THE LION KING
US, 1994, 85 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair, Rown Atkinson, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Moira Kelly, Robert Guillaume.
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
In the jungles of Africa, in the Prideland, a baby cub, Simba, is born to the Lion King, Moufassa. All the animals assemble to honour the cub and he is anointed as future king. His uncle, Scar, is jealous and wants to kill both Moufassa and Simba.
Moufassa trains his son but Simba, believing Scar and not wanting to seem afraid is persuaded to go beyond the boundaries of the Prideland and has to be rescued by his father. Scar enlists the help of the scavenging hyenas and they cause a stampede where, once again, Simba is trapped. When Moufassa saves him and tries to climb the cliff to safety, Scar causes him to fall to his death. He then makes Simba feel guilty and advises him to run away.
Simba is found by a warthog and a meerkat who befriend him. With them he grows up but longs for his father. When Narla, his best friend chases Timon in the jungle, he learns that Scar has taken over as king and, with the plundering of the hyenas, has wasted the kingdom. The animals are starving. The old baboon counsellor finds him, shows him his true self and the image of his father within him, so he returns, confronts Scar and brings the kingdom to prosperity. His and Narla's cub is born and presented to the animals as the future king. The circle of life continues.
The Lion King has been the Disney Studio's most successful and popular animated movie. It led to a sequel and to the successful staging of the movie as a musical theatre event.
The story contains the right mix of family themes, royalty, adventure and danger, as well as comic characters and songs. The songs by Tim Rice and Elton John and Hans Zimmer's score were Oscar winners.
The drawing, especially of the variety of animals, is sometimes breathtaking. And many of the characters are particularly well drawn to suit the voices of the actors. This is very much the case with Jeremy Irons relishing his villainy and sardonic humour as Scar. Ernie Sabella and Nathan Lane are enjoyable comic relief as Pumbaa and Timon. Rowan Atkinson is the bird adviser. Whoopi Goldberg leads the hyenas and James Earl Jones well-recognised voice (that of Darth Vader) is Moufassa. Matthew Broderick and Moira Kelly are more conventional as the grown up Simba and Narla.
1.The popularity of the film? For all ages? Its status as a classic? The sequels?
2.The animation and its style, the animals and the collage, the drawings, the colours, Africa, the animals? The musical score? The songs?
3. The king, the monkey on the rock? The birth of Simba, the royal prince, presented by his father to the animals, reverence, anointed as the future king? Mufasa as a role model father? His love for his son, training and disciplining him? The rituals of reverence for the young prince? The birth of Simba, the royal prince, presented by his father to the animals, reverenced, anointed as future king as a parallel to the birth of Jesus. Moufassa as role-model of father, like Joseph, with his love for his son, training and disciplining him.
4. Scar, the Kingdom of Darkness, the fascist hyena troops, their stripping the land, impoverishing the people, casting darkness over the land, oppression? Scar and his refusal to go to reverence the king? His own ambitions? His advisers and reliance on the hyenas? Eating the mouse? The interactions with Simba as he grows older, pretence? Scar and the kingdom of darkness, the fascist hyena troops and their stripping the land, impoverishing the people, casting darkness over land of oppression - and ' a people in darkness wanting to see a light' (the prophecy about the coming of Jesus).
3.Simba, playing, his friendship with Nala? Meeting the hyenas? The confrontation? The stampede? The death of Mufasa, Simba and his trying to save his father? Scar and his taking him to the graveyard of the elephants? His power over Simba? Persuading Simba that he had killed his father?
4.Simba and the exile, the encounter with the baboon, the other advisers and friends? His listening and remembering his father’s explanation of what it was to be a king, how he should rule? The forbidden shadow? That he should not just get his way all the time? Nature and its delicate balance, interconnectedness, the Circle of Life? Simba and his relationship to his mother, his grief at leaving? The pompous advice from Zazu? In exile, his travels, growing up, the meeting with Pumbaa, with Timon? The playfulness, accidents, their good advice? His eventually being persuaded to come back? Simba looking at the stars, wanting to see his father, the baboon guiding him to the pool and his seeing his father within him and gaining strength to return (with Narla's love) and save the animals - and Jesus, son of the Father, showing God's presence within him and saving his people.
5.The land in darkness, the kingdom and Scar’s despotism? The suffering of the people?
6.Simba, his confidence, his return, his friends? The confrontation with Scar? The death of Scar? The triumph of Simba? Establishing peace and order as the Lion King?
7.The importance of the songs, as sung by each of the characters, Simba and his childhood songs, as an adult? Nala? The comic songs?
8.The story as based on Hamlet, the treacherous uncle killing his brother, his hold over his nephew? As adapted for this kind of film?
9.Adult audiences, enjoyment of the voices, the range of the cast?
10.A satisfying entertainment for both young and old?
