Directed by:
Jean-François LaguionieComposer:
Alexandre DesplatCast:
John Hurt, Michael York, Rik Mayall, Michael Gambon, Diana Quick, Paul Dobson, Pierre Arditi, Michael Lonsdale, Patrick Préjean, Nadia Fares, Yves Barsacq (more)Plots(1)
A team of writers and artists from France, Great Britain, and Germany came together to create this animated fantasy about a monkey who unwittingly confronts the fears and superstitions that have held back his kind. In a lush jungle untouched by human civilization, monkeys are divided into two tribes -- the Woonkos, who live in the trees, and the Laankos, who live on the ground. Many years before, all the monkeys lived together, but a great flood separated them into two factions, and after the passing of several generations, no one remembers that they once lived in peace. The Woonkos believe that the monkeys living below them are demons, while the Laankos consider the tree-dwelling apes to be dangerous savages who must be executed if they are ever captured. Kom (voice of Matt Hill) is a free-spirited Woonko who doesn't put much stock in the tales of the demons living below, and one day, while swinging on a vine near a canyon, he falls in and is captured by a group of Laankos. The King of the Laankos (voice of Michael York) becomes curious about the invader, and asks that Master Martin (voice of Michael Gambon) examine Kom before he is put to death. Kom is certain that he is surrounded by demons at first, but as he adjusts to his surroundings, he is impressed with the Laankos' more advanced society -- and he becomes quite fond of Gina (voice of Sally-Anne Marsh), a servant working in the king's compound. A Monkey's Tale also features the voice talents of John Hurt as the devious Chancellor Sebastian and Rik Mayall as the buffoonish Gerard; top-selling British pop group Westlife contributed the film's theme song, "We Are One." (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
John Hurt
UK
Best movies:
Alien (1979)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Vincent (1987)
Michael York
UK
Best movies:
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Madonna: The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) (video compilation)
Cabaret (1972)
Rik Mayall
UK
Best movies:
Jonathan Creek (1997) (series)
Murder Rooms: The White Knight Stratagem (2001) (TV movie)
Agatha Christie's Marple (2004) (series)
Michael Gambon
Ireland
Best movies:
The King's Speech (2010)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
The Hollow Crown (2012) (series)
Diana Quick
UK
Best movies:
Inspector George Gently (2007) (series)
The Duellists (1977)
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Paul Dobson
Best movies:
Mune: Guardian of the Moon (2015)
Thor: Tales of Asgard (2011)
Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru-Nui (2004)
Pierre Arditi
France
Best movies:
The Count of Monte Cristo (1998) (series)
The Horseman on the Roof (1995)
L'affaire Dreyfus (1994) (series)
Michael Lonsdale
France
Best movies:
The Day of the Jackal (1973)
The Name of the Rose (1986)
Order of the Daisy (1967)
Patrick Préjean
France
Best movies:
Asterix vs. Caesar (1985)
My Mother's Castle (1990)
The Brain (1969)
Nadia Fares
Morocco
Best movies:
The Crimson Rivers (2000)
Storm Warning (2007)
Dis-moi oui... (1995)
Yves Barsacq
France
Best movies:
Asterix vs. Caesar (1985)
Love and Death (1975)
The Longest Day (1962)
Shirley Anne Field
UK
Best movies:
Dalziel and Pascoe (1996) (series)
The Kid (2010)
The War Lover (1962)
Peter Elliott
UK
Best movies:
Janine Souchon
France
Best movies:
Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud (1995)
Simon, the Magician (1999)
The Seventh Target (1984)
Lionel Melet
France
Best movies:
Les Cœurs brûlés (1992) (series)
Paul Barge
Tunisia
Best movies:
Mademoiselle (1966)
For 200 Grand, You Get Nothing Now (1982)
V.I.P. (1991)
Bruno Choël
Best movies:
Asterix and the Big Fight (1989)
Renaissance (2006)
Anthony Jackson
UK
Best movies:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Labyrinth (1986)
Ivanah Coppola
Best movies:
Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure (2006)
Les Cordier, juge et flic (1992) (series)
Une femme d'honneur (1996) (series)