unnerving as a kid. I think particularly in the first scene, since his appearance is jarring, and the way he keeps appearing and reappearing and being antagonistic...made him unpredictable and disturbing, in a way. But, entertaining too. I tend to remember fast-forwarding the beginning parts and paying more attention only once the monkey king came on. So there's that ;P