Review of The Lion King (1994) by Eberger2 — 17 Sep 2013

One of the biggest hits created by Disney in 1994 was The Lion King. This movie entices children with its memorable songs and fantastic characters. It is one of Disney’s greatest musicals, even though there are some scary moments. Despite the few violent scenes, the overall messages portrayed are hope, love, family, and responsibility. This film is a great choice for children as well as adults.

The film is about Simba (Jonathon Taylor Thomas) and how he “just can’t wait to be king.” That being said, his evil Uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) is extremely jealous of his brother Mufasa (James Earl Jones) because Mufasa is the king of the jungle. His extreme jealously gets the best of him, and Scar has Mufasa killed by a stampede and makes Simba feel responsible. Simba, feeling overwhelming guilt and despair, then runs away and becomes friends with Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella) and Timon (Nathan Lane) who teach him that the best philosophy is “Hakuna Matata”, which means no worries. Simba is having the best time while with Timon and Pumbaa. He feels free and great about himself because he has nothing to worry about. Simba grows up thinking he has escaped his childhood until his old friend Nala, who is living under Scar’s leadership, finds him and tells him that the tribe has been having severe issues.

The Lion King was originally inspired by William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. The Lion King’s themes and imagery relate to cultural and political situations in the United States and Africa. Along with this, many parts of the film resemble a famous Japanese television show Kimba the White Lion. Two characters in this show are Kimba and Simba. In The Lion King, the camera angles and composition are almost identical to this television show. The voice of Simba almost believed he was working on a remake of Kimba because he was familiar with the show. The movie is mainly about lifestyle choices and collective responsibility. This is where the majority of the movie got several of its ideas.

The protagonist, Simba, starts off as a rebellious character whom then grows up and learns to accept his responsibilities instead of seeking revenge. The characters in the film are always filled with energy which shows how much hard work went into each character and their personality, looks, and overall appearance. Each character has there own appealing look and personality, which draws so much attention to them. Along with this, they each have a voice that is very engaging to listen to. The characters have comical senses of humor and perform each scene in a joyful way. When Mufasa emerges in a cloud for Simba and talks to him, he gives Simba hope and inspires him to go and regain his throne. This scene shows how family is always there for you, even when all hope is gone. Not only are the characters funny, but they have a meaningful and serious side as well.

The Lion King is a spectacular film for all ages. Although the movie is a cartoon, it is appealing to adults as well because it has a message behind it that can captivate even the oldest of audiences. Even if the children do not grasp the entirety of the overall message, they still love the film because of its entertainment. It keeps you interested the entire time and captivates everyone into feeling compelled to finish it. The directors and producers used great sounds effects and were able to get the audience to sing along with them. The colors and their brightness that was used enhances the film and makes it much more enjoyable and fun to watch. Every scene has an attracting look and amusing music, which always makes it pleasurable to watch. They used music to connect the funny scenes back to the overall message such as “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata”. Circle of Life is played during the ceremony when Simba is born and at the end for Simba and Nala’s newborn club. Simba is baptized here and the whole kingdom comes together to see him. Hakuna Matata is played when Simba arrives at the jungle home and continues to play during a sequence in which Simba grows up. This shows that Simba puts his problems behind him and lives the life he wants. The music makes a child not want to take their eyes off the screen because of the energetic characters and catchy rhythm. The filmmakers used animated programs to show their visuals. The stampede scene was created in a 3D computer program so the characters could be multiplied. The visuals are very clever and give off a fun, loving, and spirited tone. The movie is presented with amazing animation, music, and choreography. The animators of the story studied real-life animals for reference and some even journeyed on a trip to Africa. This assisted in how the animators made the characters act during many of the scenes. This also helped them to better understand the animal environment and way of life. A wildlife expert visited the studio to help the writers with the animal behavior and to help the artists with their drawings. Brenda Chapman, one of the story heads, said that writing an original story is very challenging because there is nothing to fall back on.

The Lion King displays that if one is in a dark place, be strong and take the next challenge as it comes. Each character has there own way of doing this, which makes the film so much more interesting to watch. The film portrays many different ideas and responsibilities making it a movie for everyone to watch and enjoy with a lesson learned. The writers created a wonderful original story. The filmmakers did an incredible job with the characters, scenery, and animation. The Lion King is a warm, loving, fun film that everyone should have a chance to see.