BACKGROUND
Does anyone not like The Lion King?
Come on, raise your hands. No, nobody? Maybe a few?
That response doesn’t surprise me. I have heard so many people, at least those of a similar age to me, who state, without hesitation, that The Lion King is their favourite Disney animated movie. But, as with any movie, there will be ardent fans, and there will be “haters”.
Now, don’t be concerned. I don’t hate The Lion King, but it took me a while to grow to like it. I always preferred the romantic princess films – I still do – and anything that wasn’t in that category, as a child, I mostly ignored. As I’ve gotten older and rewatched these animated films, I’ve found that I like the stories and the messages more, because I now actually understand them! But it is not my favourite, and just misses out on my Top 10.
At one time, Disney executives thought The Lion King wouldn’t amount to much; it was the “B movie”, something experimental that hadn’t been done before, compared with the “A movie” of Pocahontas (1995), which was to be a typical love story. Of the two films, I would choose Pocahontas every time, but the majority would choose The Lion King. And that’s fine, because I have to admit that The Lion King is a phenomenon. It is one of the best movies that Disney has ever made, if not the best, and its legacy speaks for itself. So where do I start with potentially the most popular, most loved, most iconic Disney animated feature?
PLOT
I doubt there are many people who haven’t seen The Lion King at least once in their lives, so the plot is pretty well-known. It starts with the presentation of Simba, a new born lion cub, who is the heir to the kingdom of Pride Rock. He is the son of King Mufasa, and Sarabi. We see that Mufasa’s brother, Scar, is annoyed at having been pushed down the line of succession, and that generally he is ignored and forgotten about, leaving him with plenty of time to brood and plot his revenge.
The movie jumps forward a few years to find Simba very curious about his kingdom, wanting to explore and to be brave like his dad, who has tried to tell him about being part of the “Circle of Life”, but this message falls a bit flat! He convinces his friend, fellow cub Nala, to join him on an exploration of the Elephant Graveyard, beyond the borders of the kingdom, something that Simba’s uncle Scar told him about. They manage to ditch their guard, the king’s major-domo, Zazu, and find themselves in the Elephant Graveyard, where there are three hyenas waiting for them: Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Zazu comes back to help the cubs, but he is caught and thrown in the “birdie boiler” which sends him flying up into the air, and back towards Pride Rock. The cubs are chased by the hyenas, and trapped. As the hyenas are about to attack, Mufasa arrives, and fights them. They are much too scared of Mufasa to fight back, and run off, leaving Mufasa angry with Simba, and leading to a very awkward walk home.
Mufasa tells Simba that he shouldn’t go looking for trouble, and that he was scared he might lose Simba today, showing Simba that everyone gets scared at times. He also tells Simba that the stars above are the kings of the past looking down on them, and that when Mufasa is no longer there, he will be right up there, watching over him. Again, this is all a bit lost on Simba! Then we find Scar, talking to the hyenas, as they have formed a coalition of sorts. He plans to kill Mufasa and Simba, leaving him the sole heir to the throne. The next day, Scar takes Simba to a gorge, and sits him on a rock, telling him to wait there for a surprise. Unsurprisingly, Simba doesn’t do what he’s told and starts following a lizard, trying to scare it off with his roar. Suddenly, a stampede of wildebeest appears over the hill, coming right towards Simba; they’ve been startled by Scar’s hyena pals. Simba is soon outrun. Scar has gone back to get Mufasa to help – all part of the plan. Mufasa dives in to save Simba, managing to place him on a rock, before he is taken by the wildebeest. Mufasa leaps out of the stampede and climbs the rockface, but Scar is waiting for him, and throws him to his death; something Simba does not see. Simba finds his father lying motionless on the ground, and thinks his death is all his fault. Scar then tells him to run away, with the hyenas told to kill him. They don’t succeed but don’t believe Simba will ever return.
On a strip of desert, Simba has passed out from exhaustion and dehydration. A group of vultures are about to get him, when a meerkat, Timon, and warthog, Pumbaa, come by and scare them off. They find Simba, and, despite being concerned about being so close to a predator that will likely eat them, they decide to “keep him”, offering a home with them. Simba is reluctant, too depressed to want to talk to them, but they teach him to forget about his past, and just relax – “Hakuna Matata”; it means “no worries”. Simba learns to eat bugs, swim and just generally chill with Timon and Pumbaa. Soon, Simba’s past catches up with him, as his old pal Nala arrives at the trio’s haven one day, looking to find food and finding Pumbaa! Nala is confused as Scar told the pride that Mufasa and Simba were both dead, because of the stampede, but is relieved to find Simba alive, and tries to convince him to return. He won’t, and angered by her persistence, he walks off into the night. Thankfully, Rafiki, the High Priest of the savannah, who knows Simba from birth, comes by and tells Simba that he has forgotten who he is. Rafiki also tells Simba that he has seen his father, with Simba chasing him through the savannah to get a glimpse of his dad. Rafiki tells him to look into the water, saying that his father lives in him. Simba is disappointed by this, but then sees his father within a storm cloud. Mufasa tells Simba that he has forgotten who he is, and has therefore forgotten him. He urges him not to shirk his responsibilities. The encounter is over too soon, and Simba still hasn’t gotten the answers he wanted. Rafiki tells him he can either run from his past or learn from it, giving Simba the last bit of motivation he needs to get back to Pride Rock and challenge Scar.
Rafiki goes to tell Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa of Simba’s plan, and they go to help. Timon and Pumbaa are used as live bait to distract the hyenas, and Nala is sent to rally the lionesses. Simba goes over to Pride Rock, and sees that many animal herds have moved on, there is no food or water, and it is in the middle of a drought, looking completely barren. He finds Scar striking his mother, Sarabi, for comparing him to Mufasa. Scar is surprised to see Simba alive, and baits him into owning up to the murder of Mufasa; he moves toward Simba until Simba loses his footing, and falls over the rock edge, digging into the front of it, to stop himself falling. Scar holds his paws down, telling Simba this is just how his father looked before he died, and whispers that he killed Mufasa. Simba leaps up and pins Scar down, telling him to admit that he is in fact the murderer, not Simba. He does, so the lionesses strike, only for the hyenas to do the same. They pounce on Simba, with the lionesses, Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki, throwing them off so Simba can deal with Scar.
In one final encounter, where Scar tells Simba it was the hyenas’ idea, not his, and that he isn’t to blame, a fight ensues and Simba accidentally throws Scar over the rocks. He falls, but survives. The hyenas approach him. Scar, unaware that they have overheard him betraying them, encourages his friends to help him. They are angry, and instead attack him. A rainstorm begins, nourishing the Pride Lands again, as Simba is encouraged to finally take his place on Pride Rock. He walks up to the top and roars, with the lionesses roaring in response, cementing him as their new king. We skip forward again, to find a similar scene to the opening sequence; this time Nala and Simba’s cub is being celebrated and presented to the animal herds, all of whom have returned, with Pride Rock restored to its former glory.
Although The Lion King was not based on a historical figure, or a fairy-tale, or a novel, unlike many other Disney animated features, the story was influenced by certain other tales, such as those of the Old Testament, with those involving Joseph and Moses having been mentioned specifically as inspiration by Disney. There are also similarities to Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, with the family betrayals and fights for position. At one point, Disney leant in quite heavily to the Hamlet angle, even including specific dialogue from the play, but felt this would be too much, and too heavy. At one time, Scar was going to be an evil lion outside of the pride, however, the team felt that Scar’s revenge would be more threatening and interesting if it came from within the family, as it does in Hamlet. In essence, it is a story about community, belonging, family, betrayal, and redemption; themes that appear in many stories and works of literature. Disney also used their own movie, Bambi (1942), as inspiration with the initial pitch even being titled “Bambi in Africa”[1].
However, there has been controversy around this “original” story idea from Disney, as there is a competing version of events from Japan, with this question being asked: did Disney rip-off Kimba the White Lion? Kimba the White Lion was a Japanese anime series illustrated by Osamu Tezuka, known as Japan’s Walt Disney. The series aired in the USA in the 1960s. Controversy around this has bubbled up time and again. The TV series is about Kimba, a white lion cub, whose father, the king, is murdered. Kimba is captured by humans but escapes and tries to find his way back to the jungle, where he encounters an evil lion named Claw, with a scar under his eye, and his hyena henchmen, who have taken over the kingdom. The death of the lion cub’s father, the apparition of his father after he has died, and an evil lion trying to kill Kimba are very similar to scene in Disney’s The Lion King, however, it is difficult to say whether or not these ideas were “borrowed” from Tezuka’s series as Disney have continued to deny it, stating that they had not heard of the show, and that they had their own inspirations and influences for the film. There have been no formal claims of copyright brought against Disney, but in general, people are annoyed that Disney either denied using the work as inspiration or are angered by Disney not knowing about other animators’ work. Disney will stick to their story on this one, I believe, that they have not heard of Kimba. Matthew Broderick stated in an interview that when he was hired to voice adult Simba, he believed his character was called “Kimba” as he had seen the cartoon as a child, and thought it was for a remake of that[2].
CHARACTERS & CAST
But we’re talking about Simba now, not Kimba. Simba literally means “lion” in Swahili – not the most creative name for a Disney character but it works! We see Simba grow up throughout the movie, both physically and emotionally. I love seeing baby Simba right at the start because he looks so confused, with all the animals just looking at him, and the sneeze he does is so cute! Then, we get young Simba, who is very curious, which gets him into trouble often. He’s looking to be exactly like his dad, wanting to be brave, and tough, and strong. He soon learns, thanks to Mufasa, that just putting yourself in danger is no way to become, or prove you are, any of those things. Simba is a bit naïve about what he thinks being a king is, as we see during his song “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”; he’s looking forward to being king just because it means he’ll be able to do whatever he wants, and that the likes of Zazu won’t be able to tell him what to do anymore! He is just a kid, so it’s not a big surprise that’s his way of thinking! After the tragic death of Mufasa, which Simba blames himself entirely for, he runs away, only to be found by Timon and Pumbaa, who teach him how to be carefree, and that “when the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world”. It helps Simba for a time, but it’s quite clear that eventually adult Simba realises he can’t keep running from his past and his responsibilities; he has to confront them, which is why he returns to Pride Rock to challenge Scar for his kingdom again. Adult Simba is clearly still full of guilt and uncertainty about how his life should be, thinking the others won’t understand what he’s gone through. Simba does see that he has true friends by the end of it, as they help him in the final battle, and even finds love with his childhood friend, Nala. Young Simba is voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who starred in the TV series Home Improvement (1991-99). Matthew Broderick, whose acting credits speak for themselves, voices Adult Simba, although rock singer Joseph Williams provides his singing voice, which is incredibly strange as Matthew Broderick would later sing on Broadway in The Producers!
On the opposite side, there is Scar, the evil brooding villain of the movie. He is Mufasa’s brother, and therefore also Simba’s uncle. He has been plotting revenge all his life, ever since Mufasa became king and wants nothing more than to take his place. When Simba comes along, since he was first in line “before the little hairball was born”, it makes Scar’s task more difficult but also more necessary, as it motivates him to take action sooner rather than later. Scar needs to get the hyenas on side to help carry out his plans, but he also does the same with Simba. Though Scar is never kind to Simba, Simba still believes them to be friends and thinks that Scar’s sarcasm is just his way of being funny. Scar doesn’t care about Simba at all. Scar is one of the best Disney villains, in my opinion, and I think a lot of that has to do with his voice. British actor Jeremy Irons voices Scar, and he delivers his lines with such dryness and sarcasm that he is potentially the most quotable of all the Disney villains, with “I’m surrounded by idiots” being my favourite quote. Irons felt he could be very free with his vocals, twisting the words and injecting menace into them, whilst also staying very smooth, calm, and almost elegant. This gave Andreas Deja, supervising animator for Scar, as well as other villains such as Jafar and Gaston, lots of information to work with, so he could catch both the humour and the wickedness in his animation. Scar gets one of the best Disney villains’ songs with “Be Prepared”. Irons blew out his voice whilst recording the song. It was finished by Disney voice actor, the current voice of Winnie the Pooh, Jim Cummings[3].
Mufasa, Swahili for “king”, though a short-lived character within the movie, is the voice of reason. He keeps Simba on the right path throughout his life, even after his death. Mufasa is a strong figure in the movie, and is very protective of his family and the entire Pride. He is a respected king, and his presence is sorely missed by the Pride when they hear of his death. The scene of him saving Simba and trying to free himself from the stampede is incredibly emotional; the way Mufasa leaps out of there and tries desperately to claw himself up the rockface to get out is amazing. If only Scar hadn’t been at the top to throw him off… Mufasa is voiced by James Earl Jones, the man behind the iconic voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise. His voice is so distinctive and commanding that it makes everyone sit up and take notice. Apparently, Sean Connery was Disney’s first choice for Mufasa, but I can’t imagine anyone else voicing the character, which is why he was the only returning actor to the live-action film[4]. Sarabi, Simba’s mother, which is Swahili for “mirage”, is a caring mother, though unfortunately she is not seen too much in this movie. She is voiced by Madge Sinclair, who appeared in Coming to America (1988) as the Queen of Zamunda, alongside James Earl Jones as the King of Zamunda!
Nala is Simba’s love interest in the movie, with her name meaning “gift” in Swahili. She is kind and compassionate but also strong and straight-talking. The dynamic between her and Simba is powerful throughout their time together; even as cubs. They initially can’t imagine ever being together romantically, as we see when Zazu tells the cubs that they are “engaged”, but then we see them fall in love over the “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” scene. They are a great couple, and balance each other out perfectly. Moira Kelly voices Nala. Kelly would later have regular roles in The West Wing (1999-2000) and One Tree Hill (2003-09). Matthew Broderick said that he had no idea Kelly was the voice of Nala until the premiere of the movie, as he had recorded lines with a completely different voice actor[5]!
Rafiki is the High Priest of the Kingdom, another voice of reason, but he is more philosophical, wanting those around him to figure out the meaning of what he’s saying, instead of being frank about it, which particularly irritates Simba when he’s trying to work out if Rafiki is telling him his father is alive, or whether he more exists as a spirit – turns out it was the latter! Rafiki is fun, and well-meaning, imparting wisdom along with some humour. He cares about the future of the kingdom and for Simba’s well-being, wanting him to find himself again after he becomes lost with the grief of his father’s death. Robert Guillaume voices Rafiki, who had acted in many television series before The Lion King.
Then, there is Zazu, the king’s major-domo, as he likes to tell everyone! Zazu is a bit of a know-it-all, and he feels superior to everyone, except Mufasa! When Scar takes over the kingdom, Zazu is kept in a cage and no longer feels like he’s better than everyone else. He despises Scar but is easily scared by him and the hyenas so keeps quiet, and complies with the new order of things. He is almost bullied in places, even by the lion cubs, as Simba and Nala go to elaborate lengths to ditch him, settling for a rhino sitting on him to stop him following them to the Elephant Graveyard. I feel bad for Zazu a lot of the time, but he does redeem himself in the final battle, and does keep his position as the second-in-command. Zazu is brilliantly voiced by Rowan Atkinson, known for his roles as Edmund Blackadder and Mr. Bean, particularly in the UK.
The trio of hyenas were animated by Alex Kupershmidt, who would later go on to animate Stitch. He wanted the hyenas to be like mad clowns, one minute being evil, then funny, then back to being evil, which describes them pretty well! Around Mufasa and Scar, they are quite scared, but around anyone else, they can be quite menacing and evil, even going so far as trying to kill a young lion cub. But together they are comedic, bouncing off each other, Shenzi and Banzai in particular. Ed is the mute hyena of the group, and the most dim-witted, not seeming to know what’s going on most of the time! Shenzi and Banzai are voiced by comedic actors Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin. Marin had previously voiced Tito in Disney’s Oliver & Company (1988). Ed’s “vocals” were provided by Jim Cummings.
Now for the best characters in the whole movie, Timon and Pumbaa, who are most definitely the comic relief in The Lion King. They mean well, even though they like to take the easy way out and just relax through life with no cares, no responsibilities – and no worries, as we hear through their song “Hakuna Matata”. The two lean heavily into the fart jokes at times, which aren’t as funny now as they were when I was younger, but sometimes you need to speak directly to the children watching! Timon and Pumbaa are voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella. I love Nathan Lane thanks to this movie; I think he’s hilarious and like to watch anything he is acting in. I was very pleased to find he had a recurring role in Only Murders in the Building (2021-present), alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. It’s also fun to watch him and Matthew Broderick together in The Producers (2005), the film of the Broadway musical, which they performed together in also. Broderick and Lane had not met before when working on The Lion King. Fun fact: there is a deleted scene in The Producers where Timon, Simba, and Pumbaa are reunited, in a pub during the opening performance of “Springtime for Hitler”. Nathan Lane had originally auditioned for the part of Zazu, but then came in to audition for the hyenas, with Ernie Sabella. The team found them so funny that they were then hired as Timon and Pumbaa instead[6].
PRODUCTION
In terms of animation and new technology being used in The Lion King, one of the most impressive is the use of CAPS. The team tried to hand-draw the wildebeest stampede but found it was impossible to make it look realistic, and just couldn’t make it work. Animator Ruben Aquino made a few sketches of wildebeest running. Those sketches were then put into CAPS, to create a full cycle of a wildebeest running, before being multiplied to make the herd. The background was then added and the sequence was run; it worked. It is a very impressive scene, though I struggle to watch it, at least without crying, because it’s so tense and horrible. I can’t stand moments of peril, especially with young cubs! CAPS also allowed for small details to be added, such as layers of dust, dirt and fog, as well as raindrops, to increase the atmosphere of the backgrounds.
For the animals, it was very important that the animators observed them in real-life. Animal expert Jim Fowler brought adult lions and cubs into the studio so they could be sketched. He explained their natural behaviours and the movements they were making, and the reasoning behind them to increase the animators’ knowledge of these animals. They also went to zoos, and wildlife parks, where supervising animator for Timon, Mike Surrey, noticed that meerkats are agile and quick, and Tony Bancroft, animator for Pumbaa, found that, though robust, warthogs are quite light on their feet and have a bouncy kind of walk[7].
During the team’s research trip to Africa in November 1991, they found African art designs of patterns and textiles in bold colours. They wanted to use them for the backgrounds but felt they would be too abstract for the movie, instead choosing natural landscapes that would show the grandeur of Africa and the mystical atmosphere that they encountered, choosing not to just focus on the savannah and the plains, but to also include the mountains and plant life, as well as the rainstorms that they experienced. They did still want colour and tribal art stylisations, so this was included, thanks to Chris Sanders, future director of Lilo & Stitch (2002), in the abstract backgrounds of the “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” scene[8]. As well as this, Andy Gaskill Art Director wanted to bring in as many natural sounds and effects into the atmosphere, wanting to see the wind in the grass and hear it, and hear the sound of animals moving and leaping. This culminates in the epic ending with the rainstorm, where we can see and hear, and almost feel, the strength of the storm.
The first idea for The Lion King came from a conversation between some of the Disney executives, including Roy E. Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, and Peter Schneider, Head of Walt Disney Animation, at the time, where the topic of Africa came up in conversation and Katzenberg said they should do a movie in Africa. It was called “King of the Jungle” at the start, and Roger Allers was brought on as director, along with George Scribner. Allers had done story work for Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Scribner had directed Oliver & Company (1988). Right after Beauty and the Beast was released, the Disney team went straight to Africa for their research trip in 1991, where they were overcome by the intensity of the African savannah. They were taught Swahili phrases from their guides, including “Hakuna Matata” and “Asante Sana Squash Banana”, which were added into the movie.
A few months later, Scribner was taken off the movie and replaced with Rob Minkoff, who had worked as animator on previous Disney movies such as Oliver & Company and The Little Mermaid (1989). Then came the infamous breakfast meeting with Katzenberg, where he sang the praises of Pocahontas, and aired his concerns about The Lion King. After that meeting, many animators wanted to work on Pocahontas, leaving mostly younger animators and some, like Andreas Deja, who wanted to work on an “animal movie” instead. The fact that Katzenberg didn’t believe in the movie did mean that the team felt they could be more experimental and have more freedom with this “B movie”. A new story started coming together, with everyone pitching in, working long hours. The title of the movie was changed to The Lion King around this time.
Problems struck in 1994, with the Northridge earthquake hitting Los Angeles on 17th January, just after the team had returned from the “disastrous” preview of the movie in Atlanta with Elton John, and only six months before The Lion King was due to be released. Bridges were destroyed, and highways were shut, meaning that people were either working on the movie from home, or having to sleep in the office in Burbank to ensure work was completed[9]. Another major tragedy struck in April 1994 – the death of Frank Wells, Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company. Wells died in a helicopter crash in Nevada. This was the first fatality in the company’s history, hitting everyone hard, including the CEO at the time Michael Eisner. An almost parallel tale of leadership to that within The Lion King started to happen with The Walt Disney Company, as Wells kept the other executives steady, but now there were three headstrong men, competing with each other for position within the company: Eisner, Roy E. Disney, and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Katzenberg made no secret of the fact he wanted Wells’ job, and started gunning for it much too soon after Wells’ death. Eisner did not like this. A news article proclaiming Katzenberg as the saviour of Disney animation would be the final straw, with rumours surfacing of Katzenberg’s imminent departure from the company. At the red-carpet premiere of The Lion King in June 1994, Katzenberg refused all interviews, knowing his position was on unsteady ground. He was forced to resign from the company in October 1994[10].
MUSIC
Tim Rice was approached to work on the music for The Lion King. He first wanted ABBA to work with him, but as they declined, he went to British rock ‘n’ roll artist Elton John. The team at Disney appreciated Elton had a gift for telling stories through music, but he had nothing to do with African music! Hans Zimmer was brought in to compose the score, and added plenty of African influence, bringing in his friend South African producer and composer Lebo M to form and conduct the African choir. It was a collaborative experience[11].
Let’s start with the opening sequence, “Circle of Life”. The original song was written by Elton John and Tim Rice, but the opening sequence including African inspiration added to by Hans Zimmer and Lebo M, to create the full all-encompassing opening that it became. The opening scene was meant to include dialogue but when Allers and Minkoff heard the final version of the song, they felt that the song and beautiful animation spoke for itself[12].
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” was the first song that Elton John wrote, as he had always wanted to write a Disney love ballad, written for Simba and Nala. However, during a preview of the movie in Atlanta, he saw that the song was now being sung by Timon and Pumbaa. Elton had no idea and was furious with Disney for ruining his ballad. He even called Jeffrey Katzenberg to air his annoyance. Obviously, the scene was changed back to be a love song sung by Simba and Nala, though Timon and Pumbaa do still sing the opening and the ending! I like the movie version of this song, but not John’s single version[13].
“Hakuna Matata” was inspired by the Swahili saying, meaning “no worries”. This was going to be called “Warthog Rhapsody” but this song was cut. It would later be recorded for the 1995 album “Rhythm of the Pride Lands”, and would also be included in The Lion King 3 (2004), with Rice writing new lyrics to the melody and it becoming Timon’s song. I like “Hakuna Matata”, as it’s catchy and a fun song, as some of the others are quite serious and deeply expressive. I also like “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” for this same reason. “Be Prepared” was going to be a song called “Thanks to Me”, which would’ve been Scar singing about all the good things he’d done during his new reign as king, however, the team felt it would make more sense for him to sing about his plan. I love this song, and it’s definitely one of the best Disney villains’ songs. Finally, the little hula number with Timon singing was almost going to be him singing “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, as Katzenberg requested. Luckily, there was no time to change the scene before the next test screening and the audience loved it! I love it too; it’s hilarious, even if it’s only about thirty seconds long[14]!.
The brilliant score, though, is my favourite thing about The Lion King. Hans Zimmer and Lebo M do a fabulous job of putting in the African influences, as well as making the music celebratory, pensive, perilous and sometimes threatening. It’s a crazy ride of emotions but they do it so well. My favourite piece is “King of Pride Rock”, which plays at the end of the movie when Simba fights Scar, and takes his place on Pride Rock. It journeys from the threat of Scar, and moves to the culmination of Simba’s whole journey, of finally finding where he belongs, and accepting his responsibility as King of Pride Rock. It’s so moving, with the soaring violins and choir, before moving into a triumphant ending where all of Pride Rock is back to how it should be, with accepting your place in the “Circle of Life” being the final message to the audience. It gets me every time. The Lion King has one of the best scores of any movie, Disney or otherwise.
RECEPTION
The Lion King was released in June 1994 and generated $312 million in the US, and $545 million worldwide. It was a huge success both financially and critically, with the film being lauded as one of Disney’s best animated films, for story, characters, animation and music. The Lion King won two Academy Awards, one for Best Original Score by Hans Zimmer, and one for Best Original Song for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John and Tim Rice, with “Hakuna Matata” and “Circle of Life” also being nominated in the same category – so there wasn’t much chance of them losing. The Lion King was the most successful film of 1994[15].
LEGACY
The movie would be re-released in theatres and on home media, such as VHS and later DVD and Blu-Ray, but biggest thing to have come out of The Lion King is the stage show, with Michael Eisner pushing for it the most, despite others not being sure about it. Julie Taymor was approached to direct the musical, and was sent the movie soundtrack, the album “Rhythm of the Pride Lands”, which was released as a “sequel” to the original soundtrack, and a video. Taymor had had no previous commercial hit, but was happy to accept the challenge. She loved African masks and wanted those for the characters, but wanted the actors faces on show at all times, meaning the masks would sit on their heads. She figured out how to mechanise the stampede, as that was a huge challenge to replicate on stage[16].The Lion King stage show opened in 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theatre before moving to the Minskoff Theatre in 2006, where it continues to delight audiences today, even after a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show has been played on every continent except Antarctica, in over 100 cities in 21 different countries. The show won six Tony awards in 1998, including Best Musical, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Choreography, Best Costume Design, and Best Direction of a Musical for Julie Taymor, which made her the first woman to win a Tony for Best Director[17].
As well as this, The Lion King also got two direct-to-video sequels, one being The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998), which follows Simba and Nala’s daughter, Kiara, as she learns to become a princess, and falls in love with Kovu, Scar’s adopted son, in a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I love this film, and its music. The second is The Lion King 3 (2004), or The Lion King 1 ½ in some territories, which details Timon and Pumbaa’s backstories and how they came to be friends. I’ve only seen that movie once and I didn’t think much of it, I don’t think! Many of the film’s original actors returned to voice their characters in the sequels.
It also spanned two television series, Timon & Pumbaa (1995-99), which focuses on the lives of Timon and Pumbaa, mostly after the events of the first movie, and their misadventures in other countries. Ernie Sabella returned to voice Pumbaa, whereas Nathan Lane only reprised Timon in early episodes I vaguely remember watching this series as a child – I think I liked it. The other TV series is more recent, The Lion Guard, beginning as a TV movie, before becoming a TV series (2015-19). The Lion Guard focuses on Kion, Simba and Nala’s second cub, and him becoming the leader of the Lion Guard, protecting the Pride Lands. The series takes place during the time jump in The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, which is confusing for the audience that have seen that movie as Kion is not mentioned at all!
Then there is the live-action remake, The Lion King (2019), and its future sequel, Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), which will be a prequel with James Earl Jones returning as Mufasa, not a remake of The Lion King II movie. The Lion King (2019) did well at the box office, with many rushing to see the movie – I was not one of them – mostly thanks to the nostalgia that revolves around the original movie. The film was not considered better than the animated movie, though it did fill in some “plot holes”, such as why Nala leaves the Pride Lands, with the heart and the magic of the original being lost in the photo-realistic almost shot-by-shot remake. Elton John was disappointed that the music was “messed up”.
Within the Disney theme parks, first, there was The Lion King Celebration parade at Disneyland from 1994 to 1996. Four of the six floats were moved to Walt Disney World to be included in Festival of the Lion King, a show celebrating the story and music of The Lion King, though not a re-telling, which has been running at Disney’s Animal Kingdom since 1998, moving theatres in 2014. There is a variation of the show at Hong Kong Disneyland 2005, though this is a retelling of the story narrated by Rafiki. Disneyland Paris had The Legend of the Lion King show from 2004 until 2007, and debuted The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands in 2019. At Disneyland, Tale of the Lion King is another version of the show, which began in May 2022.
An extinct attraction called The Legend of the Lion King also existed at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom from 1994 to 2002, which I remember seeing. It used huge puppets to retell an abridged version of the story with the same music. There were ten puppeteers, trained by Jim Henson, doing three shows an hour. This was replaced with Mickey’s PhilarMagic in 2003, a 3D attraction showcasing popular Disney musical scenes, including “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”[18]. There was also the show Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable (1995-2018) at Disney World’s Epcot, where Simba told Timon and Pumbaa the dangers of taking the environment for granted, and not respecting it properly. Along with this, there are also meet-and-greets with characters from the movie, like Timon and Rafiki, and a whole section dedicated to The Lion King sits within the Art of Animation hotel in Florida, with outdoor scenes of the characters, Pride Rock and the Elephant Graveyard being available for photo-ops.
The Lion King celebrated its 30th anniversary in June 2024, with new merchandise lines, specialty treats, and character meet-and-greets, which included Timon and Rafiki being spotted at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s crazy how much of a franchise The Lion King has become, but, like I said, many people consider The Lion King to be their all-time favourite Disney movie. There are multiple reasons why The Lion King continues to remain popular today. It is relatable as a coming-of-age story, as well as a fable, detailing the importance of responsibility and remembering where you come from. It also describes how everyone, no matter how big or small, has a place within the “Circle of Life”.
Nobody working on the movie knew how it would be received, and had no idea of the impact it would have, even so many years later. It’s a movie that speaks to people for whatever reason, but I find it most touching for its story of loss and grief, of losing a family member. It will have helped so many people, especially children, get through the pain of losing a loved one[19].The Lion King is special to so many people, and will likely be treasured forever.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Disney, “Story Origins”, from The Lion King (1994) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2003).
[2] Credit: Hannah Denham, ‘’Lion King’ has been clouded by intellectual property controversy for 25 years. Here’s the story behind it.’, The Washington Post (online), 26th July 2019.
[3] Credit: Dan Boothe, The Making of the Lion King (1994).
[4] Credit: Blake Taylor, ‘The Untold Truth Of The Lion King (1994)’, Looper.com, 20th May 2022.
[5] Credit: Disney, Pride of the Lion King (2011).
[6] Credit: Don Hahn, The Lion King – A Memoir – Don Hahn (2011).
[7] Credit: Dan Boothe, The Making of the Lion King (1994).
[8] Credit: Disney, “Art: African Influence”, The Lion King (1994) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2003).
[9] Credit: Don Hahn, The Lion King – A Memoir – Don Hahn (2011).
[10] Credit: Don Hahn, Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009).
[11] Credit: Disney, Pride of the Lion King (2011).
[12] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016), ‘Animals Rule’, pp. 88-91.
[13] Credit: Credit: Don Hahn, The Lion King – A Memoir – Don Hahn (2011).
[14] Credit: Blake Taylor, ‘The Untold Truth Of The Lion King (1994)’, Looper.com, 20th May 2022.
[15] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016), ‘Animals Rule’, pp. 88-91.
[16] Credit: Disney, Pride of the Lion King (2011).
[17] Credit: Disney, ‘Celebrating ‘The Lion King’ on Broadway’s 25-Year Legacy’, The Walt Disney Company (online), 14th November 2022.
[18] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: The Legend of the Lion King’, YourFirstVisit.net, 7th February 2020.
[19] Credit: Disney, “Reflections”, from The Lion King (1994) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2003).
The Disney Purist 