Khan Kluay

Khan Kluay

Thai theatrical movie release poster
Directed by Kompin Kemgumnird
Produced by Aummaraporn Phandintong
Written by Evan Spiliotopoulos
Aummaraporn Phandintong
Based on Chao Praya Prab Hongsawadee by Ariya Jintapanichkarn
Starring See Characters
Music by Chatchai Pongprapaphan
Cinematography Aummaraporn Phandintong
Edited by Evan Spiliotopoulos
Production
company
Kantana Animation Co. Ltd.
Kantana Group Public Co.
Sahamongkol Film International
Distributed by Kantana Animation
Sahamongkol Film International
Release dates
  • May 18, 2006 (2006-05-18)
Running time
 79 minutes
Country Thailand
Language Thai
Budget 150 million baht
Box office 91 million baht

Khan Kluay (Thai: ก้านกล้วย) is a 2006 Thai 3D computer-animated adventure comedy family feature film set during Ayutthaya-era Siam about a Thai elephant who wanders away from his mother and eventually becomes the war elephant for King Naresuan. It is based on "Chao Praya Prab Hongsawadee" by Ariya Jintapanichkarn. It was officially released as Jumbo in India and The Blue Elephant in the United States. There is a sequel to this movie, known as Khan Kluay 2.[1] This movie is about Khan Kluay's two elephant children, another attack by the Hongsawadi (Burmese), and struggling whether to live with his wife or fight the Burmese.[2]

Khan Kluay is directed by Kompin Kemgumnird, an animator who had worked on Disney films such as The Lion King, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Tarzan, and Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age. Produced by Kantana Animation, it was the first Thai 3-D animated feature film to be released, and was also the first animated Thai feature to be released since The Adventure of Sudsakorn, a cel-animated film by Payut Ngaokrachang which was released in 1979. Khan Kluay took three years to make and cost 150 million baht (about $3.9 million USD). Khan Kluay was released in Thai cinemas on May 18, 2006. It was the highest-grossing Thai film of 2006, taking in approximately 91 million baht at the box office. An animated television series, The Adventures of Khan Kluay, has been created by Kantana Animation Studio and is broadcast on BBTV Channel 7.

Plot

When Khan Kluay is born, his grandmother notes that his back is strong and has thick skin like his father and that his true strength lies within, and names him "Khan Kluay" (Banana Stem).

As a young elephant, Khan Kluay is taunted by the other elephants because he is fatherless. Naturally, Khan Kluay is curious about his father, and he's told that his father is a war elephant for the king. Because of this, he wants to find his father. As he was still a young elephant, he wanders off to begin his search, and he is soon captured by a Burmese raiding party. In trying to escape from the Burmese camp, the young elephant is befriended by a Siamese boy prince, Naresuan, who has been ransomed to the Burmese. Naresuan has the ability to calm Khan Kluay into thinking clearly, and Khan Kluay makes his escape.

Weakened, Khan Kluay then comes upon a village where humans and elephants are working together. He is befriended by a young female elephant, Kon Suay, and is then chained up until he is healed. Khan Kluay soon learns to value the humans who have captured him. Under the training of a wise old mahout, he becomes bigger and stronger.

A local warlord comes around annually to collect taxes from the village, and his taxes have become greedier and heavier each year. The village rebels, and with the humans and their elephants working together, the warlord and his beasts are defeated.

Naresuan, now as the king of Siam, has called for elephants, and Khan Kluay is taken to the palace. There, he is seen by his mother, who calls out to him. He goes wild in trying to break her free from her chains to help his mother. Naresuan notices this, and remembers that he is Khan Kluay from his boyhood. The king is able to calm Khan Kluay, and from then on, he serves as Naresuan's war elephant.

In battle, Khan Kluay confronts Nguangdaeng, a giant Burmese war elephant with fiery eyes, who was responsible for the death of his father. He gets a chance to acquit himself in battle for the glory of Siam, and his revenge.

Finally, Khan Kluay avenges for his father by killing Nguangdaeng. After that, he is released to spend the rest of his life with his loved ones until the Burmese return.

Characters

Voice cast

US version

Production

Khan Kluay is directed by Kompin Kemgumnird, an animator who had worked on Disney films such as The Lion King, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Tarzan, and Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age. Produced by Kantana Animation, it was the first Thai 3-D animated feature film to be released, and was also the first animated Thai feature to be released since The Adventure of Sudsakorn, a cel-animated film by Payut Ngaokrachang which was released in 1979. Khan Kluay took three years to make and cost 150 million baht (about $3.9 million USD).

Release

Khan Kluay was released in Thai cinemas on May 18, 2006. It was the highest-grossing Thai film of 2006, taking in approximately 91 million baht at the box office. The movie was shown to an audience of Asian elephants and their mahouts in an outdoor screening in Ayutthaya Province on June 6, 2006. It was released in September 2008 on DVD in the United States as The Blue Elephant. Indian production company Percept Picture Company bought the rights to the film and released a Hindi-language version, Jumbo, on December 25, 2008. Indian actor Akshay Kumar provided the voice for the main character, Jumbo.[3]

American release

The film was released in the U.S .on September 2, 2008, under the Jim Henson Company and The Weinstein Company label. Like other foreign animated films that have been dubbed into English, like My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and many others, this was released as a direct to video film. The film was also renamed The Blue Elephant for its American release. The film was also redubbed with celebrity voice overs, including Martin Short, Miranda Cosgrove, and Carl Reiner. Some of the drawbacks with the American dub compared with the original Thai version of the film are that some scenes that were in the Thai version were deleted in the American dub, not explaining all of the important information. The general storyline was correct, however, the dubbed lines were very inaccurate as well as poorly written; for the most part,the translators of the English dub of Khan Kluay did not even make an effort to have the characters say sentences that were even close to the lines actually stated in the original Thai version. In addition, characters' names (with the exception of Khan Kluay's) were changed from the actual ones to names that are very similar to Khan Kluay's. For example, in the original Thai version, the female pink elephant that Khan Kluay meets is named Chaba Kaew. However, her name in the English version of the film is Kon Suay. Khan Kluay's parents were also given the names Nuan (Khan Kluay's mother) and Pran (Khan Kluay's father).

Indian release

The film released in India on December 25, 2008, under the Percept Picture Company. It was renamed Jumbo, and was redubbed with a voice cast inclusive of Akshay Kumar, and Rajpal Yadav.

Malaysian release

The film's sequel, Khan Kluay II is named as Jumbo Gajah Biru and it is distributed and dubbed by Astro Entertainment Sdn. Bhd. It premiered in Malaysian cinemas on March 11, 2010. Other language dubs (English, French, and Spanish are examples) of this film are needed so that people throughout the world can view it.

Festivals and awards

Television series

An animated television series, The Adventures of Khan Kluay, has been created by Kantana Animation Studio and is broadcast on BBTV Channel 7.

References

  1. ↑ , "Trumpeting for triumph" ; retrieved 2010-11-17
  2. ↑ , "trailer Khan kluay 2" ; retrieved 2010-11-20
  3. ↑ "Akshay Kumar's Jumbo is actually a Thai film", ScreenIndia; retrieved 2008-12-13
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Thai Film Awards this year, ThaiCinema.org, 2007-02-28.
  5. ↑ 115 films on offer at film festival, Siasat Daily; retrieved 2007-11-15

External links

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