One of my favorite movies of all time, The Lion King is one of Disney’s biggest hits till date. In this review I will try and elaborate as to why I like this film so much; I hope you find this useful. But be warned, this is one looooong review. But I request you to please, please read the whole review, rate it and put in some valuable comments.
This being an animated movie I cannot talk about characteristics that I can usually talk about like acting, directing etc. But there are some that I can talk about like art work (animation), music, story and voice- overs. So here goes.
Voice Overs
This incredible movie features two of THE most dramatic voices of our time viz.
James Earl Jones as the voice of Mufasa, the King of Pride Rock. He is best known as the thunderous voice of the anti-hero, Darth Vader, in the ’Star Wars’ film trilogy. The fact that is most interesting is that he had a stuttering problem as a child and still struggles with the problem; says he has to think about what he says carefully before saying it (impressive since he is known widely for his voice and is in fact considered by many, including me, as the most dramatic voice of our time!!).
Jeremy Irons as the voice of Scar, Mufasa’s brother. He is the actor who played the role of ‘Father Aramis the priest’ in ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’ and ‘Simon Gruber’ (the villain) in ‘Die Hard 3’. He has also sung a song in the movie, “Be prepared” in which we get the true taste of his incredible voice.
Mention must be made here of one other voice over: not very famous for his voice but famous nonetheless : I’m talking about Zazu the parrot’s voice by Rowan Atkinson, better known as Mr. Bean.
Story
This movie’s story is excellent, it shows how people (animals in this movie) in their insecurities and fears and how they deal with them. It also shows the hopes and aspirations of the young generation in the form of the young Simba, it tells how parents take care of children and, when in danger, put themselves on the line to protect them. The most interesting aspect of this movie is that in spite of being an animation movie, it appeals to people of all age groups and also, provides entertainment along with some VERY touching moments; I actually cried the first time I watched the scene when Mufasa is dead and Simba is trying to wake him up, in fact I am still touched every time I watch the scene.
Great music
This movie won two Oscars for its music. One for the background score given by Hans Zimmer who, among other movies, provided the excellent background scores for ‘Crimson Tide’ (you can hear this music in the promos for ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ on TV) and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The curse of the black pearl’. Each score is perfectly suited to the occasion and blends in perfectly with the pace and mood of the film. The movie also features five songs including one sung by Jeremy Irons himself; the songs also blend in well with the movie. The soundtrack of the movie features, in addition to the movie songs and the excellent background scores, three songs by Elton John including the Oscar winning “Can you feel the love tonight”.
Beautiful art
This was the last of the animated movies in which the characters were hand drawn and this perhaps represents hand-drawn animation at its best. The splendor of the African Savannah has been captured in its full glory and all the animals, from the ant to the elephant, have been shown with their movements perfectly captured. All this makes this movie a visual treat for everyone.
Some more information:
Highest grossing movie of the year 1994 (box office receipts totaling $328 million in the North American box office alone – the worldwide total would be AT LEAST twice that).
Won two Oscars in 1995: one for Best original score and another for Best original song.
This movie earned more money by selling merchandise than from the box-office!!
Before ‘Spiderman’ this movie held the record for the highest DVD sales.
In Conclusion
The movie is a great family film and I recommend it for every person out there who wants to get that inspiring rush, kind of like an aftershock, at the end of a great epic film Movies don’t move me much emotionally, especially nowadays, but The Lion King is a picture worth seeing if you want some good, moving entertainment that may also teach a valuable lesson or two.
Some of the dialogues worth remembering in this movie:
[Woken by Simba]
Sarabi: Your son is awake.
Mufasa: Before sunrise he’s YOUR son. (Fathers typically do that, don’t they?)
Zazu: Checking in with the morning report.
Mufasa: Fire away.
Zazu: Well the buzz from the bees is that the leopards are in a bit of a spot. And the baboons are going ape over this. Of course, the giraffes are acting like they’re above it all... The tick birds are pecking on the elephants. I told the elephants to forget it, but they can’t. The cheetahs are hard up, but I always say, cheetahs never prosper...
(This part teaches us how we should ideally deal with our not so perfect past)
Adult Simba: I know what I have to do. But going back will mean facing my past. I’ve been running from it for so long.
[Rafiki hits Simba on the head with his stick]
Adult Simba: Oww. Jeez... What was that for?
Rafiki: It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past.
Adult Simba: Yeah, but it still hurts.
Rafiki: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.
[swings his stick at Simba again who ducks out of the way]
Rafiki: Ha. You See?
(People facing their worst fears)
Mufasa’s ghost: Simba, you have forgotten me.
Adult Simba: No. How could I?
Mufasa’s ghost: You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become(isn’t this often the case with most of us>. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.
Pumbaa: Timon, ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?
Timon: Pumbaa, I don’t wonder; I know.
Pumbaa: Oh. What are they?
Timon: They’re fireflies. Fireflies that, uh... got stuck up on that big bluish-black thing.
Pumbaa: Oh, gee. I always thought they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away.
Timon: Pumbaa, with you, everything’s gas.
Thank you for being so patient and reading the review.