The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King (1994)

8/10

Starring

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Matthew Broderick

James Earl Jones

Jeremy Irons

Moira Kelly

Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

Hakuna Matata—the catchphrase this movie made famous and one that people have been saying for years. The Lion King is packed with action and fun, making it one of the best 2D animations out there. The dialogue is both intriguing and funny. The movie feels like it has three parts: Simba’s life in Pride Rock, his time with Timon and Pumbaa—where he loses some of his lion instincts—and the final act, where he returns to Pride Rock to reclaim his throne.

The Lion King was Disney’s first fully original animated feature. Every Disney animation before it had been based on an existing work. The idea for the movie was conceived during the promotion of Oliver & Company, starting with a simple concept: a story about animals set in Africa. The filmmakers then built on this idea, drawing inspiration from the biblical stories of Joseph and Moses, as well as Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Production of The Lion King ran alongside Pocahontas, but many Disney animators and directors initially believed that audiences wouldn’t be interested in a story about a lion cub framed for his father’s murder by his uncle. Because of this, most animators preferred to work on Pocahontas instead. To their surprise, while both films were financially successful, The Lion King made more money (becoming the highest-grossing 2D animation ever) and received more positive reviews.

The movie’s voice cast was packed with stars, including Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Rowan Atkinson, and Whoopi Goldberg, just to name a few. Even Disney’s longtime voice artist Jim Cummings lent his talents to the film.

The plot follows a lion cub, Simba, who is framed for the murder of his father, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), by his uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons). Overcome with guilt, Simba runs away, leaving behind his rightful place as heir to the throne. He soon befriends a meerkat, Timon (Nathan Lane), and a warthog, Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), and adopts a carefree life. But the past catches up to him, and Simba (now voiced by Matthew Broderick) must return to Pride Rock to confront his destiny.

The Lion King is a great animation to own and rewatch. It spawned two home video sequels—The Lion King 2 (not worth watching at all) and The Lion King 1½ (good enough to check out). There was also a spin-off series about Timon and Pumbaa, which was quite amusing.