Week 38 – The Lion King (1994)

• The Lion King
• Released: 6/24/1994
• Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Rowan Atkinson, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Robert Guillaume, Niketa Calame, Madge Sinclair
• Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
• IMDB Page

Welcome back to 52 Films, 52 Portraits! This week’s film was chosen by Raph, my friend and brother-in-theory (my phrase for my sister Mamie‘s boyfriend: before it’s a law, it’s a theory!). Raph works and lives in Birmingham, AL, and has basically been a member of our family for years. We all met while working at the Birmingham Zoo years ago.

Raph and my sister Mamie visiting us last summer!

Raph told me that he would consider himself to be an above average movie fan, but maybe not the biggest ever. He said that he loves film as a storytelling device and that, although it can’t always provide the level of detail of, say, a novel, it has it’s own characteristics that make it great. He told me that he grew up watching and loving Disney animated movies, and that that love has stayed with him. One of the earliest films he remembers watching was actually The Lion King. He said that it and other Disney films made huge impressions on him as a child, because they are some of his earliest memories of really being emotional. He also said that he loved Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie when he was younger.

Raph said that nowadays, his favorite genres are comedy, action, science fiction and thrillers. However, he said that he is not one to turn down a movie solely for genre or the people involved. He generally judges a film based on its own merits, and is fairly open-minded when it comes to choosing what films to watch.

When it came time to pick a film for this project, there were a couple of films from his past that Raph considered. In addition to The Lion King, he also considered the other film that he previously mentioned, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. He said that he almost chose it simply because it was one of his earliest and most favorite film memories. He also said that he considered the Batman film, The Dark Knight (a film that may just be coming up on this blog very soon), because it’s the film that he credits for getting him interested again in films when he was a little older and that, for his money, caused a resurgence in the film world.

Raph told me that he picked The Lion King for a few reasons. First, as he said previously, it was one of the first movies that he can remember seeing – and loving. Additionally, he picked it because of how emotional the film was for him. He said that his earliest memory of watching the film was “WEEPING” at (Spoiler Alert!) Mufasa’s death. Finally, he said that he chose the film because it has always provided a “great nostalgia trip” for him, and that he loves revisiting it.

Like Raph, I grew up loving Disney films, and although my favorite was probably Aladdin, I definitely loved The Lion King. I have many memories of watching it as a child and beyond. I also remember going to see it in 3D when it was re-released in theaters a few years back.

There are so many great aspects of the film that stand out to me. First of all, the voice cast is really phenomenal. James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Rowan Atkinson, etc. all do amazing jobs. And I always love some Nathan Lane (stay tuned for a few more weeks for an even bigger dose of Nathan Lane!). They all really sell the performances, and that’s probably the most important thing when it comes to animated films. The story is obviously hugely important, but if the actors can’t bring it to life, the movie will still fail.

Another thing that really hit me in this rewatch was just how beautiful the animation was in this film. This was around the middle of what was definitely my favorite Disney era. It came soon after The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, and preceded Pocahontas, Mulan and Hercules. The filmmakers were definitely at the top of their games. This is also probably one of the Disney films with the biggest emotional impact of all time. Maybe the biggest.

Obviously you can’t talk about The Lion King, without talking about it’s iconic songs from Tim Rice and Elton John, and score from Hans Zimmer. The Lion King, thanks to big hits and a wildly successful Broadway adaptation, has what is arguably Disney’s most well-known and successful soundtracks. So many amazing songs. “Circle of Life,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “Hakuna Matata,” “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” These are all such incredible songs that have survived over two decades and remain just as awesome. And Zimmer’s score is just as powerful, and provides the perfect backdrop for the film.

It’s also worth noting that in addition to the Broadway musical, the film has also produced a number of spin-offs and sequels, including a current series, and The Lion King 2. I don’t remember too much about the sequel, but I do remember that I loved, and still highly recommend to anyone who hasn’t seen the film, the song “We Are One.” It’s not The Lion King iconic, but it is still a great song, especially for a direct-to-video film.

I definitely enjoyed revisiting this film, and it’s been nice to have a couple of light, fun films in a row as a sort of palette cleanser from quite a few weeks of great, but heavy films. Although, to be fair, The Lion King is pretty heavy now that I think about it.

Thanks for joining me for another week! Don’t forget to comment below, like, follow, etc., and don’t forget to join me for another installment next week!

Next time: The Dark Knight