Classic Disney Movies: Looking Back at The Lion King

The Lion King is the zenith of Disney's 1990's renaissance and was a cultural sensation when it was released. Disney was coming off the back to back successes of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, and all eyes were on the next project. Would The Lion King become the next classic Disney movie? Could they top two of their biggest hits in decades?

It turns out they could. Since its release in the summer of 1994 it has managed to pull in over 783 million dollars worldwide, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, as well as becoming the best selling home video of all time. It was nominated for four Oscars, for Original Score and three nominations in the Original Song category (It won for score and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" for song), and it has spawned a best selling soundtrack, a few direct to video sequels, and even a hit Broadway musical.

Cast

The cast is littered with well known names including Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, and Nathan Lane. Interestingly enough, the two people who played king and queen of the pride, James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair, also played an African king and queen in the Eddie Murphy movie Coming to America.

Story

It opens with a stirring and memorable sequence backed by an extended version of "The Circle of Life." Originally the opening was supposed to be relatively quiet and mostly dialogue based, but during the process of composing the music Hans Zimmer, the composer, came up with the extended version of the song, and the directors were so impressed that they created the current opening sequence so they could use the entire piece. It is effective, and one of the most evocative openings to a movie in recent memory.

The story is loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet and takes place on the plains of Africa, with major locations modeled after Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya. Mufasa is the king of the land and Simba is his son and rightful heir. However Scar, Mufasa's brother and Simba's uncle, has plans on claiming the throne, and in a devious bit of treachery kills Mufasa and convinces Simba that it was his fault. Simba is exiled from the land. With help from a few friends, both new and old, Simba grows and learns about his rightful place amongst the kings, and sets out to reclaim his throne back from Scar.

As you can tell from the synopsis, the movie may be a little intense for very small kids. However it is also quite funny in parts, and contains a number of memorable musical numbers that kids will love. If your child is prone to bad nightmares it may be a good idea to wait till they are a little older before they see it. It is a kid's movie with universal appeal and is enjoyable for those of all ages.

Legacy

Disney has released several movies since then, including a very successful partnership with Pixar that has produced greats such as the Toy Story series and The Incredibles. However The Lion King is the last, great, traditionally animated movie, in a long line of great animated Disney movies, to have the cultural impact that it did. The product of over 600 artists, animators and technicians, The Lion King is a milestone movie and shows Disney at its animation powerhouse peak.

Where to Buy

Unfortunately, Disney has stop producing the Lion King DVD and has put it back in the Disney vault for now. They are known for doing this with their older movies, and are likely building demand for a future Blu-ray release. However, if you want the DVD there are still places to buy it, either new or secondhand. Here are a few places still selling the movie:

Amazon.com
Ebay.com
Timeless Disney

Information from Box Office Mojo and IMDb.com was used in this article.