Alright! Today I’m reviewing the 32nd film from Walt Disney Feature Animation (Now Walt Disney Animation Studios), the lion-centric remake of Hamlet, which itself was a remake of Amleth. That’s right, today I’m reviewing the 1994 classic The Lion King, filled to the brim with fun songs, memorable characters, and vibrant animation.
Fun fact about The Lion King - the seasoned animators over at Disney left the project to work on Pocahontas, which they believed would be more successful, so the animation here is done mostly by up-and-coming impassioned youngsters who had something to prove. Consequently, the animation is resultingly lovely. You can tell the heart that went into every frame and the thought that went into the character designs.
I love how vibrant the film is. Sequences like “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” are standouts in this arena, providing lovely and shockingly colorful sequences that entertain the little ones and look appropriately trippy. The vibrancy in that sequence working within the context of the song was a nice detail as well, it’s all rather well done.
The songs in the film are all wonderful as well. While it doesn’t contain Disney’s best song (“I Won’t Say I’m In Love” from Hercules) or their best overall selection (Frozen), the movie’s songs, courtesy of Elton John and Tim Rice, are all undisputed classics. “Circle of Life,” “Be Prepared,” and “Hakuna Matata” are all fantastic while “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” remains the G equivalent of Top Gun’s “Take My Breath Away.”
Each one of the aforementioned songs is also beautifully drawn and choreographed. The National Geographic-like opening must have been a sight to behold when it debuted as a trailer back in the 90s (I love it when animation does a close focus!), the fantastical pyramid of Serengeti animals is unbelievably fun, and who could forget the Nazi-inspired imagery found in “Be Prepared?” All of them are fantastic save for the re-release's addition of "The Morning Report." Respectfully, that song can go die.
The scoring for the songs and the film is provided by Hans Zimmer, who is always a win. I’ve long stipulated that an animated Disney flick is only as good as its instrumentation, and The Lion King is the evidence for that. It’s not just the songs that shine, it’s the music in general. Tracks such as “Remember Who You Are” are jaw-droppingly and achingly beautiful.
The characters in the film are all fun and vibrant as well, having expressive lion faces that must have taken a toll on the animators who had to breathe life into these big cats. Every character has personality in spades, bouncing off of each other fantastically. This is especially true of Nathan Lane’s Timon and Ernie Sabella’s Pumba, who have such great camaraderie it’s sometimes more fun to watch them play off each other than it is the plot to advance. I also love Ed the Hyena. He kills me each time I watch the movie, he’s hilarious.
But where I really love The Lion King comes in through how emotional it is. The movie has a firm grasp on how to endear characters to the audience, and right off the bat, Mufasa becomes a fan favorite and the epitome of a great dad. He’s gentle but firm, laid back but fierce, and it hurts more when he reprimands than when he’s angry. The film’s trauma stems largely from this adoration of Mufasa one can’t help but feel in what is undoubtedly the most traumatic movie death since Old Yeller. It is devastating, only to be topped by his triumphant cloud return that literally has me sobbing upon watching.
The Lion King is an all-time great for Disney and the industry as a whole, balancing wonder with big showstoppers, scary villains, and character moments that are sure to have the audience cheering.
Overall, I give The Lion King a 10/10. “The greatest remake of Kimba, Hamlet, and Amleth, The Lion King takes its place as the pinnacle of the Disney Rennaissance.”
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