Take a basic story of a young Lion cub who is the son of the King of the Lions, add a devious Uncle who wants to be King, add some unforgettable characters, great songs and what do you get? You get one of the most popular animated movies of all time –
The Lion King.
In 1994, Disney created an animated movie called
The Lion King. The story revolved around a young lion cub named
Simba, whose father
Mufasa is king of the lions. Simba is a typical youngster who is eager to learn and has a habit of getting into trouble. However, all is not well in the pride lands and Simba’s uncle Scar wants to be king, but won’t get the chance because Simba is next in line for the throne.
So, with help from some devious hyenas, Scar plots at getting rid of Simba and Mufasa. His plan works as Mufasa is killed in a wildebeest stampede, Simba is wrongly accused and runs away, leaving Uncle Scar as the new king of the lions.
During Simba’s absence from the pride, he meets several interesting
characters include Timon and Pumbaa, who teach him to relax and have fun. That philosophy called "Hakuna Matata" works well until Nala the lioness, an old friend of Simba, meets up with him. She tells of the problems under new
King Scar, and he vows to return and take his place as king. During his journey back to the pride he meets wise Rafiki, who shows Simba an image of his father, who helps give the young lion the strength to challenge his Uncle for the throne. When they journey back, Simba confronts the king and eventually is victorious, which allows him to take his rightful place as king.
At the time of release, the
movie was the most
popular animated movie of all time in terms of box office earnings, and still ranks among the all time leaders. It was also very popular with children, and Disney did a fine job of promoting the movie by cross marketing it in the form of games, toys, clothing and even non-traditional methods such as educational material which can simply be printed at home using
printer ink from a home printer.
In addition to a fun story, the movie featured many catchy
tunes written by Tim Rice and Elton John. Some of the
songs included “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”, “Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”. The
cast of the movie was also outstanding and included noted actors such as James Earl Jones (voice of Mufasa), Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Simba as a cub), Matthew Broderick (Simba as an adult), Jeremy Irons (Scar), Nathan Lane (Timon) and Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa).
Because of the success of the movie, in 1997 Disney produced a
Broadway version of the movie. It was also an overwhelming success and earned 6
Tony Awards. In the Broadway version instead of animated characters, the show depended on the use of large puppets.
The Lion King was one of the most popular Disney animated movies in picture history. The combination of story, variety of interesting characters, songs and locations made the movie memorable and has been a movie favorite for several years.
Popular Searches