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The Lion King

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The Lion King
Directed byRoger Allers
Rob Minkoff
Written byIrene Mecchi
Jonathan Roberts
Linda Woolverton
Produced byDon Hahn
StarringMatthew Broderick
Jeremy Irons
James Earl Jones
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Nathan Lane
Ernie Sabella
Moira Kelly
Robert Guillaume
Rowan Atkinson
Whoopi Goldberg
Cheech Marin
Jim Cummings
Music bySongs:
Elton John
Tim Rice
Lebo M
Score:
Hans Zimmer
Distributed byWalt Disney Pictures
Release dates
June 15, 1994 (selected cities)
June 24, 1994 (general)
November 18, 1994 (re-release)
December 25, 2002 (IMAX re-release Special Edition)
Running time
90 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Budget$79,300,000 (estimated)[1]
Box office$783,841,776[2]

The Lion King is a 1994 animated Disney movie that was the most successful animated movie of the 1990s. The movie is about a young lion prince who learns about his place on the throne of Pride Rock and his role in the circle of life. It is dedicated to Frank Wells, who was the president of The Walt Disney Company until his death just a few months before the film was released into theaters on June 15, 1994. It was the first full-length Disney film to feature no human characters since Bambi. Unlike previous Disney animated films, much of the voice acting work was done by well-known actors, including James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Matthew Broderick, Whoopi Goldberg, Rowan Atkinson, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Nathan Lane. It is a musical; the songs have music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice. Computer animation was used a lot in the creation of the movie, especially during the "Circle of Life" and stampede sequences. During production, this film was considered a secondary project compared to the next film scheduled, Pocahontas. However, as the movie was being marketed, the studio noticed that the released teaser which consisted of the entire opening sequence featuring the song, Circle of Life, was getting a strongly reaction from audiences. Furthermore, when the movie was in limited release in two major theatres, the movie did very impressive business which suggested that this "secondary project" promised to be popular. Upon general release, the movie more than confirmed that suspicion by becoming the most successful movie of the year worldwide (in the United States, Forrest Gump was most successful of that year) and the most successful animated feature film of all time until Finding Nemo. Since then, Shrek 2 has surpassed Finding Nemo making The Lion King the third most successful.

The story

Template:Spoiler Simba is Mufasa's son, and Mufasa is the current lion king and rules a kingdom named Pride Rock. However, Mufasa's younger brother Scar is jealous of Simba and Mufasa and wants to replace Mufasa as king. Scar can't become king unless Mufasa and Simba both die. Scar becomes friends with three hyenas and promises them food if they help him kill his brother Mufasa and nephew Simba and take control of the throne. Scar and the hyenas trick Simba so that he is sitting in a dried up river, where Scar sends a big herd of stampeding Wildebeast to kill him. Mufasa finds out that his son is in danger and goes to save him. He jumps down into the stampede and pulls Simba out before Simba is killed and throws Simba onto a rock where he is safe. However, as Mufasa tries to climb the cliff to safety, Scar comes over and pushes him off the rock. Mufasa falls into the stampede and dies. Scar still has to get rid of Simba before Scar can be king, so he tells Simba that it's his fault Mufasa is dead. and that he should "run.Run away and never return."Then he tells the hyenas to kill Simba. They chase him down a cliff of Cacti, but Simba still esapes. One of the hyenas bumps into the pile of cacti and comes out screaming.Simba is still running off so the hyena in the (who's name is Banzi) tells the other two to go after Simba, but Sheinzi,the second hyena(the third one is an idiot named Ed) says "There ain't no way I'm goin' in there! What,you want me to come out looking like you, Cactus-Butt?!" So they let Simba go,while shoutting thearts from above.Meanwhile,Scar tells everyone about the stampede, only he says Simba is dead, not knowin that the hyenas didn't really kill him. He then takes over the kingdom and becomes King, since that he's the closest in the family. Simba grows up with his two new friends, Timon and Pumbaa. He learns to live with a new motto, "Hakuna Matata", which means "No worries" in the African language Swahili. Simba grows up to be a strong lion when he is reunited with his childhood friend Nala, whom he knew back when his father Mufasa was still alive. She tells him about Scar's evil reign of terror and begs Simba to return to challenge Scar. Simba goes home to challenge Scar for the throne, and eventually Scar tells the truth that he was the one who killed Mufasa. There is a long battle and Simba defeats Scar, claiming his rightful place as the true lion king. Nala becomes Simba's queen and they soon have a cub of their own. Template:Endspoiler

Key Characters

  • Mufasa - King of the Pridelands, father of Simba and mate of Sarabi
  • Simba - The future ruler of the Pridelands, who was exiled by his uncle Scar
  • Nala - Friend and future mate of Simba
  • Scar - Brother of Mufasa and Simba's Uncle
  • Sarabi - Mother of Simba and Mufasa's mate
  • Rafiki - Baboon or mandrill shaman
  • Timon and Pumbaa - A comical duo who adopt Simba and raise him under the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" ('no worries')
  • Zazu - A hornbill who is King Mufasa's majordomo
  • Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed - Three hyenas who assist Scar in murdering Mufasa and exiling Simba

Cast

Actor Role(s)
Matthew Broderick Simba
James Earl Jones Mufasa
Jeremy Irons Scar
Jonathan Taylor Thomas Young Simba
Nathan Lane Timon
Ernie Sabella Pumbaa
Robert Guillaume Rafiki
Moira Kelly Nala
Rowan Atkinson Zazu
Whoopi Goldberg Shenzi
Cheech Marin Banzai
Jim Cummings Ed
The Mole [3]
Madge Sinclair Sarabi
Niketa Calame Young Nala
Zoe Leader Sarafina

Singing voices

Singer Role
Jason Weaver
Evan Saucedo (The Morning Report)		 Young Simba
Joseph Williams Simba
Laura Williams Young Nala
Sally Dworsky Nala
Jeff Bennett Zazu (The Morning Report)
Jim Cummings Scar (last part of Be Prepared)

Supervising animators

Animator Character(s)
Ruben A. Aquino Simba
Tony Fucile Mufasa
Andreas Deja Scar
Mark Henn Young Simba
Michael Surrey Timon
Tony Bancroft Pumbaa
James Baxter Rafiki
Anthony DeRosa Nala
Ellen Woodbury Zazu
David Burgess
Alex Kupershmidt		 Shenzi
Banzai
Ed
Russ Edmonds Sarabi
Aaron Blaise Young Nala

Crew

Crew Position
Directed by Roger Allers
Rob Minkoff
Produced by Don Hahn
Written by Irene Mecchi
Jonathan Roberts
Linda Woolverton
Executive Producers Thomas Schumacher
Sarah McArthur
Songs by Sir Tim Rice
Sir Elton John
Original Score by Hans Zimmer
Associate Producer Alcie Dewey
Art Director Andy Gaskill
Production Designer Christopher Sanders
Film Editors John Carnochan
Tom Finan
Artistic Supervisors Brenda Chapman (Story supervisor)
Dan St. Pierre (Layout supervisor)
Doug Ball (Background supervisor)
Vera Lanpher (Clean-up supervisors)
Scott Santoro (Effects supervisor)
Scott F. Johnston (Computer Graphics supervisor)
Artistic Coordinator Randy Fullmer
Supervising Animators Mark Henn (Young Simba)
Ruben A. Aquino (Adult Simba)
Andreas Deja (Scar)
Tony Fucile (Mufasa)
Tony Bancroft (Pumbaa)
Michael Surrey (Timon)
Aaron Blaise (Young Nala)
Anthony de Rosa (Adult Nala)
Ellen Woodbury (Zazu)
Russ Edmonds (Sarabi)
James Baxter (Rafiki)
David Burgess & Alex Kuperschmidt (Banzai/Shenzi/Ed)
Production Manager Dana Axelrod

Box office performance

Source Gross (USD) % Total All Time Rank
Domestic $328,541,776 ($312,855,561 initially) 41.9% 16
Foreign $455,300,000 58.1% N/A
Worldwide $783,841,776[4] 100.0% 19
Domestic Opening Weekend $40,888,194 13.1% 99
Domestic Adjusted (2007) $508,185,200 N/A 24

Awards and nominations

The Lion King received many award nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Original Score (by Hans Zimmer) and the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, both of which it won. Most notably, the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John and Tim Rice won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, the BMI Film Music Award, and the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance Male.

The awards were as follows:

Sequels and spin-offs

The Lion King was so successful that Disney created a direct-to-video sequel called The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and a spin-off television series called The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa. A second direct-to-video sequel, The Lion King 1½, was released on February 10, 2004. The movie was remastered for IMAX, being re-released on December 25, 2002, and on October 7, 2003, as a 2-Disc Special Edition Disney DVD.

Controversies surrounding The Lion King

The movie has had its share of controversy.

In one scene of the movie it appears as if animators had written the word "sex" into several frames of animation -- the intention, however, was the letter combination "SFX" (for "special effects"). And there was dispute over the origin of the story, as it bears a striking resemblance to a Japanese animated television show Kimba the White Lion, so much so that apparently even some animators thought they were doing a remake.

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

The use of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in a scene with Timon and Pumbaa has led to disputes between Disney and the family of South African Solomon Linda, who composed the song (originally titled "Mbube") in 1939. In July 2004, the family filed suit, seeking $1.6 million in royalties from Disney. In February 2006, Linda's heirs reached a legal settlement with Abilene Music, who held the worldwide rights and had licensed the song to Disney for an undisclosed amount of money.[14]

Hidden racism

Upon its release, some critics complained that the hyenas in the movie were negative racial stereotypes of urban blacks and Hispanics.[15] It has been argued that "despicable hyena storm troopers speak...in racially coded accents that take on the nuances of the discourse of a decidedly urban, black, and Latino youth." [16]

Hamas' propaganda

In August 2007, the Hamas terrorist organization produced an animated propaganda movie that made fun of the style of The Lion King. The programme was aired on their television station, Al-Aqsa TV. Hamas was portrayed as a lion that chased and killed rats that bore the likenesses of members of the secular Fatah organization in Gaza. The programme was shortly aired but was pulled off the air for revision.[17][18]

Appropriateness for children

Despite being given a "G" rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), there has been criticism that The Lion King (as well as many other Disney films) has adult content. This includes the death of a main character, Mufasa.[19][20] The British version of the movie had a warning on the VHS box stating that some scenes may be upsetting for very young children. Simaliar controversies have been created with Disney's movie Bambi, as the story is simaliar and so is the controversy aout a certain death of a certain main character, only in Bambi it is even more controversal because Bambi was the first Disney movie to introduce this, and the death is more upsetting. In Bambi, Bambi and his mother are eating grass and suddenly Bambi's mother catches Man's scent and tells Bambi to run. As they run, Bambi makes it back to the thicket, but his mother is gone. He desperatly calls out for her, wandering around, untill his father comes and tells him "your mother can't be with you anymore".

Musical

The movie was also adapted into an award-winning stage musical of the same name. The stage show first opened on November 13, 1997 in New York City, and was an instant and tremendous success. A version later opened London, England, and another in Toronto, playing there until January 2004.

Songs

  • "Circle of Life"
  • "I Just Can't Wait to Be King"
  • "Be Prepared"
  • "Hakuna Matata"
  • "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"
  • "The Bait Song" (Timon & Pumbaa's Hula)

Titles in other languages

References

  1. ↑ "The Lion King business data". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2006-08-22.
  2. ↑ "Lion King budget". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  3. ↑ Grant, John. Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters - Encyclopedia, 3rd edition hardcover. New York City: Hyperion Books, 1998. ISBN 0-7868-6336-6
  4. ↑ "All-Time Worldwide Box Office". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 17 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ↑ "Academy Awards, USA: 1995". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  6. ↑ "SEARCH - Lion King, The". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  7. ↑ "Legacy: 22nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1994)". Annie Awards. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  8. ↑ "Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: 1995". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  9. ↑ "BAFTA Awards: 1995". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  10. ↑ "BMI Film & TV Awards: 1995". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  11. ↑ "Grammy Awards: 1995". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  12. ↑ "MTV Movie Awards: 1995". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  13. ↑ "Kids' Choice Awards, USA: 1995". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  14. ↑ "Disney settles Lion song. dispute". BBC news. Retrieved 31 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ↑ http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=832
  16. ↑ http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/Giroux/Giroux2.html
  17. ↑ Nidal al-Mughrabi (September 4, 2007). "Hamas "Lion King" cartoon re-enacts Gaza takeover". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  18. ↑ "Hamas battle cartoon mimics "Lion King"". International Herald Tribune. 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  19. ↑ Edwards, Vickie. "Disney's Anti-Family Agenda is Nothing New". The Banyan. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  20. ↑ Leo, Vince. "The Lion King (1994) / Animation-Adventure". Qwipster's Movie Reviews. Retrieved 2008-10-18.

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