The Lion King (1994) – Review

Out of all the iconic animated Disney movies to be released in the 90’s no other movie has made such an impact on pop culture and the minds of young children than The Lion King, many considering it as their favourite Disney movie, so with the “live-action” remake releasing soon it’s time to revisit this all-time classic. No one will debate that The Lion King is a phenomenal film, one that shows the power that an animated film can truly have by creating a mature story with deep themes that stand the test of time, this being achieved by connecting with both kids and adults alike, of coure, helped along by gorgeous hand-drawn animation, an ear-pleasing epic score with iconic songs and very well-realized characters.

The creation of The Lion King is interesting as it was being put together by Disney’s B-team of animators as their A-team wanted to make Pocahontas instead and didn’t believe in the movie. It wasn’t until Disney heard the music being made more the movie that they really focused on making it. The whole opening sequence was changed when Disney heard “The Circle of Life” and so they brought in their A-team. The story is also often compared to an old animated TV show from the ’60s called Kimba The White Lion because of the very similar stories and names of characters but the animators claim that it’s just a coincidence.

Besides the comparison to Kimba The White Lion, the story is more or so compared to Hamlet and it makes sense. The Lion King is the story of a young lion named Simba as he learns what it means to be a leader and king of Pride Rock after his uncle, Scar, kills Mufasa – Simba’s father and king. The Hamlet comparison comes with the uncle wanting the throne as he kills his brother and plans to kill the “next in line” son and although there was no poison involved, the flow of the characters is similar. The story is awesome and very mature with how it deals with death and learning to accept your past actions. There’s a reason why the death of Mufasa is so well remembered and so heart jerking and it’s to do with the realism of it. We have to learn how to step up and be a leader and although we may just say “Hakuna Matata” at things, we need to face them and own up to our mistakes and that’s bravery.

The characters are very deep and well-realized. Simba’s arc in learning to accept the death of his father and face the mistakes he’s done in order to take back the kingdom. Scar is also an amazing villain who matches Mufasa with his brains and you understand where he’s coming from. His rights to the throne stripped with the birth of Simba and always mocked at simply because he’s not as intimidating as Mufasa. His plans are smart as he manipulates Simba by leading him into dangerous situations to try and meet his goal by either making Simba feel like he started the stampede, feel guilty for killing his father or trying show him false bravery. Mufasa, although only on screen for the first act, is great as he teaches Simba about the world and gets him ready to step up and be king even though that involves his own death which makes the first act so heartbreaking because as much Simba wants to be king, he doesn’t realize it involves Mufasa’s death. All the side characters are excellent too from the great comedic duo Timon and Pumbaa to Rafiki and Nala all add to Simba’s character and add to the story in smart ways.

The voice acting is outstanding without a single weak link to be seen. James Earl Jones voiced Mufasa and brings a deep, buttery voice that can be intimidating and calming at the same time. He sounded like a king and part of the reason why his voice is always connected with Mufasa. Jeremy Irons kills it as Scar, bringing a smart and calculated villain to life with such ease. Johnathan Taylor Thomas (young Simba) and Mathew Broderick voice Simba, both conveying great emotion with their voice whether it’s during the death of Mufasa or looking for guidance and taking on Scar. Other voices worth mentioning is the wonderfully talented Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, Nathan Lane as Timon and Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa who steal their scenes and have such great comedic chemistry.

The music in The Lion King is iconic and epic in every sense of the way. The score done by Hans Zimmer is brilliant combining African music with the grandiose of an orchestra builds the epic nature of what’s happening on screen. All the songs are iconic and loved by fans. From “Circle of Life” which helps set the theme of the movie, “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” as a branch of Simba’s imagination on how life would work when he’s king, “Be Prepared” as an evil infused song that sets Scar’s motivations greatly, “Hakuna Matata” which became one of the most iconic songs to come out of the movie and “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” which was written by the talented Elton John. There’s not a single bad song and it’s even better that the voice cast sing their own songs. The best thing you can do with music is to help move the characters through the story and help their arc and that’s the case with all the songs.

The animation is beautiful and basically all hand-drawn with a great deal of detail and visual symbolism. The stampede is done with CGI and they made it work so perfectly in the movie that it doesn’t stand out like when it’s done in other movies. The scene alone took over two years to animate because they had to do every single wildebeest separately and the work certainly paid off. The movie is directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff who both did an awesome job. The way they tell the story through the shots and symbolism is great like Scar constantly hanging out in the shadows to show that even though everything the light touches is their kingdom, they can’t rule Scar or how the stampede starts with a dolly zoom on Simba and ends with a dolly zoom out on Simba through his eye to loosen up the intensity and to put what we just saw in Simba’s perspective. The final fight between Simba and Scar is so well done to as Pride Rock has lost the light the Mufasa said was their kingdom and is surrounded by fire, giving this new fighting light until Simba wins and the sun finally comes out. The level of detail all around the movie is just masterful and push the limits of hand-drawn animation.

The Lion King is a masterclass in how to create a mature story that will stand the test of time and work for both children and adults. The level of detail in the animation and directing is outstanding with epic music to back it up. There’s a reason why this movie is so fondly remembered and mix that with its underdog story, makes the movie itself even more interesting. The voices crush their roles and I cannot think of a flaw with the movie. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the remake but it certainly has some tough shoes to fill to even live up to it.