The Lion King

The Lion King

1994

Director: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

Writers: Irene Mechhi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton, etc.

89 Minutes

The Lion King is one of Disney’s best. It holds rank with such films as Snow White, Streamboat Willy, and the Toy Story franchise. Even though it took over twenty-five writers (Disney’s consistently uses handfuls of writers to complete a film) to assemble the story and additional material, this film ranks as one of the best-animated films ever created.

And Hakuna Matata means no worries.

The Lion King is a story about a young prince named Simba. When his father is killed, Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) leaves the pride lands and is considered dead by his friends and family. When his soul mate Nala (Moira Kelly) finds the adult Simba (Matthew Broderick) alive, she convinces him to return to the pride lands and take back his kingdom.

Simple, direct, and it was best selling home video of all time with 55 million copies sold to date.

In the scene above, Mufasa (James Earl Jones), Simba’s father, is killed trying to save his son. When Simba discovers his body, Mufasa’s brother Scar (Jeremy Irons) tells Simba that he is to blame for this accident. Scar tells him to run away, while he sends hyenas to kill the young cub.

Simba escapes the hyenas, but ventures into the unknown world – a world where you eat bugs.

This is a coming-of-age story and without Simba’s departure and prodigal son return, Simba couldn’t have come-of-age. He would have been dead or unchanged. Leaving your home, meeting his new friends, and growing into a man is what this film explains and explores.

Boyhood to manhood.

This is a common story. A heroes journey. Simba is not unlike any of us at a young age. He is bright, clever, and curious. He represents us. Once he grows up, he fights for what is right in the world. Like I said, he represents us.

The Lion King is an “us” film. We see ourselves in this story much like Simba sees his father in himself. That’s why we loved his film. It resonates deep within our subconscious and explains who we are in the world. We have been lost or scared after losing a parent. We have avoided our responsibility at one time. And we have fought for what's rightfully ours.

We have all been Simba. And right, wrong, good, bad, or indifferent, Simba was a hero.

And we are all heroes - right, wrong, good, bad or indifferent.

The Lion King spawned sequels, books, and a musical because it’s subject matter. It hit home with audiences. With a great soundtrack and outstanding visual effects, The Lion King deserved its 770 million dollar box office success, including a re-release 3D version currently out in theaters.

But it did take over twenty-five writers to tell this story.

Twenty-five.