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Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Pictures
The Lion King Collection
The greatest adventure of all is finding our place in the Circle of Life.
Young lion prince Simba, eager to one day become king of the Pride Lands, grows up under the watchful eye of his father Mufasa; all the while his villainous uncle Scar conspires to take the throne for himself. Amid betrayal and tragedy, Simba must confront his past and find his rightful place in the Circle of Life.
CinemaSerf
Aug 26, 2023 · via TMDB
Certainly not one of Disney's better animations from a technical perspective - the artwork lacks the vibrancy and detail of many of their earlier stories; but the combined efforts of Sir Tim Rice, Elton John and Hans Zimmer make this an enjoyable fantasy adventure. It is told in two parts - the first sees a son "Simba" born to the king "Mufasa"; a curious little fella who, alongside his friend "Nala" is inquisitive and mischievous - a real pain in the neck to the king's major-domo "Zazu". One fan the new cub really doesn't have, however, is the king's rather unimpressed brother "Scar" who hatches a plan to depose his brother and take over the kingdom. He manages to achieve exactly this and to get the youngster to blame himself and head off, alone, into exile. The second part is much more fun; he falls in with a warthog and is soon eating colourful grubs and living a peaceful, jolly life far from home. That idyllic existence is not to last long, however - "Nala" discovers he is still alive and races to alert him of the disaster that has befallen the kingdom under the rule of his uncle and his trusty band of hyenas. The musical numbers help it build to a gripping denouement, with clever, quite witty dialogue from some good - though not great - voice talents from the likes of James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and Whoopi Goldberg to keep the pot boiling. It is an enjoyable film to watch but I wasn't captivated by it.
Manuel São Bento
Jul 18, 2019 · via TMDB
If you enjoy reading my reviews, please follow my blog :) First of all, this is (obviously) a SPOILER review. I mean, who hasn’t seen this movie yet? If by some extraordinary circumstances you’re one of those unlucky souls, stop. Spend the next hour and a half watching this animated masterpiece and come back here. I will still avoid mentioning key details because I’m just used to it, and The Lion King has so many things to compliment that I don’t really need to get in-depth on spoilers. So, in case you haven’t notice it through my Twitter or occasional mentions in other reviews, The Lion King is one of my favorite films of all-time (animated or not)! I rewatched it for the 312358th time this last weekend, and I cried more than when I was just a child. That’s how much this movie means to me. The sense of nostalgia plus the overwhelming emotions throughout the runtime are tear-inducing aspects that I can’t simply avoid. I literally cried (waterfalls) in four (!) different scenes. The opening sequence (Circle of Life) filled my eyes with nostalgia’s tears. Mufasa’s tragic moment obviously wrecked me (one of the most emotionally powerful scenes in the history of cinema). Simba receiving the whole “remember who you are” speech from Mufasa in the clouds is incredibly inspirational and therefore worthy of some sobbing. Finally, one of the last scenes, Simba climbing his way to the top of Pride Rock with Hans Zimmer‘s score, leaving me absolutely destroyed. And I want to pick up on that last aspect: the score. It’s one of the most crucial technical features of a film, in my opinion. It can transform an “okay” scene into something magical or something pretty terrible, depending on what kind of score it is. Consequently, it can make a “good” movie turn into a “great” one. Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite composers ever. His soundtracks are always filled with such an epic vibe. Even if the film itself isn’t that good, his scores are still able to elevate it in some way. The Lion King is one of his most memorable scores due to how emotionally compelling it is, even in the subtlest moments. During the stampede sequence, the score doesn’t lend you time to breathe. Its high rhythm and continuously growing music keep any viewer at the edge of the seat, waiting for it to be over. Then, when Simba descends and approaches his dad, the score is so subtle. Completely opposite to the previous sumptuous and grand sound. It’s that nuance plus the impact of the scene itself that make me cry. In the last scene that I mentioned above, it’s solely the score that brings in the chill-inducing tears. If Simba climbed Pride Rock with no soundtrack, it would just be a good ending. However, from the exact moment that the score fades in, it instantly turns that sequence into an epic finale. The slow-motion walk to the top, the immersive score, Simba’s roar … Damn it, I’m crying again! The animation is some of Disney’s best. It’s not by chance that the Disney Renaissance Era (1989-1999), which was the return to form by Disney, has the best animation quality of its history, and a lot of the memorable movies that marked everyone’s childhood. Its expressiveness and ease to make animals emote elevates the story and its characters. There’s no need for any kind of dialogue when you can see how the characters are reacting and understand what they’re feeling. The wide shots are beautiful to look at and worthy of being anyone’s wallpaper even today. The songs are remarkable and they influenced an entire generation. Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Circle of Life, Be Prepared, Hakuna Matata, … Every single song is someone’s favorite. The voice work is perfect. James Earl Jones gives such an outstanding vocal performance that even when discussing his career’s biggest role, Darth Vader isn’t the obvious choice. Jeremy Irons and his raspy voice elevate Scar as the villainous character. If you close your eyes and only hear every character’s voice, without having watched the film previously, you can easily identify who’s the “bad guy”, and that’s unbelievably good. Everyone else is amazing, but these two gentlemen are astonishing, and they deserve to be remembered forever as the voices of these iconic roles. Nevertheless, in the end, the two pillars of every movie always matter the most: story and characters. The Lion King has an especially compelling screenplay, one that teaches its viewers how to handle loss, but also how to grow up and overcome our worst fears. It’s true that most people cry watching this film, but those same people are filled with joy by the end because they accompanied Simba’s journey. From being a reckless and innocent cub to becoming the king that everyone needed, while also making his father extremely proud. Even though it’s a very tragic movie, Timon and Pumbaa are two hilarious characters that keep bringing some sense of happiness by delivering some well-needed laughs. Their laid-back lifestyle is something that everyone desires, but when you have responsibilities, you can’t just hide from them. You must learn how to be what everyone needs you to be, without losing the essence of who you are. It’s a masterpiece! It doesn’t matter if it’s an animated film. It doesn’t matter if it was “made for kids”. People need to stop looking at animated flicks as something juvenile that only children can watch while parents can do something else. If parents watched this kind of inspirational animated movies as well, maybe the world would be a better place. The Lion King is one of my favorite films of all-time, and it’s undeniably one of Disney’s best original movies. From the gorgeous animation to the beautiful score, from the emotionally compelling story to the life journey Simba goes through, from the chill-inducing tearful moments to the loud laughs … The Lion King is just perfect. Hopefully, its “live-action” remake will keep its essence and deliver these feelings once again. Rating: A+
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
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Fandango At Home
Matthew Broderick
Simba (voice)
Moira Kelly
Nala (voice)
Jeremy Irons
Scar (voice)
Nathan Lane
Timon (voice)
Ernie Sabella
Pumbaa (voice)
James Earl Jones
Mufasa (voice)
Robert Guillaume
Rafiki (voice)
Rowan Atkinson
Zazu (voice)
Whoopi Goldberg
Shenzi (voice)
Cheech Marin
Banzai (voice)
Jim Cummings
Ed (voice)
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Young Simba (voice)
Niketa Calame-Harris
Young Nala (voice)
Madge Sinclair
Sarabi (voice)
Frank Welker
Lions Roars (voice) (uncredited)
Cathy Cavadini
Additional Voices (voice)
Judi Durand
Additional Voices (voice)
Daamen J. Krall
Additional Voices (voice)
David McCharen
Additional Voices (voice)
Phil Proctor
Additional Voices (voice)
Brian Tochi
Fighting Hyena (voice) (uncredited)
Roger Allers
Laughing Hyena (voice) (uncredited)
Rob Minkoff
Laughing Hyena (voice) (uncredited)
Jason Weaver
Young Simba (singing voice) (uncredited)
David McCamley
Background Designer
Chris Sanders
Production Design
Jørgen Klubien
Storyboard Artist
Susan Bradley
Title Designer
Frank Wells
In Memory Of
Aaron Blaise
Supervising Animator
Mark Henn
Supervising Animator
Ruben A. Aquino
Supervising Animator
Tony Bancroft
Supervising Animator
Tony Fucile
Supervising Animator
Rob Minkoff
Director
Roger Allers
Director
Barbara Harris
ADR Voice Casting
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Executive Producer
Thomas Schumacher
Executive Producer
Don Hahn
Producer
R.J. Kizer
Dialogue Editor
John Roesch
Foley
Hans Zimmer
Original Music Composer
Elton John
Songs
Tim Rice
Songs
Lora Hirschberg
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Mark Mangini
Supervising Sound Editor
Richard L. Anderson
Supervising Sound Editor
Dale Baer
Animation
James Lopez
Animation
Lorna Cook
Animation
Mark Koetsier
Animation
Randy Haycock
Animation
Ron Husband
Animation
Tim Allen
Animation
Tom Bancroft
Animation
Vera Pacheco
Animation
Andreas Deja
Animation Supervisor
James Baxter
Animation Supervisor
Joe Grant
Character Designer
Joe Grant
Visual Development
Irene Mecchi
Screenplay
Linda Woolverton
Screenplay
Burny Mattinson
Story
Chris Sanders
Story
Gary Trousdale
Story
Jim Capobianco
Story
Joe Ranft
Story
Jørgen Klubien
Story
Lorna Cook
Story
Tom Sito
Story
Brenda Chapman
Story Supervisor
William Shakespeare
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Sep 19, 1995
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Nov 3, 1996
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Dec 25, 2002
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Oct 7, 2003
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Aug 27, 2011
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Sep 16, 2011
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Nov 15, 2011
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Aug 15, 2017
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Aug 29, 2017
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Dec 4, 2018
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Sep 29, 2023
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