Khan Kluay (Thai: ก้านกล้วย) is a 2006 Thai computer-animated adventure film set in Ayutthaya-era Siam about a Thai elephant who wanders away from his mother and becomes the war elephant for King Naresuan. It is based on the story Chao Phraya Prap Hongsawadee by Ariya Jintapanichkarn. The film took three years to make, and was released on May 18, 2006 in Thailand. In 2008, the film was released as The Blue Elephant in the United States on September 2, and as Jumbo in India in December 25.

Khan Kluay
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kompin Kemgumnird
Written by	Evan Spiliotopoulos Aummaraporn Phandintong
Based on	Chao Praya Prab Hongsawadee by Ariya Jintapanichkarn
Produced by	Aummaraporn Phandintong
Starring	See Characters
Cinematography	Aummaraporn Phandintong
Edited by	Evan Spiliotopoulos
Music by	Chatchai Pongprapaphan
Production companies	Kantana Animation Kantana Group Public Co. Sahamongkol Film International
Distributed by	Sahamongkol Film International
Release date	May 18, 2006 (2006-05-18)
Running time	79 minutes
Country	Thailand
Language	Thai
Budget	฿115 million[1]
Box office	฿196.7 million[2]

Khan Kluay is directed by Kompin Kemgumnird, an animator who had worked on Disney films such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Tarzan and Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age.[3] Produced by Kantana Animation, it was the first Thai 3D animated feature film and the first Thai animated feature film released since The Adventure of Sudsakorn, a 1979 cel-animated film by Payut Ngaokrachang. The film's sequel, Khan Kluay 2,[4] is about Khan Kluay's two elephant children, another attack by the Hongsawadi, and the choice between living with his wife or fighting the Burmese.[5] An animated television series, The Adventures of Khan Kluay, was produced by Kantana Animation Studio and broadcast on BBTV Channel 7.

Plot

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Characters

• Khan Kluay, the title character, was born in the wild. His mission is to find his father, who is evidently dead and cremated.
• Naresuan, king of the Ayuttahaya Kingdom, is the first human Khan Kluay befriends.
• Chaba Kaew is a pink elephant with a flower on her left ear.

Voice cast

• Anyarit Pitakkul as Khan Kluay (young)
• Nawarat Techarathanaprasert as Chaba Kaew (child)
• Phoori Hiranyapruk as older Khan Kluay
• Warattaya Nilkuha (Jui) as older Chaba Kaew
• Pongsak Hiranyapruk as Jitrit, a pigeon
• Nanthana Bunlong as Saeng-daa
• Suthep Po-ngam as Mahout
• Channarong Khuntee-tao as Burmese general
• Klos Utthaseri as Mingyi Swa
• Juree Ohsiri
• Koti Aramboy

US English dub

• Thomas Starkley as Khan Kluay (young)
• Jeremy Redleaf as Khan Kluay (old)
• Miranda Cosgrove as Kon Suay
• Martin Short as Jai
• Amy Carlson as Nuan, Cha, Cow
• Carl Reiner as Tian
• Kate Simses as Sang Da
• Troy Baker as Marong, Young Prince Naresuan, Minchit Sra
• Richard Epcar as King Narusean, Ajan, Officer
• Cindy Robinson as Matriarch Elephant, Dela

Hindi voice actors

• Akshay Kumar as Jayveer "Jumbo" the elephant/Himself (narrator)
  • Ashar Shaikh as Baby Jayveer "Jumbo"
• Lara Dutta as Sonia
  • Vaishnavi Shetty as Baby Sonia
• Rajpal Yadav as Dildar Yadav
• Dimple Kapadia as Devi
• Amar Babaria as Rajkumar Vikramaditya
• Asrani as Senapati
• Gulshan Grover as Bakhtavar

Production

This section does not cite any sources. (September 2019)

Khan Kluay was directed by Kompin Kemgumnird, an animator who had worked on the Disney films 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 and the first animated Thai feature since Payut Ngaokrachang's cel-animated The Adventure of Sudsakorn (1979). Khan Kluay took three years to produce.

Releases

Khan Kluay was released in Thailand on May 18, 2006, and the film was shown to an audience of Asian elephants and their mahouts in an outdoor screening in Ayutthaya Province on June 6 of that year. It was released in September 2008 on DVD in the United States as The Blue Elephant. The Indian production Percept Picture Company bought the rights to the film and released a Hindi-language version, Jumbo, on December 25, 2008; Indian actor Akshay Kumar voiced the main character, Jumbo.[6]

United States

The film was released in the US on September 2, 2008, by the Jim Henson Company and the Weinstein Company as The Blue Elephant. Like other foreign animated films which have been dubbed into English (such as My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service), it was released direct-to-video. The film was re-dubbed with celebrity voices, including Martin Short, Miranda Cosgrove and Carl Reiner. Some scenes were deleted for the US version, and character names were changed.

India

The film released in India on December 25, 2008 as Jumbo by the Percept Picture Company. It was re-dubbed with a cast which included Akshay Kumar and Rajpal Yadav.

Festivals and awards

• 2006 Thailand National Film Association Awards[7]
  • Best picture
  • Best script
  • Best score
  • Best sound recording
• 2006 Golden Doll Awards[7]
  • Best score
  • Best sound recording
• 2006 Bangkok Critics Assembly[7]
  • Best score
• 2006 Starpics Awards[7]
  • Best score
• 2006 Star Entertainment Awards[7]
  • Best picture
  • Best score
• 2006 Animadrid, International Animation Festival, Spain
  • Best Feature Film
• 2007 Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children
• 2007 Golden Elephant International Children's Film Festival
  • Opening film[8]

Sequal and spin-off

A 2009 film sequel, Khan Kluay 2, was a box-office bomb.

An animated television series, The Adventures of Khan Kluay, was produced by Kantana Animation Studio and is broadcast on BBTV Channel 7 in Thailand.^{[citation needed]}

Khan Kluay featured in animations broadcast in 2016 as the lead-in to Thailand Move Forward, a government-information program which all television stations in Thailand are required to broadcast at 6 pm.[9]

References

External links

• Khan Kluay at IMDb
• Review at ThaiCinema.org