China’s classical masterpiece “Journey to the West” has introduced its iconic character Sun Wukong to the world in a brand new animated form. The first original animated series titled “Monkey King Adventures” was launched by the American video streaming platform “Gan Jing World” (GJW) on October 2, exclusively airing on the “GJW+ and Kids Platform”.
This series is based on the classical Chinese novel “Journey to the West”, narrating the growth journey of Sun Wukong from a little monkey born from a magical stone to becoming the awe-inspiring “Monkey King”. It has been recreated into a fantasy adventure animation tailored for children and family audiences.
The first season, “Monkey King Adventures: Rise of the Monkey King”, consists of 12 episodes, each about 10 minutes long. The first two episodes are free, and subsequent episodes will be released weekly for GJW+ members.
Originating in the 16th century, “Journey to the West” draws its story from the historical journey of the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang to India for scriptures over thirteen hundred years ago. For centuries, the tales of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and Tang Sanzang have been widely known in Asia and have been adapted into dramas, movies, TV series, and various animated works.
“Monkey King Adventures” does not directly kick off from Master Tang and his disciples embarking on the journey to the West for scriptures; instead, it shifts the focus to Sun Wukong’s youthful years.
In the series, Wukong is conceived from a magical stone. As the story unfolds, he gradually obtains extraordinary abilities, facing demons, dragons, and deities, coming to terms with his own strength through each adventure and conflict, and learning to bear the consequences of his choices.
Thus, the animation does not merely “cartoonize” the classic story but emphasizes Sun Wukong’s growth as the central theme, portraying a young character with both virtues and flaws.
Gan Jing World CEO Sherry Yin stated that while this series carries massive elements of fantasy adventures, the overall plan for the series is substantial, promising multiple seasons featuring hundreds of characters and numerous adventure stories. The first season focuses on depicting how Sun Wukong evolves from a humble little monkey to a true Monkey King.
“Sun Wukong undergoes the ‘eighty-one challenges’, ultimately realizing that true power stems from wisdom, resilience, and self-cultivation,” Sherry Yin expressed. “His greatest achievement is not dominating the heavens and earth but growing continuously throughout this process.”
This aspect also marks a significant distinction between this animation and the typical Sun Wukong stories predominantly centered on “supernatural powers and fighting”.
The animation director Jian Lun Lu highlighted that the Sun Wukong in the series is not a flawless hero.
“Our initial intention in creating ‘Monkey King Adventures of Journey to the West’ was for children worldwide to fall in love with this beloved story cherished by families for generations,” Lu mentioned. “Sun Wukong can be arrogant at times, he quietly strives without recognition, feels neglected, and is reluctant to admit his faults—these are experiences children can relate to.”
Lu stated that the gripping story allows both children and adults to enjoy the journey together, leaving behind many topics worth discussing afterward.
“We hope children maintain excitement and curiosity about Sun Wukong and discover the core values of ‘Journey to the West’—kindness, humility, and inner growth through his adventurous experiences.”
For the production team, a crucial goal of this animation is for “Journey to the West” to not only belong to audiences familiar with Chinese culture but also become a story for families from different cultural backgrounds to watch together.
Gan Jing World mentioned that while retaining the original spirit of “Journey to the West”, the animation restructures its adventure elements, enabling children from different ethnicities to comprehend without prior knowledge of the background of the Chinese classical novel. For overseas children unfamiliar with “Journey to the West”, this might serve as their first introduction to Sun Wukong and Chinese classical stories.
Moreover, for a Chinese immigrant family growing up abroad, “Monkey King Adventures” holds another layer of significance: children can reacquaint themselves with the famous monkey from their elders’ tales through a fast-paced, fantastical modern animation.
According to the release details from GJW, a new episode will be released weekly. The series is positioned as a 3D CG fantasy adventure animation suitable for children aged 6 to 12 and family viewing. The animation characters are full of childlike charm. Apart from GJW+, viewers can also watch it on Gan Jing World’s Kids Platform.
The launch of “Monkey King Adventures” aligns with Gan Jing World’s recent emphasis on children’s content principles.
Gan Jing Kids is Gan Jing World’s children’s streaming and educational platform, featuring content spanning languages, mathematics, science, and children’s movies and programs. The platform currently offers over 6,000 children’s movies and programs.
Different from video platforms that rely on recommendation algorithms to keep children watching continuously, Gan Jing Kids emphasizes no ads, comment sections, or chat functions with strangers, and avoids the recommendation mechanisms that may lead to children getting addicted. The platform adopts a three-tier content safety mechanism involving artificial intelligence safety checks, manual content moderation, and screening by educators.
Established in 2022, Gan Jing World is a video streaming and content sharing platform headquartered in the midtown of Upstate New York. The company asserts its mission is to promote kindness, respect, trust, and moral values through technology, with “Technology for Humanity” as its platform philosophy. As of December 2025, the platform has reached 100 million global unique visitors.