Lion King

Theatrical Release Date: 1994 06 24 (USA) / 2002 12 25 (USA - IMAX) / 2011 09 16 (USA - 3D)

UPC: 786936217421

Studio: Walt Disney Video

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:[Mild Violence, Child Classic, Watch With Your Kids, Scary Moments]

Summary: One of the most popular Disney animated musicals, The Lion King presents the story of a lion cub's journey to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. Simba (voiced first by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then by Matthew Broderick) begins life as an honored prince, the son of the powerful King Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones). The cub's happy childhood turns tragic when his evil uncle, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), murders Mufasa and drives Simba away from the kingdom. In exile, the young lion befriends the comically bumbling pair of Pumbaa the warthog (voiced by Ernie Sabella) and Timon the meerkat (voiced by Nathan Lane), he and lives a carefree jungle life. As he approaches adulthood, however, he is visited by the spirit of his father, who instructs him to defeat the nefarious Scar and reclaim his rightful throne. Borrowing elements from Hamlet, classical mythology, and African folk tales, The Lion King tells its mythic coming-of-age tale with a combination of spectacular visuals and lively music, featuring light, rhythmic songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score by Hans Zimmer. Embraced by children and adults alike, the film also spawned hit songs ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "The Circle of Life") and a hit Broadway musical. In late 2002, The Lion King was re-released in the large-screen IMAX format. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Category: Children's/Family

Awards: Best Picture - Musical or Comedy – null Best Original Score – null Best Original Song – null Best Original Song – null Best Animation – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Family Film – National Board of Review Best Original Song – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Original Song – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Original Score – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Musical or Comedy – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Two versions of the film: special edition with an all-new song and original release
Audio commentary by producer Don Hahn and directors Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers
First-ever digital presentation
Bonus features with all-new animation
Deleted scenes
All-new song, "Morning Report," and making-of featurette
All-new 5.1 Disney enhanced home theater mix
Music videos: "Circle of Stars" by Disney Channel "Circle of Stars", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Sir Elton John
"Experimential" features and games
Singalong track
Deleted and abandoned scenes
Timon & Pumbaa's Virtual Safari
Exciting journeys that take you beyond the movie

Lion King

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 10/07/2003

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Vistavision

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, THX THX-Certified Mastering

Runtime: 90 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. "Circle of Life
2. Scar
3. Father and Son/"Morning Report"
4. Uncle Scar
5. "I Just Can't Wait to be King"
6. Elephant Graveyard
7. Under the Stars
8. "Be Prepared"
9. Stampede
10. The King is Dead
11. Scar Takes Over
12. Timon and Pumbaa
13. "Hakuna Matata"
14. Scar in Command
15. Pumbaa and Timon Wax Philosophical
16. Nala and Simba Reunite
17. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
18. Trouble in Paradise
19. He Lives in You
20. Simba Returns
21. Simba Confronts Scar
22. The Fight
23. Simba Ascends
24. End Credits

Derek Armstrong

Arriving in theaters with a roar, The Lion King quickly became the ruler of Disney's vast jungle, far outgrossing any of the studio's previous releases (a whopping 312 million dollars domestically) and assuring itself a timeless legacy through its incarnation as one of the most popular Broadway musicals of all time. A fairly simple tale is told with sweeping visual brush strokes of verdant Africa, and an Oscar-winning score (by Hans Zimmer) and songs (by Elton John and Tim Rice) to match. It's noteworthy that The Lion King represents Disney's anomalous return to entirely non-human characters; whether this was key to its success or not is uncertain, but the studio did not try to duplicate this formula until it was basically forced to with Dinosaur in 2000. Because The Lion King hews fairly closely to Disney's usual patterns in all other respects, it's hard to pinpoint exactly why this film struck viewers so much more profoundly than others. It exists as a testament to clean, straightforward storytelling featuring proud heroes and hissable villains, as well as numerous lessons to be gleaned by its younger viewers. Even so, the film was not without controversy -- some critics and watchdog groups decried the fact that Scar's seedy hyenas, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin, were played too ethnically to come across as anything but vicious stereotypes of blacks and Latinos. Ultimately, however, concerns like this were lost in the multitude of accolades heaped on what was, at the time, Disney's most successful animated feature ever. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Roger Allers  Director 
Don Hahn  Producer 
Sarah McArthur  Executive Producer 
Rob Minkoff  Director 
Jonathan Roberts  Screenwriter 
Thomas C. Schumacher  Executive Producer 
Linda Woolverton  Screenwriter 
Hans Zimmer  Composer (Music Score) 
Irene Mecchi  Screenwriter 
Matthew Broderick  Actor 
Jeremy Irons  Actor 
James Earl Jones  Actor 
Moira Kelly  Actor 
Nathan Lane  Actor 
Ernie Sabella  Actor 
Whoopi Goldberg  Actor 
Cheech Marin  Actor 
Robert Guillaume  Actor 
Rowan Atkinson  Actor 
Niketa Calame  Actor 
Jim Cummings  Actor 
Madge Sinclair  Actor 
Jonathan Taylor Thomas  Actor 
Zoe Leader  Actor 
Joseph Williams  Actor 
Jason Weaver  Actor 
David McCharen  Actor 
Philip Proctor  Actor 
Frank Welker  Actor 
Cathy Cavadini  Actor 
Judi M. Durand  Actor 

Country: USA