Production of Disney.
Directed by Roger Allers and Robert Minkoff.
Starring Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, and Cheech Marin.
So we all know the story of The Lion King. Let's face it, who doesn't? You cannot honestly say you don't remember or haven't seen the raging stampede that kills Mufasa or the crazed hallucinogenic songs that Rafiki sings. Despite this movie being made in 1994 and the fact that I was probably the target market for Disney when I was four, I still love this movie. Who thinks I have nothing bad to say?
You can't write a review about The Lion King and say something bad about it. What are you going to say? That the animation is bad? This is fucking Disney. Their bad is your best. Or maybe they could have better voice actors? Darth Vader is the King of Pride Rock, Ferris Bueller is his son, Mr. Bean is a controlling parrot-thing, and Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin play two psychotic hyenas led by Jeremy Irons. Their cast as-is would be better than a remake of "Fight Club." Bad plot? The writers based it off Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the freakin' Bible. Your pitiful argument is no longer an argument.
There's no need to explain the actors' performances... They were just voice acting. James Earl Jones and that kid from "Home Improvement" (some would argue he's the cute one; I'm not judging) had short-written parts, but still played them wonderfully. Matthew Broderick is great, but I would have liked to see a little more talent from the women in the pride. (Hey, wanna hear a joke? Womens' Rights. Kidding....) Whoopi is just as versatile as Morgan Freeman as far as voice acting goes, and I didn't know Cheech Marin was an actual actor. I thought he was just a professional stoner. Speaking of versatility, I'm actually surprised Morgan Freeman wasn't the narrator.
By far one of my favorite aspects of this movie is the soundtrack, and who can disagree? I remember playing the medley in my high school concert band, visiting Disney in Orlando while the Lion King show was going on, and downloading the soundtrack off iTunes. I think I'm going to adopt it as the background music to my life. Hans Zimmer is amazing. And they use Elton John! In fact, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" was actually cut from the film until Elton John went all bad-ass on Disney and basically forced them to put it back in. And then he won countless awards for it. Another little unknown tidbit that I pay attention to is the authentication of a couple aspects of the movie, such as Simba meaning "lion/courageous warrior" in Swahili. Though, I'm not sure where Nala meaning "gift" fits into a G-Rated movie. The future King's wife is a gift. Hmm.
This is one of the best movies of all time. What else can I say about it? It's got everything from memorable scenes to great characters to hooking plotlines to catchy musical scores. The opening to "Circle of Life" is recognizable and unmistakable. I'm going to take a chance and say that there is no one out there in a first-world country who hasn't seen this epic movie. If not, you haven't lived. This movie is better than sex. Just don't get off to it; Remember, this is a children's movie.
The last time I watched this movie was with a good friend of mine, whose birthday it happens to be on this very Sunday, December 19. So, I wish you a very happy birthday and I hope this little commentary might have brought a smile to your face on your birthday, Ms. Becca. :]
"Let me get this straight. You know her, she knows you. But she wants to eat him. And everyone's okay with this? Did I miss something?" -- Timon
"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can run from it or you can learn from it." --Rafiki
"You mean a bunch of royal dead guys are watching us?" --Timon
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