The Mighty Kong is a 1998 Direct to Video animated musical adaptation of the original King Kong film.
The story is the same, only that it has songs and very few character deaths, plus Kong's fights with the dinosaurs are less violent. It also has the addition of a boy named Ricky and his pet monkey.
The film stars Jodi Benson and Dudley Moore (in his final role before his death four years later).
Tropes include:
- Adaptational Alternate Ending: Besides being a Lighter and Softer adaptation of King Kong, the film changes the original's Bittersweet Ending into a straight up Happy Ending, right down to Kong surviving the battle on (and subsequent fall from) the Empire State Building.
- Canon Foreigner: Ricky and his monkey were created exclusively for this film. No other character appeared in the original version.
- Covers Always Lie: One poster
◊ used to promote the movie (probably a teaser) depicts the movie as if it was a darker and more serious movie like the original 1933 classic or the 1976 remake and not the colorful kid-friendly musical it really is.- In the DVD and VHS covers, Kong has brown fur all over. In the movie itself, he's black with gray skin patches like a real life gorilla.
- Disneyfication: Unlike the life-and-death peril of the original film, this version of Kong features musical numbers (done by The Sherman Brothers no less), a boy sidekick and his monkey, and dancing animals. Also, Kong lives at the end.
- The Great Serpent: Kong fights a giant snake in one scene.
- I'm Okay!: At one point in his New York rampage, Kong places a car with a couple inside onto train tracks, which immediately speeds away — only to find itself about to hit an oncoming train head-on. The collision is obscured, but the woman exclaims "That's the last time I let you drive!" to let the audience know they somehow survived (assuming you can hear it over the cacophony of the crash).
- Lighter and Softer: In comparison to its previous adaptations, this film is much family-friendly in tone. Kong's fight scenes are also toned down more.
- Mythology Gag: Kong bathes Anne under a waterfall like his 1976 counterpart. He also fights a giant snake.
- Only Known by Initials: Denham is never referred to as Carl at any point in the movie, everyone calls him C.B. (and it's never explained what the B. stands for).
- Place Worse Than Death: Carl Denham discusses a plan to buy land in New Jersey for Kong to inhabit. Anne protests this: "He can't survive in Jersey! No one can!"
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the previous adaptations, Kong dies after falling off a high building. In this version however, he survives the fall off the Empire State Building to provide a more family-friendly ending.
- Title Drop: Carl Denham presents Kong to the audience as "the mighty Kong".
- Waterfall Shower: Kong bathes Anne under a waterfall.
- Writing Around Trademarks: Most likely the reason why Kong is never referred to as "King Kong," not even during the Broadway show, Denham just calls him "The Mighty Kong" instead. Weirdly enough, he is called "King Kong" in promotional material, like the trailer and VHS cover.
