A Reel 25: THE LION KING

“Hakuna Matata!”

This month marks the 25^th anniversary of Disney’s THE LION KING. 

Development on THE LION KING began as far back as 1988, when Disney bosses Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney (son of Walt), and Peter Schneider began tossing around ideas of a story about a young lion born to succeed his father. Although THE LION KING was to be Disney’s first animated film based on an original idea, the storyline was heavily influenced by the biblical tales of Joseph and Moses, and William Shakespeare’s HAMLET. The film would attract Disney’s top animators, with many of them travelling to Kenya to research the animals and the place-setting. The script went through many authors and re-writes, with lyricist Tim Rice working closely with the writers…to ensure that his lyrics would work in the film’s narrative. 

The voice actors were chosen not for their big names, but for how they would fit into and add to the characters. James Earl Jones was cast because the directors (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff) felt his voice was similar to a lion’s roar. The rest of the casting was stellar; Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings all contributed to the success of THE LION KING. 

And succeed, it did. THE LION KING was the highest grossing film of 1994, and its 3D release in 2011 would elevate it to the highest-grossing hand-drawn film in history. It would win an Oscar for Hans Zimmer’s original score, and Elton John and Tim Rice would also win for Best Original Song. THE LION KING would also win Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy and Best Original Score at the Golden Globes that year. The American Film Institute ranks it fourth all-time in the animation genre. THE LION KING would have an enduring legacy; it would go on to inspire a Broadway adaptation, two direct-to-video follow-ups, a prequel, and an animated TV series. In 2016 it was selected for preservation in the U.S. Film Registry. 

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Earlier this year, this Blogger and his girlfriend had a day-long Disney movie marathon, with THE LION KING serving as the grand finale. It was the first time I had watched it since my father passed away, and the impact the film had on me was immense. Tears were shed and shed in buckets, as THE LION KING’s themes of fathers and sons, and one’s journey to find one’s self to this day still run deep. It’s an animated film aimed at kids, but it is powerful enough to operate as true cinema; one that adults can find meaning in a quarter-century later. 

“You are more than what you have become.”