The New Legends of Monkey

Last updated

The New Legends of Monkey
The New Legends of Monkey Title Text.png
Genre
Based on Journey to the West
by Wu Cheng'en
Written by
Directed by Gerard Johnstone
Starring
Composer Peter van der Fluit
Country of origin
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
  • Rachael Gardner
  • Robin Scholes
Cinematography
  • D.J. Stipsen
  • Dave Garbett
Editors
Running time24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release28 January 2018 (2018-01-28) 
7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)

The New Legends of Monkey is a fantasy adventure television series inspired by Monkey , a Japanese production from the 1970s and 1980s which garnered a cult following in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and South Africa. The Japanese production was based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West . [2] This new series is an international co-production between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, New Zealand's TVNZ and Netflix.

Contents

The first season, consisting of ten episodes, premiered on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Me television channel in Australia on 28 January 2018, and later debuted outside Australia and New Zealand on Netflix on 28 April. A second season, also ten episodes, was released on Netflix on August 7, 2020. [3]

Premise

It follows a young monk, escorted by a group of gods, on a journey across an ancient and fantastical land now ruled by evil demons to collect lost scrolls of wisdom. [4]

Plot

The Monkey King was imprisoned under a mountain 500 years ago by his enemies in Heaven. Five hundred years later, the Earthly realm is overrun, and its humans oppressed, by demons. The gods and immortals are in hiding or oppressed by demons as well. A scholar secretly concocts a plan to bring together a few warriors and a monk, named Tripitaka, to undertake a quest to resurrect the Monkey King and find the Heavenly scrolls that were stolen by Monkey 500 years ago and hidden away secretly on earth. Anyone who finds the scrolls would gain unlimited power. However, the night the group is about to start on their quest, a demon attacks the scholar's home and kills everyone inside except for the scholar's adopted daughter, taking the golden crown necessary to revive the Monkey King. In his last moments, the scholar entrusts his daughter with the quest. She takes on the identity of Tripitaka and ventures out into the world, narrowly escaping death herself.

In a town she gives charity to a monk and ends up forced to work for a tavern owner, thus gaining a job and a room to sleep in. When the same demon that killed her adoptive father shows up, she secretly steals the magical crown and makes a run for it. When demons begin searching the town for her and the magic crown, she is disguised as a monk by the same monk she helped and successfully makes her way out of the city. In an opening along the side of a mountain, she finds the stony visage of the Monkey King's face, and puts the crown on his head. Finally, the Monkey King is free but he soon discovers that the crown is repressing most of his godly abilities. The pair return to the town and join up with Pigsy and Sandy, who are also gods, and the four of them begin their quest of finding the lost scrolls and gaining enough power to overthrow all the demons.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 1028 January 2018 (2018-01-28)4 February 2018 (2018-02-04)
2 107 August 2020 (2020-08-07)

Season 1 (2018)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Hope Must Never Die" Gerard Johnstone Jacquelin Perske 28 January 2018 (2018-01-28)
After a demon steals a magical crown from warrior monks, an orphaned girl flees the monastery in a quest to awaken the long-petrified Monkey King.
22"The Edge of Nowhere"Gerard JohnstoneJacquelin Perske28 January 2018 (2018-01-28)
Tripitaka learns a troubling legend about Monkey, but the pair gains a surprising new ally before setting out to find the seven sacred scrolls.
33"The Journey Begins"Gerard JohnstoneJacquelin Perske28 January 2018 (2018-01-28)
A demon jeopardises the trio's quest before it even begins. Tripitaka makes a startling discovery about Pigsy, who makes a momentous decision.
44"The Monkey King Returns"Gerard JohnstoneCraig Irvin & Jacquelin Perske29 January 2018 (2018-01-29)
An eccentric clan of loyal Monkey King zealots guides the group toward a sacred scroll's hiding place, but booby traps and betrayal await them.
55"The Breaking Ground"Craig IrvinCraig Irvin30 January 2018 (2018-01-30)
A shaman uses trance-like mind games to trick the gods into translating divine scrolls, sending Monkey dangerously far into his own subconscious.
66"A Crown Does Not Make You"Craig IrvinJacquelin Perske31 January 2018 (2018-01-31)
Trapped in the depths of his mind, Monkey relives terrible events of centuries before, when his arrogance led to tragedy and his banishment.
77"Until I Met You"Gerard JohnstoneCraig Irvin1 February 2018 (2018-02-01)
The shaman hires nightmarish forest dwellers to hunt the group down. A foe from Monkey's past sows seeds of doubt in Tripitaka's mind.
88"A Part of You That's Missing"Gerard Johnstone Samantha Strauss 2 February 2018 (2018-02-02)
Tripitaka leaves the quest to find her mother but faces even greater peril. Monkey and Pigsy strike a bargain with the demon hounding them.
99"In Search of Tripitaka"Craig IrvinCraig Irvin3 February 2018 (2018-02-03)
With help from an unlikely ally, Monkey and Pigsy infiltrate Jade Mountain to help Tripitaka thwart the fiendish plans of demon master Davari. Tripitaka admits her identity to Monkey after he arrives to get her out of her cell.
1010"A Hero to Save Us All"Craig IrvinJacquelin Perske4 February 2018 (2018-02-04)
As Davari's quest for immortality nears fruition, Tripitaka races to unlock a secret that could destroy the demon's hold on power.

Season 2 (2020)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
111"Graveyard of the Gods"Peter AndrikidisChristiaan Van Vuuren7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
The Monkey King, Tripitaka, Pigsy, and Sandy set out in search of the sacred scrolls. Demons learn of Monkey's return and vow to destroy him.
122"Quest for Knowledge"Peter AndrikidisConnor Van Vuuren7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
At the Archive of Infinite Scrolls, Monkey and friends must solve—and survive—various riddles to gain access to the Scroll of Knowledge.
133"Village of Lost Children"Peter AndrikidisJane Allen7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
A shape-shifting demon uses her powers to assume Sandy's appearance, then kidnaps village children to make Monkey's group seem like the evil ones.
144"Puppet Master"Peter AndrikidisCraig Irvin7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
On the path to the Scroll of Creation, the demon Hagfish reveals who is pulling all the strings when he traps Tripitaka in his doll collection.
155"Finding Paradise"Thomas RobinsGreg Waters7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
The Monkey King and crew meet the mysterious Mycelia in a garden that is too good to be true before helping Pigsy avoid a flavorful but deadly fate.
166"Gladiators"Thomas RobinsJane Allen7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
Monkey hatches a plan to retrieve the scrolls from the demon Gorm by posing as a human, while a dispute between demon generals leads to an epic battle.
177"Masterchef"Thomas RobinsCraig Irvin7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
As the demons head to Lion Heart Rock to fight Monkey, Pigsy must sharpen his skills in the kitchen to impress General Khan as her personal chef.
188"The Real Tripitaka"Thomas RobinsGreg Waters7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
The scrolls foretold of only one Tripitaka ... but when Monkey and friends reach Lion Heart Rock, they discover that might not be so true.
199"The Spider Web"Thomas RobinsConnor Van Vuuren7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
The rebel army ignores Tripitaka's warning and ends up regretting it while on the battlefield. Hagfish creates a clone whose powers may match Monkey's.
2010"Shadow Boxing"Peter AndrikidisChristiaan Van Vuuren7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
With the rebels scattered and the fate of the sacred scrolls still at stake, Monkey realises he is his own worst enemy—in more ways than one.

Broadcast

The first three episodes debuted in Australia on 28 January as a single 90-minute telemovie. Subsequent episodes of the ten-episode series were released daily until 4 February 2018. It debuted on Netflix worldwide on April 28, 2018. [5] [6] In late October 2020, CBBC acquired television broadcast rights to the series in the United Kingdom, despite Netflix already holding the rights in the country, and planned to air it by early 2021. [7]

The New Legends of Monkey premiered in the Philippines on GMA. It was aired from October 31 to November 25, 2022, and dubbed into Tagalog/Filipino. [8] [9]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of 6/10, based on 6 critic reviews. [10]

Awards and nominations

2018 New Zealand Television Awards
8th AACTA Awards
18th Annual Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Awards
46th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
48th Daytime Emmy Awards
ASSG Awards 2021

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkey King</span> Character in Chinese mythology

Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, is a literary and religious figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling against heaven, he is imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha. Five hundred years later, he accompanies the monk Tang Sanzang riding on the White Dragon Horse and two other disciples, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, on a journey to obtain Buddhist sutras, known as the West or Western Paradise, where Buddha and his followers dwell.

<i>Journey to the West</i> Classic Chinese novel

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 great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia. It is widely known in English-speaking countries through Arthur Waley's 1942 abridged translation, Monkey.

Tang Sanzang Central character in the novel Journey to the West by Wu Chengen

Tang Sanzang is a Buddhist monk and pilgrim who is a central character in the 16th century novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. Tang Sanzang is based on the historical Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang.

<i>Monkey</i> (TV series) Japanese television drama

Saiyūki,, is a Japanese television drama based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. Filmed in Northwest China and Inner Mongolia, the show was produced by Nippon TV and International Television Films and broadcast from 1978 to 1980 on Nippon TV.

<i>A Chinese Odyssey</i> 1995 Hong Kong film

A Chinese Odyssey is a two-part 1995 Hong Kong fantasy-comedy film directed by Jeffrey Lau and starring Stephen Chow.

<i>Monkey</i> (novel) Novel by Wu Cheng-En, translated by Arthur Waley

Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China, more often known as simply Monkey, is an abridged translation published in 1942 by Arthur Waley of the sixteenth-century Chinese novel Journey to the West conventionally attributed to Wu Cheng'en of the Ming dynasty. Waley's remains one of the most-read English-language versions of the novel. The British poet Edith Sitwell characterized Monkey as "a masterpiece of right sound", one that was "absence of shadow, like the clearance and directness of Monkey's mind." The translation won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benny Chan (actor)</span> Hong Kong actor and singer

Benny Chan Ho-man is a Hong Kong actor and singer.

<i>Monkey: Journey to the West</i> Stage adaptation of novel

Monkey: Journey to the West is a stage adaptation of the 16th century novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. It was conceived and created by the Chinese actor and director Chen Shi-Zheng along with British musician Damon Albarn and British artist Jamie Hewlett.

<i>The Mad Monk</i> 1993 film by Johnnie To

The Mad Monk (Chinese: 濟公; pinyin: Jì Gōng is a 1993 Hong Kong fantasy comedy film directed by Johnnie To, and starring Stephen Chow as the "Mad Monk" Ji Gong, a popular Chinese folklore figure from the Southern Song dynasty. The film follows "Dragon Fighter Luohan" as he accepts a challenge from the gods to change the fate of a beggar, a prostitute, and a villain in three heavenly days. He is reborn on earth as a mere mortal and ultimately battles an evil demon to stave off hell on earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Zuckerman</span> American composer (born 1975)

Jeremy Zuckerman is an American composer of concert music, film and television music, music for modern dance, and experimental music. He is best known as the composer for the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra.

<i>Enslaved: Odyssey to the West</i> 2010 video game

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Namco Bandai Games. Announced in 2009 as Enslaved, it was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2010.

<i>The Monkey King 2</i> 2016 film

The Monkey King 2 is a 2016 Hong Kong-Chinese action fantasy film based on the classic 16th-century novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. The film was shot in 3D and is a sequel to the 2014 box office hit The Monkey King with Soi Cheang returning as director and Sammo Hung as action director, who replaces Donnie Yen's role from the previous installment. The film stars Aaron Kwok, who portrayed the main antagonist in the previous installment, as the film's titular protagonist, who also replaces Yen from the previous installment. Other cast for the film included Feng Shaofeng, Xiao Shenyang, Him Law, Fei Xiang, Kelly Chen, and Gong Li.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Curtin</span> American actress

Catherine Curtin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as correctional officer Wanda Bell in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). Her other notable recurring roles include Insecure, Stranger Things, and Homeland.

Josh Thomson is a New Zealand actor and comedian of Tongan heritage. He is best known for his work as a comedian on 7 Days, Taskmaster New Zealand, Have You Been Paying Attention NZ, Patriot Brains, and as a host on The Project NZ.

<i>Blood of Zeus</i> American adult animated television series

Blood of Zeus, formerly known as Gods & Heroes, is an American adult animated fantasy action television series created and written by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides for Netflix. Produced by Powerhouse Animation Studios and animated by South Korean studios Mua Film and Hanho Heung-Up, the first season premiered on October 27, 2020, on Netflix.

The Monkey King Conquers the Demon is a 1985 Chinese donghua feature film directed by Te Wei, Lin Wenxiao, and Ding Xianyan and produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. The film serves as a loose sequel to Havoc in Heaven, and adapts later episodes in the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West.

Lego Monkie Kid is a Lego theme inspired by the Monkey King and Journey to the West. It is licensed from The Lego Group. The theme was first introduced in May 2020. The toy line is also accompanied by an animated television series that premiered in China on May 29, 2020, with the special Lego Monkie Kid: A Hero Is Born.

"Lazarus Planet" is a 2023 American comic book crossover storyline written by Mark Waid and Gene Luen Yang, with art by Ricardo Federici and Billy Tan published by DC Comics. The event involves Chinese deities-turned demons Nezha and King Fire Bull, whose conflict causes a volcano on Lazarus Island to erupt, causing global magic storms that both give superpowers and alter existing ones. The event received positive reviews, with critics praising the art, action, and main story while criticizing the tie-ins.

Emilie Jane Cocquerel is an Australian actress and mental health advocate. She earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her performance as Sandy in the ABC Me series The New Legends of Monkey (2018–2020). She is also known for her roles in the film Mother Mountain (2022) and as Queen Alianor in the Netflix series The Letter for the King (2020).

References

  1. "Watch the New Legends of Monkey | Episodes | TVNZ OnDemand". Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. Lodderhouse, Diana (20 April 2017). "See-Saw & Jump Team On 'Legend Of The Monkey' For ABC Australia, Netflix". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  3. "'The New Legends of Monkey' Season 2 Coming to Netflix in August 2020 - What's on Netflix". 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  4. "The New Legends of Monkey (2017) - The Screen Guide - Screen Australia". Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  5. Mitchell, Robert (20 April 2017). "See-Saw's 'Legend of the Monkey' Swings Into Production for ABC Australia, Netflix". Variety.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  6. "Australian Television: The New Legends of Monkey: episode guide". www.australiantelevision.net. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  7. Ryan Tuchow (30 October 2020). "Deals of the Week: Screen Australia, CBBC, Toonz". kidscreen.com. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  8. Geli, Bianca. "LOOK: The cast of 'The New Legends of Monkey'". www.gmanetwork.com. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  9. "'The New Legends of Monkey' is coming to GMA". www.gmanetwork.com. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  10. "The New Legends of Monkey". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 19 May 2023.