The Lion King (1994)

Film: The Lion King

Director: Roger Allers / Rob Minkoff

Country: USA

Released: June 1994

Runtime: 88 minutes

Genre: Animation

Studio: Walt Disney

Influenced: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jennifer Lee, Pete Docter, Taika Waititi, Jon Favreau

Conceived as a contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, though set in the African savannah with a cast of anthropomorphic animals, The Lion King was originally intended to be a nature documentary but ended up becoming a powerful and emotional human allegory. The film came on the back of successful Disney movies such as Beauty & The Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992), which put added pressure on co-directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff to score another hit. That said, at the time, Disney executives were more focused on the Pocahontas (1995) movie they were developing, which meant that The Lion King was very much plan B for the studio and that the animators that worked on the film were less experienced, but also younger and hungrier. Arguably even more important to the success of The Lion King than the animation, however, was the music.

Hans Zimmer became involved in the film owing to his longstanding collaboration with the film's co-director, Roger Allers. Allers had worked with Zimmer on a previous Disney project, The Little Mermaid (1989), for which Zimmer had provided some musical arrangements. Impressed by Zimmer's talent and creative abilities, Allers invited him to work on The Lion King. Zimmer's approach to scoring the film was original for Disney, wanting to infuse the music with African influences to create an authentic feel. To achieve this, Zimmer collaborated with South African composer Lebo M, who brought traditional African rhythms and vocal elements to the score. The result was a musical score that not only complemented the story but also became an integral part of the film's identity. The Lion King's soundtrack, featuring memorable songs like Circle of Life, Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata, remains one of the most iconic in cinema history.

The Lion King's story revolves around Simba, a young lion cub, who is destined to become king after the death of his father, Mufasa. However, Simba's uncle Scar, fuelled by jealousy and a desire for power, orchestrates Mufasa's death and convinces Simba that he is responsible. Simba flees into exile, leaving the Pride Lands in turmoil. After years of self-discovery with the help of newfound friends Timon and Pumbaa, Simba must return to confront his past and reclaim his rightful place as king. The story is essentially about growing up, and passing through the threshold into adulthood. Somehow, it successfully walks the razor’s edge between tragedy and a flatulent warthog, which puts it firmly in the Shakespearean tradition. Iconic moments include the opening sequence featuring the birth of Simba and the presentation of the cub to the animal kingdom, the tragic stampede that leads to Mufasa's death and Simba's return to Pride Rock to confront Scar and reclaim his throne.

The Lion King was groundbreaking in terms of animation and visual effects, using innovative techniques to create realistic-looking animal characters and breathtaking African landscapes. The film's animators studied real animals and visited Africa to capture the natural movements and behaviours of the wildlife there. The Lion King was originally intended to be a smaller, direct-to-video release but was later elevated to a theatrical release when Disney executives finally came to see its potential. Not only did it win two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (for Can You Feel the Love Tonight, which was performed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice), it also became one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time and spawned a successful stage adaptation, numerous sequels and a live-action remake in 2019. Not bad for a film that Disney initially dubbed "Bambi in Africa".