Journey to the West (1960): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1960, Journey to the West is a fantasy, adventure and animation film directed by Taiji Yabushita, running about 88 minutes. “Duel of the Prehistoric Beasts! Summit Meeting of the Monsters!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Alakazam is a young and brave monkey who has been encouraged by all the other monkeys to become their king. After attaining the throne, he becomes rude and dictatorial, and does not believe that human beings are greater than he is. Then he tricks/forces Merlin the magician to teach him magic (reluctantly on Merlin's part, who warns Alakazam that the powers he acquires now will bring him much unhappiness later). Alakazam becomes so arrogant that he abuses his magic powers, and chooses to go up to Majutsu Land (the Heavens), to challenge King Amo. He is defeated by King Amo. For his punishment, he is sentenced to serve as the bodyguard of Prince Amat on a pilgrimage; in order to learn humility, mercy and to fight with wisdom. Ultimately, he learns his lesson and becomes a true hero.

Who’s in it. Journey to the West stars Kiyoshi Komiyama as Son Gokû (voice), Noriko Shindô as RinRin (voice), Hideo Kinoshita as Cho Hakkai (voice) and Setsuo Shinoda as Sa Gojô (voice), among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.7/10, Journey to the West has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel and MGM Plus and rent or buy it from Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Journey to the West page.

If you liked it. Fans of Journey to the West tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Green Mile, Spirited Away and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.