The Lion King - Circling the Circle of Life

The late 80s and early to mid-90s brought people back to the prime of Disney animation with the releases of The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Aladdin (1992). However, the most successful and possibly most popular of these animated blockbusters remains The Lion King, released to theatres on June 15, 1994.

At the time of its release, The Lion King was Disney's most unconventional animated film because it was their first original story since Lady and the Tramp in 1955, and their first non-fairy/folk tale-oriented animated film since Oliver & Company (1988). Few expected it to do well because of its coming-of-age theme and story line, unusual setting, and pop/rock-oriented musical tunes. Even the filmmakers felt The Lion King wouldn't be as successful as their next film, Pocahontas. The results, however, were quite the opposite. Audiences loved the film, critics praised the film (The Lion King currently holds a strong 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, having gone down three percent from a 92 since its 3D re-release in the fall of 2011), and earning almost $952 million dollars worldwide.

Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton, The Lion King, unlike The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, features a superstar voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, and Madge Sinclair. The Lion King proved that Disney could take any unusual story idea and turn it into an Academy Award-winning blockbuster that would become the favourite of many faithful movie watchers.

Summary

The Lion King returned to a Bambi-esque format, featuring talking animals living life in their natural habitat.

An adventurous young lion cub named Simba (Thomas) is more than thrilled when he learns that he will be the next king of the Pridelands. When his father, Mufasa (Jones), is killed by his conniving uncle, Scar (Irons), Simba, tricked by his uncle into feeling responsible for his father's death, runs away. In a secluded jungle, Simba, raised by a wise-cracking meerkat named Timon (Lane) and his loveable friend/sidekick, Pumbaa (Sabella), is taught not to dwell upon the past and continues avoiding his responsibilities. When Simba's now grown-up childhood friend, Nala (Kelly), finds a grown-up Simba (Broderick) and persuades him to return to Pride Rock, Simba realizes that he must confront his fate, face his uncle, and take back what's rightfully his.

Review

I know that I am not the first so say that The Lion King is one of the best animated films to-date, right up there with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Bambi, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. Parents love it for its meaningful storyline, strong message and family friendliness; kids love it for its catchy tunes and comical characters; and I love it because it was the first movie I ever saw - I was about two. Since then, The Lion King has become my second favourite movie (if I had a dime for every time I've watched this movie, I'd be a multi-billionaire; Mark Zuckerberg and Oprah would have nothing on me).

Ratings

Story - 10/10 - Every time I watch this movie I cry just as hard as I did the first time I saw it (or, at least back when I was five and old enough to really understand it). Some people find it a bit dark for kids because it's basically about a lion cub who gets framed for murder. But The Lion King truly exhibits quality story-telling at is best.

Characters - 10/10 - The perfect balance between comedic characters, serious characters, and down-right evil characters. Simba is one of my favourite movie heroes, and Scar is one of my favourite villains. In fact, I think he beats Darth Vader and Lord Voldemort hands down. I just love how each character has a pretty significant role in the film, and there are very few "extras". I do wish, however, that deuteragonist Nala had a larger role.

Voice acting - 10/10 - Perfect score! An amazing voice cast; one of the best assembled in animation history. Jeremy Irons is incomparable as scar; no one could have done him better. Matthew Broderick and Jonathan Taylor Thomas share Simba perfectly. James Earl Jones has one of the best voices ever! And Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings as Shenzi, Bonzai and Ed are simply HILARIOUS!!!!

Music - 10/10 - ANOTHER PERFECT SCORE!!!!!! The musical numbers by Tim Rice and rock legend Elton John are killer masterpieces, especially "The Circle of Life" and the Oscar-winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". But catchy pop tunes are not the only thing this film has to offer. The African-themed score, comosed by Hans Zimmer, is fantastic, and serves a refreshing break from the usual string-based, orchestra-ridden scores of classic Disney films. Wonderful!

Score - 100%!!!!! My first time awarding a perfect score to any film!!! I simply could not find anything significantly wrong with The Lion King, and it deserves a perfect 100%.

In conclusion, The Lion King is your perfect example of a masterpiece. Those of you who think The Lion King is overrated, you're wrong!!! Twilight is overrated!!! The Lion King deserved every bit of praise, recognition, and penny it got. It's no mystery why this Academy Award-winning animated film remains the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all-time. More importantly, however, it remains a favourite for many children (who are now adults) who saw this film, and will probably continue to be for generations to come.