The Monkey King

Play trailer

2:25

The Monkey King

PG

Released Aug 11, 2023

1h 32m

Kids & Family

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Animation

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

56%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

64%

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.

Watch on Netflix

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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

Full Review

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

Read all reviews

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

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Anthony Stacchi

Director

Jimmy O. Yang

Monkey King

Bowen Yang

Dragon King

Jolie Hoang-Rappaport

Lin

Jo Koy

Benbo

Ron Yuan

Babbo

Ultraman: Rising

86%

91%

Ultraman: Rising

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Ultraman: Rising

The Tiger's Apprentice

51%

69%

The Tiger's Apprentice

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Tiger's Apprentice

Kubo and the Two Strings

97%

86%

Kubo and the Two Strings

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Kubo and the Two Strings

The Magician's Elephant

66%

79%

The Magician's Elephant

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Magician's Elephant

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

95%

95%

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

What to Watch This Week: Blue Beetle, Strays, and More

The Monkey King: Trailer 1

2:25

View more videos

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now