The Lion King


The Disney Magic is still present in The Lion King, a story about a lion (the King of the Jungle) who has to struggle with his self-identity before he finally finds it. Disney apparently re-released this summer movie again in the fall apparently because it only grossed $300 million or so. Talk about having a formula for making "magic" movies.

Simba (Matthew Broderick), the lion in question, runs away as a cub after believing that he is responsible for his father's death (guilt trip (pun intended) provided courtesy of evil Uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons)). Scar takes over the lion kingdom and forms an alliance with the hyenas, who consequently begin to abuse the privileges given to them. Meanwhile Simba befriends Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), a wart hog, and Timon (Nathan Lane), a meerkat, and learns all about Hakuna Matata.

The time then comes for Simba to confront his past when he runs across Nala (his childhood companion and bethrothed voiced by Moira Kelly, who also manages to pin him down quite easily---you can guess what position they'd like), Rafiki (Robert Guillaume) the baboon, and the ghost of his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones). He returns back to his kingdom and confronts Scar. Scar attempts to kill Simba the way he murdered Mufasa. But the good guys always win.

This is, in some ways, a rip-off of The Jungle Book, but the animation is excellent---each year Disney animation seems to get better and better and this is the best animation I've seen from Disney. The music is decent for the most part. This movie is a must-see.


Movie ramblings || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org