Although I love many movies and had trouble picking one to do for this blog, I chose my childhood favorite: The Lion King.
The Lion King was released in theaters in 1994 and has since been made into a Broadway musical of the same name. It was released in the second of Disney's "Golden Ages", following musical hits such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin and went on to become one of the most popular children's movies.
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, The Lion King is the story of a young lion named Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) who is next in line to be king of Pride Rock. His father, King Mufasa (James Earl Jones), is killed by his brother, the jealous Scar (Jeremy Irons), who convinces the young Simba that his father's death was his fault. Unable to deal with this, Simba runs away and takes shelter with a meerkat and a warthog, Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). However, Simba's "Hakuna Matata" approach to life takes a backseat when his childhood pal, Nala, finds him and tells him that the evil Scar has taken over the Pride Lands. Simba enlists the help of all those who are willing to aid him and springs into action to break the Pride Lands from Scar's dictatorship and claim the throne that is rightfully his.
One of the scenes that was a first for the Disney company was the part where Simba is grieving over the lifeless body of his father. That's pretty heavy content for a 'G' rated film. The Disney studio usually skated around the issue of death. Although having one of the main characters die in a tragic wildebeest accident was a major part of film, I find the scene more upsetting now than I did when I was 4.
The animation in this movie is quite stunning and realistic. The animals have all been given human qualities in their facial expression and the way they move while still keeping their animalistic tendencies. The music is also very popular, recognizable, and extremely beautiful, especially the opening African chant.
It has charmed a generation and will continue to do so for many years to come.
