The Lion King

The Lion King (G)

Grade: A-

• Directed by: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
• Produced by: Don Hahn
• Screenplay by: Irene Mecchi, Johnathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton.  Based on "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare
• Starring: Matthew Broderick (Adult Simba), James Earl Jones (Mufasa), Jeremy Irons (Scar), Johnathan Taylor Thomas (Young Simba), Moira Kelly (Nala), Nathan Lane (Timon), Ernie Sabella (Pumba), Robert Guillaume (Rafiki), Rowan Atkinson (Zazu), Madge Sinclair (Sarabi), Whoopi Goldberg (Sehnzi), Cheech Marin (Banzai), Jim Cummings (Ed)
• Music by: Hans Zimmer
• Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Feature Animation
• Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
• Released: June 15, 1994
• Running Time: 88 minutes/1 hour and 28 minutes
• Language: English

"You must take your place in the circle of life."

-Mufasa

Father's give advice to their children all the time, but when Mufasa speaks, that's when you stop and listen because he isn't just some regular lion; he's the king of the jungle, brother of Scar, and father of Simba in "The Lion King".  "The Lion King" is arguably one of the most acclaimed and well-known Disney films of all-time, up there with Snow White, Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast, etc.  But for the Disney Renaissance era, there's no doubt it's the top film on most people's list.  I used to feel the same way about it as a child, watching it endlessly and crying and laughing at the same parts, but as I got older, my taste shifted.  And while I appreciated "The Lion King", I wanted to make my own decisions on what I liked.  Not just like it because the majority did, which they did when it came to "The Lion King".  Because of that, I hadn't watched it in years and watched other Disney films in the meantime, but recently, after at least 6 years, I've watched it again and enjoyed it so much, it's like nothing ever changed.

Because "The Lion King" is based off of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the plot should be very well known.  Hell, even if you've never read the play, I've never met one person on Earth who has never seen the film.  But I'll still sum it up.  The film starts off with a majestic shot of Pride Rock where Mufasa and his wife Sarabi have given birth to their first son Simba.  As he grows into his youth, he is adventurous and energetic.  Typical for anyone his age, but his uncle Scar on the other hand is miserable.  His life is boring and he despises Mufasa, dreaming of taking his throne for himself.  These are all impractical thoughts by Scar, until one day he plots the ultimate plan with the hyenas, staging a wildebeest stampede to try and kill Mufasa and Simba at once.  He is only half successful though, and Simba runs away to a new life, eventually meeting some new friends along the way.  He's happy where he is, but realizes he must go back and take his place in the circle of life as king like Mufasa said.

"The Lion King" has many highlights as a film overall.  The animation is the first thing I notice because of the drawing of the animals and the environment (which I think is always difficult to achieve).  Plus, researching a little about the film, the animators animated the characters to match their voice actors, which I thought was pretty cool as well.  Credit has to go to the voice cast though.  Animated films always want to get a good cast for publicity, but this film cast roles that fit their character perfectly.  James Earl Jones had the commanding, magnificent, thunderous voice as Mufasa, Matthew Broderick had the innocence he had in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" as Adult Simba, and Johnathan Taylor Thomas had the same youth he had from TV as Young Simba.  Everything worked as a whole.  While, I love James Earl Jones though, I loved Jeremy Irons voice as Scar.  His accent was so diabolical which made his character so cunning, memorable, and twisted.

This film's popularity makes it seem as though it has no flaw's, but it does.  The songs everyone loves such as "Hakuna Matata", "Circle of Life" and others are very entertaining, but they don't touch me the way some other Disney songs do such as "Part of Your World".  No fault of it's own, but that's just my personal taste.  I like funny and whimsical songs, but the memorable, touching songs are ones I enjoy, which I don't think this film has much of.  Also, the characters change, but their action's don't seem too believable because of the pace of the film.  It's too fast, which I expect from a Disney film, but I wish it was longer (like I wish most Disney films were), so we could see more depth to the characters and plot, such as what really happened to Simba when he was with Timon and Pumba.  And lastly, I know the film shouldn't be taken seriously too seriously at times because it's Disney, but I have a hard time believing that all the animals live in harmony when they all eat each other.

But while that may seem unrealistic, one thing that's real is the emotion Simba feels.  He feels sadness when tragedy strikes with his father, anger towards Scar, and friendship with Timon and Pumba who teach him a life with no worries is a wonderful thing.  To me, he might not change that much in the film, and pales in comparison to his dad as a king, but he's so relating as a character, which makes us understand what he's feeling.  Depending on taste, "The Lion King" may or may not be your favorite Disney film, but there's no doubt it changed Disney forever critically and financially the way "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid" did before it.  And as time has gone on, it has become a timed classic, quoted and beloved by all.  Even though it isn't my favorite film, there's no doubt it's the king of the Disney Renaissance era.  Long Live the King!