TERRIFIC
THIS MOTION PICTURE IS OFFICIALLY AN AFFILIATE OF THE FILMMAKING PARAGONS.
THIS MOTION PICTURE IS OFFICIALLY AN AFFILIATE OF THE FILMMAKING PARAGONS.
The Lion King is one of the most prominent films to ever come out during the Disney Renaissance era. And it rightfully earned the special place in many of our hearts, primarily due to the characters and their strong relationships! Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), Simba (voiced by Matthew Broderick), Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), Timon (voiced by Nathan Lane), Pumbaa (voiced by Ernie Sabella), Zazu (voiced by Rowan Atkinson), Nala (voiced by Moira Kelly) and Rafiki (voiced by Robert Guillaume) are characters with dynamic presence and resounding personalities who share colorful interactions with one another each time they appear onscreen! Even the hyenas are fantastic!
On the writing side, every event has foreshadowing, set-up, journey and resolution bolstered by solid character motivations. Scar's scheme to kill Mufasa and the moment-to-moment count to it is haunting no matter which day and age you watch it! Scar grabbing Mufasa's paw and pushing it down the herd, Simba trying to wake his father up while crying for help and Scar chasing Simba far away from Pride Rock will move even the hardest of hearts! It's also amazing to see how the writers were able to show psychological manipulation on Simba with the guilt that has been planted in him for a long duration, shifting him from the cocky cub to a self-empathizing adult before becoming the Lion King in the end! But Simba's journey of sieving through to achieve the change over the years could have definitely been defined and strengthened much, much more.
Simba reminding his father on a promised morning stroll, Timon and Pumbaa teaching Simba to eat insects and worms, Mufasa's 'lesson' for Simba, Nala chasing after Pumbaa, pouncing coach with Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa crying out loud fearing Simba would ditch them after finding his long lost love plus Nala and Simba's first hyenas chase at the elephant graveyard are few of the examples of memorable scenes and sequences displayed in this motion picture throughout.
Hans Zimmer's score is a straight-up masterpiece! And the sound designers who made sure the jungle, echo, distance, weather, rain etc. sync seamlessly with the score are experts at best! Tim Rice's songs are iconic! No one will ever forget the birth procession number, Hakuna Matata and the recreation of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. The hand-drawn animation has profound quality rarely seen in cinema! You'll experience cuteness overload from shot to shot! Voice acting performances are also, outstanding!
"Look, Simba. Everything the light touches is our kingdom. A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king. Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope. We eat the antelope. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so, we are all connected in the great circle of life…"