The King and I
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: March 19, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
29
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
9
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
63
Chicago TribuneJohn Petrakis
The animation itself is just OK. And the reworked script, despite some funny one-liners, is pretty much there just to pull the story along to its inevitable conclusion. [19 March 1999, Friday, p. A]
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
It's doubtful that today's children would have any patience for the stagy 1956 version, so the current animated offering, despite its flaws, at least opens a door to the music. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Animated version of the Rogers & Hammerstein musical. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
Still, it's almost impossible to entirely wreck this great chestnut of Broadway and film. Thanks mostly to the terrific songs, the new version has transporting moments. [20 March 1999, Daily Notebook, p.B1]
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Seemed kind of stuffy. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
No abomination but forgettably mediocre. [19 March 1999, Life, p. 13E]
50
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
It's hard to be diverted by a tale whose emblematic romances and terminal cuteness serve an agenda that seems particularly dated today. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverM. V. Moorhead
For adults, the film does, at least, offer up most of the lovely, schmaltzy Rodgers and Hammerstein score. Even here, though, the pleasure comes with a wearying price tag. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyNicole Campos
The tale has been tidied, buffed, waxed and polished into a harmless but relatively boring adventure. Read full review
40
The New York TimesAnita Gates
The animation is done in rich, jewel-like colors, but it seems strangely flat. The overall film does, too, although the glorious Rodgers and Hammerstein music makes up for a lot. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleRussell Smith
Shabby, nondescript hack job. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Unappealing for children and adults alike, The King and I will likely bring families together in their mutual boredom. Read full review
30
VarietyRobert Koehler
Broadway musical purists will shudder in horror, but parents will be whistling a happy tune that there's at least one acceptable pic out there for their kids. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesGene Seymour
A dismal pastiche of threadbare plot devices and not-so-comic interludes. Read full review
25
San Francisco ExaminerStephen Witty
Lacks genuine magic. Read full review
20
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Even the Richard Rich-directed animation -- except for some nice but gratuitous computer-generated walking statues and dramatic ocean waves -- is not appreciably better than Saturday morning cartoons. Read full review
20
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Garish, animated junk. Read full review
20
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
It's hard to imagine a more ill-advised choice of source material. Read full review
0
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
It's a puzzlement how so many pros could have so wrecked one of the most beloved, hummably familiar movie musicals in the Rodgers and Hammerstein repertoire. Read full review
0
Washington PostStephen Hunter
An animated King and I? Now there's torture, especially in this wretched, lurid, absurd concoction which seems to have been conceived to annoy adults and bore children. Read full review
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