The Monkey King

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2:25

The Monkey King

PG

2023

1h 32m

Kids & Family

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Animation

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Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

56%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

The Monkey King is an action-packed family comedy that follows a charismatic Monkey and his magical fighting Stick on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King, and Monkey's greatest foe of all--his own ego! Along the way, a young village girl challenges his self-centered attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world.

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Critics Consensus

Often rousing, The Monkey King is an animated blur of tried-and-true -- but still appealing -- archetypes.

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Robert Levin

Newsday

From the first frame to the last, it's consistently enrapturing, a consequential visual achievement that seems to have arrived from a place that's somehow beyond space and time.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 25, 2023

Full Review

John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

My 11-year-old consultant was a big fan, but, frankly, I’m beginning to question his discernment.

Aug 19, 2023

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

Aggressively mediocre, Netflix’s “The Monkey King” takes no risks and offers too little humor, heart, or action to entertain all but the youngest in the family.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 18, 2023

Full Review

Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

The Monkey King does feel a little too slow at times. Many of the action-packed sequences start to feel too repetitive after seeing the first couple, as they do little to move the plot forward, despite being very well-executed nonetheless.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 15, 2024

Full Review

Maria Lattila

WhyNow (UK)

The Monkey King is entertaining enough to entertain younger viewers, but it’s far from Netflix’s best animations.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 28, 2023

Full Review

Manuel Betancourt

FilmWeek (LAist)

It's an exhausting watch.

Sep 7, 2023

Full Review

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Christopher G.

A best animation film that kids should start believing in heroes that inspire us

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/27/25

Full Review

Stephen C

1 hour and 32 minutes of funny animation movie plots. Rated PG for Action/Violence, and Brief Thematic Material!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/31/25

Full Review

Adrían C

Aunque sea algo obvia, tiene suficiente acción, guión dramático y el encanto de China

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/25/25

Full Review

jackson p

We watched it as a family and we had to ban it from the house for a year! We will probably never watch it again, the art is pretty cool though but the storyline goes nowhere.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/09/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Honestly. this movie needs more credit then its due, cause I was watching this and was loving the artwork, the art style everything about it. The story behind it was a guy that only wanted to feel bigger than he actually was, along with his funny wittiness. Truly was amazing to watch. That's my own loving opinion!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/06/25

Full Review

TROY S

This is an awful adaptation of those folk tales. A raucous soundtrack, weirdly distorted, overly intense graphics, and a somewhat cruelly distorted story lens takes away from that heroic tale. To my viewpoint there is little to empathize with in this story.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/18/24

Full Review

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Anthony Stacchi

Director

Jimmy O. Yang

Monkey King

Bowen Yang

Dragon King

Jolie Hoang-Rappaport

Lin

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The Monkey King: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The Monkey King is an action-packed family comedy that follows a charismatic Monkey and his magical fighting Stick on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King, and Monkey's greatest foe of all--his own ego! Along the way, a young village girl challenges his self-centered attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world.

Director: Anthony Stacchi
Producer: Peilin Chou
Screenwriter: Ron J. Friedman, Steve Bencich, Rita Hsiao
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Netflix Animation
Rating: PG (Action/Violence|Brief Thematic Material)
Genre: Kids & Family, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 11, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 18, 2023
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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