Why the Monkey in Stephen King’s Movie Beats a Drum Instead of Cymbals — Disney Forced the Change
The filmmakers had to redesign the toy.
I’ve been watching The Monkey, the new Stephen King adaptation, and I couldn’t help but notice one big change from the story: the mechanical monkey wields a drum instead of cymbals. At first, I was a bit thrown — the cymbals are iconic in the original tale — but then I found out why.
Disney holds the rights to the cymbal-banging version of the toy from Toy Story 3, where it’s a creepy little guard keeping Andy’s toys in check. The filmmakers couldn’t risk a copyright clash, so they swapped in a drum instead. Honestly? I think it works.
The monkey still looks sinister, and the drum gives it a slightly different, even creepier vibe in motion.
The plot stays just as tense: twin brothers Hal and Bill face a childhood tragedy caused by the cursed toy, and decades later, Bill tries to wield the monkey’s dark powers for revenge. Death, panic, and chaos ensue, and the monkey remains terrifying — drumsticks or not.
For me, the change doesn’t ruin the story; it just shows how filmmakers creatively navigate legal hurdles while keeping the horror intact.
