1994 was a good year. 1994 in retrospect was probably one of the greatest years in film history. Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, and The Shawshank Redemption were all released that year. 1994 was also great because that was the year of my birth. It is no coincidence that so many great movies came out the year I was born. Anyways, there was also one movie that was released in 1994 that is a personal favorite of mine.
The Lion King was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. The screenplay was written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. The Lion King was released in the midst of the Disney Renaissance, the period between 1989 and 1999 when Disney returned to its animated musical roots that made the studio so successful in years past. The Disney Renaissance was an unprecedented run of success for the studio. In this ten year period Disney released The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Toy Story, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, and Tarzan. The Lion King was the pinnacle of the Disney Renaissance in terms of box office success. The Lion King grossed nearly a billion dollars in theaters. In retrospect, the Disney Renaissance was the last gasp for traditional animated films. When Toy Story came out the year after The Lion King, it was only a matter of time before CGI completely took over the animation industry. Unfortunately, traditional animation is all but dead when it comes to film. My generation was the last to see traditionally animated films in the theater. Hopefully, one day Disney will return to traditionally animated films, but something drastic or unexpected would have to happen in order for something like that to occur. It's a shame that kids won't grow up to value traditionally animated films.
I haven't seen The Lion King in many years. I was flipping through the channels the other day and came across it. There was no ball game on TV, so I decided to watch it. I was blown away at how well it holds up. This film will provide generations of children joy long after I'm gone.
The animation is absolutely gorgeous. The one thing that struck is how the sky was drawn. The animators literally recreated the bright and warm African sky. The characters are drawn and animated in such a way that gives them a distinct personality. This film could be entirely silent and the viewer would be able to understand the basic motivations and personalities of the characters. Mufasa is the strong and wise king, Scar moves in a way that looks like he is always up to something, and Timon and Pumba move around with ease and don't have a worry in the world.
One of the biggest reasons The Lion King is such a phenomenal movie is the soundtrack. Hans Zimmer composed the score and it's still one of his finest works even though he has composed many great scores in the years since The Lion King's release. Zimmer was able to combine African inspired rhythms and classical music superbly. While watching this film, I was immediately struck by how well I knew Hans Zimmer's score. I hadn't seen The Lion King in many years, but it seemed like I was able to clearly predict every note of Hans Zimmer's soundtrack. No movie composer could have captured both the epic and childlike feel of The Lion King. Zimmer won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, a Golden Globe, and two Grammys for his work on The Lion King and he deserved every one them.
Lyricist Tim Rice and Elton John contributed five songs for the film. All five songs are now iconic. "Circle of Life" opens the film and this song along with the scene is one of the most recognizable in film history. What makes this song so great is that it lays out the main theme of The Lion King in just four minutes. "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" captures exactly how a little kid thinks of royalty. A little kid thinks being king is about doing whatever you want and not facing any consequences when in reality being king is an unfathomable responsibility and a lonely burden. "Be Prepared" is still the greatest Disney villain song of all time. It's a perfectly sinister song for very sinister villain. "Hakuna Matata" is a great song that perfectly describes somebody that has decided to forfeit all of their responsibilities and living a care free life. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" describes the love between Simba and Nala better than dialogue ever could. No Disney love song since has been able to top it. The Lion King soundtrack would later be given a diamond certification by the RIAA, meaning that the soundtrack sold ten million units in the United States. "Circle of Life", "Hakuna Matata", and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" were all nominated for the Academy Award of Best Original Song. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" was the song that ultimately won. Perhaps the ultimate measure of success for The Lion King soundtrack is how Tim Rice and Elton John were able to create catchy song that kids could dance along to and that adult could also appreciate because the lyrics were very mature for a children's film.
One thing I was struck by while watching The Lion King was how dark the story was. It seemed like somebody was either threatening or attempting to kill somebody every five minutes. There is one onscreen murder and another death that is offscreen, but is hinted to be gruesome. This may be one of the most violent animated films that Disney has ever made. Many people from my generation realized the concept of death was after seeing this film and we were probably better off for it. Death while tragic is a part of life that we all must come to terms with.
The story of The Lion King is a story of revenge, love, friendship, and about a boy becoming a man and accepting that his destiny as the king of his pride. Simba (Matthew Broderick) starts out as a child that wants to take on the responsibilities of his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones), but rejects his destiny after Mufasa is murdered by his jealous brother Scar (Jeremy Irons). Scar is still one of Disney's most evil characters. Unlike many other cartoon villains, Scar is not some buffoon, but a devious power hungry sociopath that is hell bent on obtaining power. Simba spends his childhood and early adulthood eating bugs and having fun with Timon, a wise cracking meerkat and Pumbaa, a warthog with who has a bad case of flatulence. Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella) are perfect examples of how Disney uses supporting characters for comedic relief in contrast to the more serious main protagonist. However, the return of Simba's childhood friend Nala (Moira Kelly) and Rafiki, the baboon shaman that baptized him into The Circle of Life causes Simba to remember where he comes from. Simba must confront his uncle and reclaim his place in The Circle of Life.
The Lion King is one of the best films of the 1990s. It is also one of the most quintessential Disney movies ever made. It is the ultimate combination of a great story, characters, and soundtrack. Other Disney films that have been released since have had certain elements that were better than The Lion King, but none of them have had every element I listed above. Am I reviewing this movie with a sense of nostalgia that is ruining my objectivity. You're damn right I am. The Lion King is one of Disney's finest achievements and it will be a long time before we see another movie like it again.
Rating: *****
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