The Lion King

As the 32^nd Disney animated film, The Lion King is definitely one of the most well-known Disney movies.  The idea was conceived after the release of Oliver & Company, and the script was re-written several times, with the original plot of the movie being very different.  It was the first Disney film to be based off an original idea, though parts of it were inspired by works like Hamlet.  The movie’s production also coincided with the production of Pocahontas and, surprisingly, people thought that the latter would be more successful; but boy were they wrong!  The Lion King received critical acclaim for its music, story, themes and animation and it ended up becoming the highest grossing film of 1994, not to mention the highest grossing animated film at that time; and it still remains the highest grossing traditionally animated film to this day.  This movie was one of my favorite films when I was a kid (which is a bit surprising due to the dark themes), and so I was very excited to review it.  I hope everyone loves this movie as much as I do! Whatever your thoughts I’d love to hear from you!

The Lion King is about a lion prince, Simba, who wants to be king very badly.  Little does Simba know, though, that he will get his wish when his evil uncle Scar (who wants to king also) sends out a stampede of wildebeest to kill Simba and his Father (the king) Mufasa.   Mufasa dies saving his son and Scar makes Simba believe that Simba kills his own father.  Ashamed of what he “did,” Simba runs off and is presumed dead (but he’s rescued by a meerkat, Timon, and a warthog, Pumbaa).  When he’s older, Simba wonders if he should stay where he is or take his place in the circle of life.  This coming-of-age film was one of my favorite movies as a kid and it remains so to this day.  It has great music and character development and really makes you think about life.  I also love the meaning of the characters names; Simba means “lion” in Swahili and Nala, Simba’s girl, means “gift”).  There are lots of other good parts as well such as, even though Timon and Pumbaa are far from perfect, they take Simba in as if he’s their own kid; and the little bit we see of the relationship between Mufasa and Simba is very sweet as well, even if you know something sad is coming.  Speaking of sadness, the movie does have a very deep sadness to it and can be very intense at times (like the famous scene where Mufasa dies, which I’ve read has traumatized a lot of kids).  So, I would caution parents of young kids regarding the upsetting scenes.  My favorite message that comes out of this movie is when Simba is ashamed of something he thinks he did, and he feels as if he can never return back home because he’s too ashamed to face his past; however, Rafiki (which means “friend”), a wise old friend of his father’s, tells Simba that instead of running from your past you have to face it to move on with your life.  These very wise words from Rafiki are so very true and they make me realize how very profound this movie is.  It’s so profound yet at the same time lighthearted.  Just think about the famous line from this film, Hakuna Matata, which means “no worries” in Swahili.  While Simba had a lot of things to worry about after his father died, he also had two great friends who reminded him to make sure there was plenty of fun in his circle of life!

“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.”    

Rafiki