"Lego's Monkie Kid is a love letter to China. It’s clearly a passion project the creators at Lego were eager to pursue, and that coupled with the accuracy to Chinese culture is the delightful lychee on top." --Daniel Pascual
Lego Monkie Kid is an animated TV show that premiered first in Asia on the 13 of June, 2020. The TV series is based off of the toy line of the same name, which was first introduced in May of 2020, with a minifigure of the Monkey King being released even earlier in Lego’s 2019 Minifigure Series 19. The toy line and TV series are both based off of the myth of the Monkey King and Journey to the West, the latter being one of China’s four great classical novels, an ancient allegory for enlightenment, and roughly 2,000 pages long. How well did Lego do in representing this legendary text and the culture it originated from? Let’s find out.
The show follows our main character, MK, and his friends: Pigsy, Tang, Mei and Sandy.
After being named the illustrious Monkey King’s successor, MK is tasked with keeping Megapolis safe from demons set on world domination. Monkie Kid is loosely modeled after Journey to the West, introducing characters from the original story to its audience and offering subtle tributes to the text in the form of a background mural. Monkie Kid takes a well loved and well known Chinese work and presents it in a fun, child-friendly way. The show allows people who may not be familiar with the source material to enjoy it regardless, hopefully enticing people to learn more about the mischievous Monkey King and the ever-hearing Six-Eared Macaque.
MK and Mei, facing off against the Six-Eared Macaque's shadow demon
Chinese culture is largely represented in the media, but rarely is it represented by itself. Sure, some movies and shows have bits of Chinese culture sprinkled in for flavor, but that is then mixed in with a bunch of other Asian cultures, resulting in all these cultures mashed together in a three-tiered cake of muddled representation. An example of this comes in the form of another Lego TV show, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. Ninjago very clearly takes inspiration from many Asian cultures, with the ninja obviously taking inspiration from the feudal era of Japan. The name itself, Masters of Spinjitzu, is even a play on words to the real life practice of ninjutsu. Ninjago, however. mixes weapons from Japan’s feudal era with the smooth visuals of Chinese calligraphy, throwing in some Western-style dragons and mashing these cultures in a way that could seem borderline offensive. It seems almost stereotypical, nearly erasing other cultures entirely as they all lump together.
Fortunately, Monkie Kid doesn’t fall into this trap, drawing its inspiration solely from Chinese myths and literature. By using just one main source, Lego can draw from years of that folklore and mythology based around Journey to the West, giving Monkie Kid little room for error. In a 2020 interview with Geek Culture, Lego Senior Design Manager Dennis Fong explained:
"We felt that we hit something really big when we had this concept of the Monkey King. Seeing all the energy from the kids, the parents, how they could instantly recognise it because we had a lot of key iconic elements in there. And, you know, we didn't need to tell a new story. We had the old story as a foundation for us to build upon." (Journey With The Monkie Kid Alongside LEGO Designers Simon Lucas and Dennis Fong | Geek Culture)
Lego Monkie Kid takes what is already there and expands upon it, allowing for a TV show deeply enriched by the authentic representation of a single culture.
Monkie Kid is a wonderful show. The animation, plot, character designs; it all works together to give you a very enjoyable experience. A lot of effort is clearly put into the making of the show, with the VAs(voice actors) correct pronunciation of the few Chinese names we get and the culturally accurate outfits the characters wear. It shows appreciation for China and the culture. Speaking of the VAs, however, that’s where the show falls flat. Most characters are voiced by non-POC, with only 3 of the nine main cast being voiced by POC. Jack DeSena, most known for his role as Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender, voices Monkie Kid’s main character, MK, joined by Sean Schemmel, the iconic voice of Dragon Ball’s adult Son Goku. As an Asian child who once had a dream of becoming a voice actor, seeing such Chinese characters being voiced by non-POC people kinda feels like less of an opportunity for my people to be in the spotlight. Personally, I don’t think this takes away from the viewing experience, as I do adore this show. But I have to ask, is it real, genuine, true representation if we whitewash the character’s voices?
All in all, Lego’s Monkie Kid feels like a love letter to China. It takes a classic work of art and makes it easily receivable to people who may or may not be familiar with the source material. It’s clearly a passion project the creators at Lego were eager to pursue, and that coupled with the accuracy to Chinese culture is a delightful lychee on top.
Fortunately, Monkie Kid doesn’t fall into this trap, drawing its inspiration solely from Chinese myths and literature. By using just one main source, Lego can draw from years of that folklore and mythology based around Journey to the West, giving Monkie Kid little room for error. In a 2020 interview with Geek Culture, Lego Senior Design Manager Dennis Fong explained:
"We felt that we hit something really big when we had this concept of the Monkey King. Seeing all the energy from the kids, the parents, how they could instantly recognise it because we had a lot of key iconic elements in there. And, you know, we didn't need to tell a new story. We had the old story as a foundation for us to build upon." (Journey With The Monkie Kid Alongside LEGO Designers Simon Lucas and Dennis Fong | Geek Culture)
Lego Monkie Kid takes what is already there and expands upon it, allowing for a TV show deeply enriched by the authentic representation of a single culture.
Monkie Kid is a wonderful show. The animation, plot, character designs; it all works together to give you a very enjoyable experience. A lot of effort is clearly put into the making of the show, with the VAs(voice actors) correct pronunciation of the few Chinese names we get and the culturally accurate outfits the characters wear. It shows appreciation for China and the culture. Speaking of the VAs, however, that’s where the show falls flat. Most characters are voiced by non-POC, with only 3 of the nine main cast being voiced by POC. Jack DeSena, most known for his role as Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender, voices Monkie Kid’s main character, MK, joined by Sean Schemmel, the iconic voice of Dragon Ball’s adult Son Goku. As an Asian child who once had a dream of becoming a voice actor, seeing such Chinese characters being voiced by non-POC people kinda feels like less of an opportunity for my people to be in the spotlight. Personally, I don’t think this takes away from the viewing experience, as I do adore this show. But I have to ask, is it real, genuine, true representation if we whitewash the character’s voices?
All in all, Lego’s Monkie Kid feels like a love letter to China. It takes a classic work of art and makes it easily receivable to people who may or may not be familiar with the source material. It’s clearly a passion project the creators at Lego were eager to pursue, and that coupled with the accuracy to Chinese culture is a delightful lychee on top.
