Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Donkey Kong

  • Video Game
  • 1981
  • E
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
Donkey Kong (1981)
Kong
Play trailer0:38
1 Video
11 Photos
Action

Arcade video game and the first in the "Donkey Kong" series in which Jumpman (later retconned to be Mario) runs and jumps on platforms and climbs ladders to ascend a construction site and re... Read allArcade video game and the first in the "Donkey Kong" series in which Jumpman (later retconned to be Mario) runs and jumps on platforms and climbs ladders to ascend a construction site and rescue Pauline from a giant gorilla, Donkey Kong.Arcade video game and the first in the "Donkey Kong" series in which Jumpman (later retconned to be Mario) runs and jumps on platforms and climbs ladders to ascend a construction site and rescue Pauline from a giant gorilla, Donkey Kong.

  • Director
    • Shigeru Miyamoto
  • Writer
    • Shigeru Miyamoto
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    2.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Shigeru Miyamoto
    • Writer
      • Shigeru Miyamoto
    • 23User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Kong
    Trailer 0:38
    Kong

    Photos10

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 4
    View Poster

    User reviews23

    7.32.3K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    The_Light_Triton

    might be your mom's game, but still fun.

    You can bet a hundred bucks to someone that they've played this game. people have played this for generations, and all of them have had fun, one way or another.

    Donkey Kong, a giant ape, breaks out from the local Zoo (or at least i think he did.) and kidnaps a woman named Paula. so, it's up to jump-man (also known as Mario) to go and rescue this woman, and defeat the monkey who stole her.

    Donkey Kong has come a long way. from enemy, to good guy, and to rhythm game icon. in the second version of the donkey Kong games, he was captured and Mario was holding him there. so Mario isn't all you think he is. but nowadays, DK and Mario don't hate each other. they just beat each other up every now and then. play super smash bros to do stage a fight between the 2.

    this outdated, but fun game gets 8/10
    Movie Nuttball

    Donkey Kong!

    The Donkey Kong series is one of the most different adventure video games! The cool characters and the action makes this game really fun! Below is a brief look how I think the game is!

    Game Play: The game play is very good. There is really basic controls here and is easy to perform. Novice gamers should have a good time here!

    Graphics: The graphics are wonderful especially on several game systems. The character especially Mario are really neat!

    Difficulty: The game is easy but as it goes on you find out that it will become more difficult!

    Music: The music is great! Just fantastic catchy tunes through out the game! In My opinion its some of the best music ever in a video game!

    Sound: The sound is great. Nuff said!

    Overall: I have always loved Donkey Kong! If you like excellent adventure games then I strongly recommend you play this game!

    To purchase this video game check out Amazon.com!
    cheeseboy80

    Still fun today

    Sure this game is old, but it still fun to play. Whocares the graphics are outdated. This game is very fun, that's one of the main reasons we play video games. This is a very challenging game. You will never get tired of playing Donkey Kong, it is a very addictive game.

    I give this game 9 out of 10
    dootuss

    An important moment in video games.

    Without a doubt, "Donkey Kong" marked a big moment in video game history. It was the first ever video game to have a story, and it introduced us to a carpenter named "Jumpman" (soon to be known as Mario of "Super Mario Brothers" fame) who had to save his girlfriend from the clutches of Donkey Kong while avoiding enemies like rolling barrels. While the game is outdated by today's standards of video games, it's still worth a playing.
    Op_Prime

    Outdated? Maybe. A classic? Definitely.

    This game came out twenty years ago and remains one of the most important video games ever. Due in part because it was the first to have a real story. However, it is mainly because this was the first appearance of the most famous video game character, Mario. Of course, he's known as Jump Man, a carpenter, in this game.

    In the game, you play Jump Man and have to rescue a girl from Donkey Kong. Of course, you have to dodge all sorts of traps along the way. The graphics are vastly outdated compared to today's standards, but this game totally rocks. Thumbs up!

    More like this

    Mario Bros.
    7.3
    Mario Bros.
    Super Mario Bros.
    8.8
    Super Mario Bros.
    Duck Hunt
    7.1
    Duck Hunt
    Tetris
    8.5
    Tetris
    Donkey Kong Country
    8.6
    Donkey Kong Country
    The Legend of Zelda
    8.5
    The Legend of Zelda
    Contra
    8.2
    Contra
    Space Invaders
    7.5
    Space Invaders
    Galaga
    7.7
    Galaga
    Castlevania
    7.8
    Castlevania
    Excitebike
    7.0
    Excitebike
    Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
    7.1
    Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The game was originally designed as a Popeye game but the rights expired in production, so new characters were made with the same characteristics of a giant taking away the girlfriend while being chased by the small hero.
    • Goofs
      There is a bug in the game that randomly occurs when Jumpman jumps over a barrel, and is not awarded any points for it.
    • Quotes

      Introduction screen: How high can you get?

    • Connections
      Edited into Animal Crossing (2001)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 2, 1981 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Japan
      • United States
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Donkey King
    • Production companies
      • Nintendo R&D1
      • Nintendo
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.