The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King (Dir: Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff).

The 1990s Disney Animation renaissance continued with The Lion King, their biggest hit (when adjusted for inflation) to date. 

The movie tells the story of young lion and future king Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a juvenile and Matthew Broderick as an adult). Simba’s father Mufasa (James Earl Jones) is killed by his brother and Simba’s uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons). Scar leads Simba to be believe he is responsible for Mufasa’s death and goes into hiding. Believing Simba has been killed by Hyenas, Scar takes his place as king of the Pride Lands. However, Simba is rescued by comic relief duo meerkat Timon (Nathan Lane) and warthog Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). When adult Simba learns of his uncle’s despotic machinations he returns to fight Scar, reclaim his crown and restore order to the Pride Lands. 

Unlike previous blockbusters The Little Mermaid (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989), Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1991) Aladdin (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1992), this movie was not based upon a traditional fairytale. Rather, The Lion King was an original property, albeit one which is rooted in theatrical and cinematic classics. Dubbed ‘Bamblet’ by the Disney animators, the similarities to Bambi (David Hand, 1941) and William Shakespeare's Hamlet are hard to ignore but somehow The Lion King is more than the sum of it’s parts and never feels derivative of it thematic forefathers. 

Majestic seems a fitting word for The Lion King. Recalling earlier classic The Jungle Book (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967) with its animal cast, particularly in the characterisation of Scar, a upper-crust Disney villain in the Sheer Khan mode. The movie feels both fresh, in its break from the fairytale genre, yet classic Disney with its anthropomorphised animal antics. 

It is easily one of the Studio’s most visually appealing features of the 1990s. It’s beautiful backgrounds of African landscapes is the match of the superior character animation. This is highlighted particularly in the  opening scene as the African animal populous gathers to welcome the newly born Simba to the Pride Lands. So impressed were the Disney execs by this scene, that it was used wholesale as the movie’s trailer. Happily the rest of the film has no problem in living up to this breathtaking beginning. 

In the 25 years since release Disney has continued to revisit the property with varying results. Releasing two made for video sequels The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (Darrell Rooney, 1998) and The Lion King 1 and 1/2 (Bradley Raymond, 2004). In 2019 it was remade as a photorealistic CGI epic (directed by Jon Favreau), returning The Lion King to the top of the box office charts. As is often the case, however, the original is the best. 

With outstanding animation, excellent voice work and a handful of hit songs by Tim Rice and Elton John, The Lion King reigns as one of Disney’s greatest post-Walt animated feature films.