The Lion King
Starring Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Moira Kelly, Robert Guillaume, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings.
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff.
Rated G.
Grade: A
"A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king."
They don't make 'em like this anymore.
It's true. When The Lion King was released in the summer of 1994, it grossed 312 million dollars, still the record for an animated movie, and enviable for a film of any genre. Furthermore, I remain obstinate in my belief that it is not only one of the best cartoons ever made, but one of the best movies ever made, period: it is the kind of achievement that will make me want to break out the Little Book of Critics' Cliches and pull every overwrought hosanna at my disposal. Extraordinary, Life-Affirming, a Masterpiece, One for the Ages: The Lion King is All Those Things and More. And seeing it on the gigantic IMAX screen is an experience you Just Can't Afford to Pass Up.
In all seriousness, this is an incredible movie, one of the original incarnations of the now hackneyed Disney formula where the sidekicks are actually funny, the sneering villain is actually intimidating and the story, an animal kingdom version of Hamlet, takes its cues from Joseph Campbell and not Howard Hawks. Everything is right -- nay, perfect -- and this is the kind of accomplishment you can only hope for once a decade, maybe more. Disney has had a successful run since The Lion King, but it has yet to outdo itself.
Watching the "Circle of Life" sequence some five years and eight viewings later brings tears to my eyes. Incorporating the basic law of nature into a five-minute song number preceding a commercial animated production is a tall order, but the scene somehow becomes possibly the most potent environmentalist propaganda imaginable. Despite the advent of impressive computer graphics that have begun to dominate the animation industry, the wondrous cel-drawn vistas exhibited here remain majestically stirring.
The rollicking adventure that follows lives up to the promise of the opening sequence. Simba, the lion cub who is exiled from his kingdom after his uncle Scar kills his father Mufasa, and then comes back to reclaim his throne, is required to learn certain lessons along the way, but the movie doesn't preach, or get mired down in drawn-out speeches about buzz topics. In fact, the message that The Lion King ultimately presents is pretty complex for a Disney flick: Simba has to face his past without dwelling on it, defeat his demons without giving them a chance to get him first.
The one element of The Lion King that stays with people the most is the music, and for good reason: I can't think of even one other musical where every solitary number is catchy and memorable. "Hakuna Matata" briefly became a pop culture sensation, but it's not even the highlight of the songs by Elton John and Tim Rice and the equally remarkable score by Hans Zimmer. Even the villain, voiced by Jeremy Irons in what might be his finest hour, gets a killer song, and the "Be Prepared" sequence is a triumph of lyrics, music and direction.
It isn't really necessary to watch this movie in the mega IMAX format, but there's no reason not to. Many times, IMAX presentations of regular feature films have necessitated cutting the running time, but The Lion King remains intact, like Beauty and the Beast did a year ago. In writing this paean to a Disney classic, I don't mean to disparage the studio's 21st century line-up; they're still doing great work, and even their weaker efforts are often worth checking out. This, however, remains the gold standard against which they are compared. Do your kids a favor, eh?