The Lion King

The Lion King is a 1994 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Considered by many to be the Best Disney Film of all time, it is the 32nd animated feature in the Disney animated feature canon, and the third highest-grossing animated feature (the highest for hand drawn animation) film ever released in the United States.

The film focuses on a young lion in Africa named Simba, who learns of his place in the "Circle of Life" while struggling through various obstacles to become the rightful king. It is frequently alleged that The Lion King was based on Osamu Tezuka's 1960s animated series Kimba the White Lion, although many of the filmmakers deny this. The filmmakers do, however, acknowledge the influences of the Shakespeare play Hamlet, the Bible stories of Joseph and Moses, and the 1942 Disney animated feature Bambi.

The Lion King is a musical film, with songs written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, and a film score by Hans Zimmer. The score and one of its songs won Academy Awards. Disney later produced two related movies: a sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and a semi-prequel, The Lion King 1½.

The Lion King was originally called King of the Jungle during early stages of production. As in the case of the earlier film Bambi, animators studied real-life animals for reference, and some of the filmmakers went to Kenya to observe the natural habitat that would be shown in the film.

The film's significant use of computers helped the filmmakers to present their vision in new ways. The most notable use of computer animation is in the "wildebeest stampede" sequence. Several distinct wildebeest characters were built in a 3D computer program, multiplied into the hundreds, cel shaded to look like drawn animation, and given randomized paths down a mountainside to simulate the real, unpredictable movement of a herd. Similar multiplication occurs in the "Be Prepared" musical number with identical marching hyenas.

The Lion King was once considered a secondary project to Pocahontas, both of which were in production at the same time. Most of the Disney Feature Animation staff preferred to work on Pocahontas, believing it would be the more prestigious and successful of the two. However, when the two films were released, The Lion King received much more positive feedback and bigger grosses than Pocahontas, although both became successful.

Plot

The story of The Lion King takes place in the fictional Pride Lands of Africa, where a lion rules over the other animals as king.

At the beginning of the film, Rafiki the mandrill shaman presents Simba, the newborn cub of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, to a gathering of animals at Pride Rock. Meanwhile, Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, realizes that he is no longer the heir to the throne and plots to kill Simba and Mufasa.

Scar plants curiosity in Simba about the elephant graveyard, a place beyond the borders of the Pride Lands where Mufasa has forbidden Simba to go. Simba takes his friend, Nala, to the elephant graveyard. There the cubs are chased by Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, Scar's hyena minions. Mufasa rescues the cubs. Scar becomes angry because his intention was for Simba to be killed by the hyenas. Plotting further, Scar gathers more hyenas and buys their loyalty by claiming that if he can take the throne, they would be welcomed to Pride Rock and never go hungry again. Later, Scar lures Simba into a gorge for a surprise from his father while the hyenas engineer a wildebeest stampede down into the gorge where Simba is. Mufasa rescues his son from the stampede, but after an attempted climb to safety, Scar throws him back into the stampede to his death. Scar makes Simba believe that he was responsible for his father's death. Simba flees the Pride Lands, ashamed and guilty. Scar sends his hyena henchmen to kill Simba, but Simba escapes only with a threat that he will be killed if seen again. Assuming that Simba was killed as well as Mufasa, Scar makes the announcement to the rest of the startled pride and assumes the throne. As promised, the hyenas could now come into the Pride Lands.

Simba collapses in a distant desert, where he is found by Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog. The duo adopt and raise the cub in the jungle under their carefree "Hakuna Matata" lifestyle. When Simba is grown, he encounters his childhood friend Nala, who relays that Scar's tyrannical reign has devastated the Pride Lands. She requests that Simba return and take his rightful place as king, but Simba refuses, still guilty about supposedly causing his father's death. After some advice from Rafiki and the ghost of his father, Simba returns home joined by Nala, Timon and Pumbaa.

Once back at Pride Rock, Simba confronts his uncle and the truth about Mufasa's death is revealed by an overly confident Scar. A fierce battle breaks out between the lionesses and the hyenas while Simba fights Scar. In the midst of their fight, Scar tries to blame everything on the hyenas, which angers them. Simba eventually triumphs over his uncle and kicks him down to where the hyenas are waiting. The hyenas surround their fallen leader and kill him.

With the rightful king in place, the Pride Lands are restored. Rafiki lifts Simba and Nala's newborn cub high into the air, thus continuing the circle of life.