#38 The Lion King

In Summary

A classic tale of revenge and redemption. Shakespeare meets Disney. Disney meets Africa. With Elton John providing the music. The Lion King is a stone cold classic.

The plot of The Lion King is a quintessential hero's journey - based, as it is, on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The film begins in a state of equilibrium with Simba a young, naive cub, believing he is set to inherit the kingdom. His world is turned on its head after the murder of his father by his uncle, Scar.

The film then enters a state of reverse equilibrium, with Scar seizing the kingdom and Simba accepting his place in exile. It is only a chance encounter with his childhood friend, Nala, that leads Simba back onto the path to becoming the rightful king.

What is masterful about The Lion King is how not a single second of screen-time is wasted, yet the film retains an epic scope. It is a film that is rich in its characters and emotional power, despite lasting just under 90 minutes.

Vibrantly animated, The Lion King is one of those films that will be forever timeless.

A Memorable Quote

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.

Things You May Not Know

• The team working on The Lion King were deemed to be the 'B team' behind the team who were working at the time on Pocahontas.
• The song 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' was left out of the original cut of the film, only for Elton John to lobby for it to be included.
• None of the lion roars in the film were produced by actual lions, instead, it was voice actor, Frank Welker.

One of the Greatest of All Time?
There is not much of a debate to be had here. The Lion King is a classic, probably the best-ever Disney animated film and maybe one of the best ever films made nominally for children.

The reason why The Lion King is so successful is that it strikes to the very core of what makes a good story. The hero has to grow in order to succeed, the villain's cause is understandable yet pure evil, there are triumphs, knock-backs, a vibrancy of colour and characters, just about everything in this film works.

More than that though, The Lion King is a film that rings true on an emotional level. It achieves something with animated lions that most films struggle to do with real people.