Spoiler Warning!
Winner of two Academy Awards for Best Music, both Original
Score and Original Song, The Lion King would have won Best Picture had it not
been an animated film. Arguably the greatest full-length animated Disney
feature of all time, The Lion King is a drama of epic proportions, and a film
that forever extended the boundaries of the animation genre. Hans Zimmer
creates an original score that is second to none in cinematic history, and Elton
John’s hit single “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” swept the nation upon the
film’s release. With powerful and often mesmerizing visual sequences, the use
of a timeless plot device, and brilliant direction, the film will stand the
test of time as one of the best movies ever produced.
The Lion King takes place in Pride Rock, a serene jungle
paradise on the African plain. In Pride Rock, every animal lives as part of a
harmonious ecosystem, ruled by the greatest animal of all, the strongest and
wisest lion, King Mufasa. When Mufasa’s wife gives birth to the lion cub Simba,
the young heir’s Uncle Scar begins plotting the overthrow of his brother and
the taking of the kingdom by force. Forming a conspiracy with a pack of wild
hyenas, Scar’s evil plan is to lure Simba and Mufasa into a valley where the
hyenas stir up a herd of wildebeests which end up trampling Mufasa and leaving
him clinging for his life on the edge of a cliff. With his Mufasa’s life
hanging in the balance, Scar seizes the opportunity to send his brother hurling
to a bloody death.
With the king gone, and Simba too young to defend the
kingdom, Scar and the hyenas ascend to power. Pride Rock is soon reduced to a
desolate wasteland as its newest rulers ravage the landscape, while Simba is
forced into exile. Fleeing to a faraway land free of predators, Simba befriends
Pumbaa and Timon, a warthog and meerkat who live carefree lives feasting on
grubs and insects. But as time passes, a chance encounter reunites Simba with
his childhood destiny. Can Simba return to Pride Rock and reclaim his rightful
position as king, or will he succumb to the temptations of an easy life, free
from conflict and responsibility?
Widely considered the greatest animated film in Disney’s
arsenal, and certainly the best of the computer-generated era, The Lion King is
a cinematic masterpiece in any medium. If you tend to shy away from animated
films as childlike or simply just not your cup of tea, you would be well
advised to make an exception for The Lion King. It’s quite simply an
extraordinary epic, replete with dazzling choreography, well-blended musical
scores, and characters the audience loves to root for. In one particular scene,
the Disney animators’ use of Leni Riefenstahl’s patented camera angles to
capture the hyenas marching in lock-step under the singular review of Scar
creates an abundance of subconscious images reminiscent of Hitler and the Third
Reich. This illusion plants a manifestation of evil in the mind of the viewer
that is instantly connected to Scar and his evil intentions… That’s the type of
symbolic and all-engrossing power Disney utilizes in this wonderful masterpiece
– loved by children, yet a deeply probing and breath-taking film for adult
audiences. A flawless movie…
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