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The Lion King
Shakespeare abounds on the savannah in “The Lion King,” a story that takes Disney’s classic theme of parental loss to its inevitable and frightening consummation, as lion king Mufasa’s brother Scar murders him to steal the throne, framing his son in the process. If that sounds too heavy for a children’s movie, you’re not the only one who would think so. A modern classic, “The Lion King” was neglected by the very studio that produced it until it became a hit. Disney was coming off the success of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin,” and at the studio, animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, while one of the original developers of the “Lion King” story, was pushing the company’s artists and writers toward “Pocahontas,” which many believed would be a sure-fire hit. As a result, co-directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff crafted a small but devoted team that developed a movie unique in the Disney canon. Breaking from tradition, “The Lion King” uses an original story, and incorporates authentic African elements into its music and visual style--a theme that would be carried even further by Julie Taymor as the film made a successful translation to Broadway. The movie opens as Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and Sarabi present their new cub, Simba, to the pride. Missing from the ceremony is Scar (Jeremy Irons), Mufasa’s brother, who claims the brains of the family, while admitting he’s in the “shallow end of the gene pool” in terms of strength. Scar plots to have Mufasa killed, and succeeds. Pinning the crime on Simba, he advises the cub to run away and never return. As king, Scar runs the pride lands into the ground with the help of a pack of hungry hyenas, while Simba grows up in the company of comedy duo Timon & Pumbaa, the meerkat and the warthog. Simba eventually recognizes that he can’t hide forever, and returns home to claim his place as the rightful king. Musically, Elton John always gets the -- ahem -- lion’s share of the attention for writing songs for “The Lion King,” including “Hakuna Matata,” “Circle of Life,” and the Oscar-winning “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” But the movie would be nothing without composer Hans Zimmer (also an Oscar winner), working in collaboration with South African composer Lebo M. Together, they transformed John’s songs into majestic anthems. Since its premiere in 1994, “The Lion King” has enjoyed continued success. A 2002 IMAX release was received enthusiastically, as was this year’s much ballyhooed 3-D conversion, timed to bolster the current Blu-ray release of the film. On disc at home, “The Lion King” looks sharp and colorful. There are several trick shots in the film, from the stampeding wildebeest herd to simple rack focus shots that are of course, illusions -- this is an animated film, after all. The previous bonus features included on earlier DVD releases of “The Lion King” are here, but only accessible through an Internet connection through your Blu-ray player. Newly produced special features include a thorough history of the film’s production, and a personal remembrance of the movie from producer Don Hahn. Deleted scenes are also included. These scenes are rarely of interest to me, but by placing them in context with introductions from the film’s directors, you learn a little about the filmmaking process. “The Lion King” is available in both standard 2-D and the 3-D format that was a hit at theaters this fall. Although I was only privy to the 2-D release, I suspect I’m not missing too much from 3-D. Through a relatively simple plot, “The Lion King” confronts issues of parental loss, living up to the memory the same, growing up and standing up for one’s self. And fart jokes*. Thank you Pumbaa, thank you Disney. 11/24/11 *I’ve never seen the Broadway production of “The Lion King.” Did they carry over the flatulent warthog to the stage? Curious.
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