The Lion King
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Lion King | |
|---|---|
 Promotional Poster for The Lion King |
|
| Directed by | Roger Allers Rob Minkoff |
| Produced by | Don Hahn |
| Written by | Irene Mecchi Jonathan Roberts Linda Woolverton |
| Starring | Matthew Broderick James Earl Jones Jeremy Irons Jonathan Taylor Thomas Nathan Lane Ernie Sabella Robert Guillaume Moira Kelly Rowan Atkinson Whoopi Goldberg Cheech Marin Jim Cummings Madge Sinclair |
| Music by | Hans Zimmer |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 15, 1994 (selected cities) June 24, 1994 (general) November 18, 1994 (re-release) December 25, 2002 (IMAX re-release) |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $79,300,000 (estimated)[1] |
| Followed by | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) |
| Official website | |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Lion King is a 1994 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. 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.[2][3] 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.[4]
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.[5] Disney later produced two related movies: a sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and a semi-prequel, The Lion King 1½.
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[edit] Production
The Lion King was originally called King of the Jungle during early stages of production.[6] As in the case of the earlier film Bambi, animators studied real-life animals for reference, and some of the filmmakers went to Africa to observe the natural habitat that would be shown in the film.[7]
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.[8]
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.[9] However, when the two films were released, The Lion King received much more positive feedback and bigger grosses than Pocahontas, although both became successful.[10][11]
[edit] Plot
The story of The Lion King takes place in the fictional Pride Lands of Africa, where Mufasa, a lion, rules over the other animals as king (the lion being considered the traditional king of the animals). 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.
Mufasa's brother, Scar, realizes that with Simba's birth, he is no longer next in line to the throne, and plots to kill Simba and Mufasa as a way of becoming king. Scar plants curiosity in Simba's mind about the elephant graveyard, a place beyond the borders of the Pride Lands where Mufasa has forbidden Simba to go. Simba disobeys his father's order and takes his friend, Nala (a female lion cub), to the elephant graveyard. There, the cubs are chased by Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, Scar's hyena minions. Mufasa rescues the cubs.
An unfazed Scar later engineers a wildebeest stampede into a gorge where Simba is trapped. Mufasa rescues his son from the stampede, but during an attempted climb to safety, Scar pushes Mufasa back into the stampede to his death. Scar makes Simba believe that the young cub was responsible for his father's death, and Simba flees the Pride Lands, ashamed and guilty. With Mufasa dead and Simba having left, Scar (telling everyone that both Mufasa and Simba were killed by the stampede) assumes the throne.
Simba collapses in a distant desert, where he is found by Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog. After much discussion about whether they should befriend a lion, the duo (deciding that having a lion on their side is better than having one as their enemy) adopt and raise the cub in the jungle under their carefree "Hakuna Matata" lifestyle.
Later, when Simba is grown, he encounters his childhood friend Nala, who relays that Scar's tyrannical and foolish reign has brought devastation to the Pride Lands and yielded power to the corrupt and stupid, but numerous, hyenas. She requests Simba to return and take his rightful place as king, but Simba refuses, happy in his new lifestyle, and still feeling guilty about supposedly causing his father's death. Nala rebukes him, telling him that it is his duty.
That night, Simba looks up into the sky and shouts to his father. Rafiki shows up, although Simba does not recognize him and believes him to be insane. However, Rafiki, using a combination of wisdom and humor, manages to convince Simba that Musafa's spirit lives in him. The ghost of Mufasa appears in the sky, and, in one of the most memorable scenes in the film, calls for his son and tells him to "remember." Simba decides to return to the pride lands.
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 in an attempt to turn all the lionesses (including Nala) against Simba. 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 to vitality.
In the ending scene, Rafiki lifts Simba and Nala's newborn cub high into the air, thus continuing the circle of life.
[edit] Crew
| Crew Position | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roger Allers Rob Minkoff |
| Produced by | Don Hahn |
| Written by | Irene Mecchi Jonathan Roberts Linda Woolverton |
| Executive Producer | Thomas Schumacher Sarah McArthur |
| Songs by | Sir Tim Rice Sir Elton John |
| Original Score by | Hans Zimmer |
| Associate Producer | Alice Dewey |
| Art Director | Andy Gaskill |
| Production Designer | Chris Sanders |
| Film Editor | John Carnochan Tom Finan |
| Artistic Supervisors | Brenda Chapman (Story supervisor) Dan St. Pierre (Layout supervisor) Doug Ball (Background supervisor) Vera Lanpher (Clean-up supervisors) Scott Santaro (Effects supervisor) Scott F. Johnston (Computer Graphics supervisor) |
| Artistic Coordinator | Randy Fullmer |
| Supervising Animators | Mark Henn (Young Simba) Ruben A. Aquino (Adult Simba) Andreas Deja (Scar) Tony Fucile (Mufasa) Tony Bancroft (Pumbaa) Michael Surrey (Timon) Anthony DeRosa (Adult Nala) Aaron Blaise (Young Nala) Ellen Woodbury (Zazu) James Baxter (Rafiki) Russ Edmonds (Sarabi) David Burgess & Alek Kuperschmidt (Banzai/Shenzi/Ed) |
| Production Manager | Dana Axelrod |
[edit] Characters
Unlike many previous Disney animated films that featured only a select few famous voice actors alongside lesser-known performers, nearly all of the voice acting work for The Lion King was done by well-known actors.
- Simba, voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a cub and Matthew Broderick as an adult, is the protagonist of the movie, and destined to be the ruler of the Pride Lands.
- Mufasa, voiced by James Earl Jones, is King of the Pride Lands and Simba's father.
- Scar, voiced by Jeremy Irons, is the film's antagonist and Mufasa's brother, who aspires to take his place as King.
- Timon and Pumbaa, voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella respectively, are the comical meerkat and warthog pair who live under the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" (no worries).
- Rafiki, voiced by Robert Guillaume, is a wise mandrill who presents the newborn prince of the lions.
- Nala, voiced by Niketa Calame as a cub and Moira Kelly as an adult, is the childhood friend and intended mate of Simba.
- Zazu, voiced by Rowan Atkinson, is a loyal hornbill who serves as Mufasa's majordomo.
- Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings respectively, are a trio of hyenas who assist Scar.
- Sarabi, voiced by Madge Sinclair, is Simba's mother and the leader of the lionesses.
- Sarafina, voiced by Zoe Leader, is Nala's mother.
[edit] Reaction
The Lion King garnered mostly favorable critical response. [10] Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert called the film "a superbly drawn animated feature",[12] and The Washington Post called it "an impressive, almost daunting achievement".[13] The film, however, did receive its share of criticism, with Marty Mapes stating "it presents an odd mix of deadly seriousness and slapstick humor."[14]
The film won two Academy Awards: Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight"). Besides winning in the same two categories in the Golden Globe Awards, it also won Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. In the Annie Awards, it won Best Animated Film, Best Individual Achievement for Story Contribution in the Field of Animation, and Jeremy Irons also won Best Achievement for Voice Acting for voicing Scar.[15]
[edit] Box office performance
| Source | Gross (USD) | % Total | All Time Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | $328,541,776 ($312,855,561 initially) | 41.9% | 16 |
| Foreign | $455,300,000 | 58.1% | N/A |
| Worldwide | $783,841,776[16] | 100.0% | 19 |
| Domestic Opening Weekend | $40,888,194 | 13.1% | 93 |
| Domestic Adjusted (2007) | $508,185,200 | N/A | 24 |
The Lion King became the highest grossing film of 1994 worldwide, and the second highest in the USA (losing to Forrest Gump).[17] The film initially made US$312,855,561 domestically, but including its 2002 IMAX re-release the domestic amount was $328,541,776. The initial gross includes the film's short return to theaters in November 1994.[18]
It held the record for the most successful animated feature film in history until that record was broken by the computer animated Finding Nemo in 2003. Since Shrek 2 surpassed Nemo's gross in 2004, it now ranks third, still remaining the highest-grossing film using traditional animation. When adjusted for inflation, it is the fourth top-grossing animated film (below Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Fantasia). It also holds the top spot in highest theater average gross in history.[18]
[edit] Music
Elton John and Tim Rice wrote five original songs for this film, with Elton John performing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" during the end credits. Hans Zimmer also contributed to the film a score supplemented with traditional African music and choir elements arranged by Lebo M. [19] The film won Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight") in both the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. [15] Three songs from the film were nominated simultaneously for the Best Original Song Academy Award ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight", "Circle of Life" and "Be Prepared "), with "Circle of Life" also being nominated simultaneously in the same category at the Golden Globe Awards. [20]
[edit] Songs
These are the musical numbers of the film, listed in order of appearance.
- "Circle of Life" is sung by an off-screen Carmen Twillie, with African vocals by Lebo M and his African choir. This song is played during the ceremony where a newborn Simba is presented to the animals of the Pride Lands. The song is reprised at the end of the film.
- "Morning Report", a song originally not in the film (it was created for the live musical version), was added with an accompanying animated sequence in the 2003 Platinum Edition home video re-release. Sung by Zazu (Jeff Bennett), Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and young Simba (Evan Saucedo), the song is an extension of the scene in the original film where Zazu delivers a morning report to Mufasa, and later gets pounced on by Simba.
- "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is sung by young Simba (Jason Weaver), young Nala (Laura Williams), and Zazu (Rowan Atkinson). Simba uses this musical number in the film to distract Zazu (so Nala and he can sneak off to the elephant graveyard), while expressing his wish to be king as soon as possible.
- "Be Prepared" is sung by Scar (Jeremy Irons/Jim Cummings), Shenzi (Whoopi Goldberg), Banzai (Cheech Marin) and Ed (Jim Cummings). In this song, Scar reveals to his hyena minions his plot to kill Mufasa and Simba.
- "Hakuna Matata" is sung by Timon (Nathan Lane), Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella) and Simba (Jason Weaver as a cub and Joseph Williams as an adult). Timon and Pumbaa use this song as a warm welcome to Simba as he arrives at their jungle home, and to symbolize their "no worries" lifestyle. Simba grows into a young adult by the end of the song.
- "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a love song sung mainly by an off-screen Kristle Edwards, with Timon (Nathan Lane), Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), adult Simba (Joseph Williams) and adult Nala (Sally Dworsky). This musical sequence shows Timon and Pumbaa's frustration at Simba falling in love, and the development of Simba and Nala's romantic relationship. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song during the 1994 Academy Awards.
[edit] Soundtrack and other albums
The film's original motion picture soundtrack was released on July 13, 1994.
On February 28, 1995, Disney released an album entitled Rhythm of the Pride Lands, a "sequel" to the original soundtrack which featured songs and performances inspired by, but not featured in, the film. Most of the tracks were composed by African composer Lebo M and focused primarily on the African influences of the film's original music, with most songs being sung either partially or entirely in various African languages. Several songs featured in the album would later have incarnations in other Lion King-oriented projects, such as the stage musical or the direct-to-video sequels (examples being "He Lives In You" used as the opening song for The Lion King II: Simba's Pride; and a reincarnation of "Warthog Rhapsody", called "That's All I Need", in The Lion King 1½). Rhythm of the Pride Lands was initially printed in a very limited quantity and therefore has since become a collector's item. However, it was re-released in 2003, included in some international versions of The Lion King's special edition soundtrack with an additional track.
In 2001, Disney released Festival of The Lion King, a soundtrack of the Lion King-inspired attraction of the same name at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.
[edit] Sequels and spin-offs
The success of the film led to several spin-offs, its first being a 70mm film released in 1995 entitled Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable. It promoted environmental friendliness and was shown in the Harvest Theater in The Land Pavilion at Epcot in Walt Disney World. Also debuted in 1995 was a spin-off television series called The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa which focused on the titular meerkat and warthog duo in a more modern setting than the film's.
In addition, a direct-to-video sequel called The Lion King II: Simba's Pride was released in 1998, focusing on Simba's daughter Kiara. Finally, a direct-to-video prequel/midquel, The Lion King 1½ (also known as The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata), was released in 2004 and takes place in a parallel timeline that interweaves with the action in the original Lion King but is told from Timon and Pumbaa's perspective.
[edit] Home video
The Lion King was first released on VHS and laserdisc in the United States on March 3, 1995, under Disney's "Masterpiece Collection" video series. The VHS tape quickly became one of the best-selling videotapes of all time: 4.5 million tapes were sold on the first day. [21] In addition, Deluxe Editions of both formats were released. The VHS Deluxe Edition included the film, an exclusive lithograph of Rafiki and Simba (in some editions), a commemorative "Circle of Life" epigraph, six concept art lithographs, another tape with the half-hour TV show The Making of The Lion King, and a certificate of authenticity. The CAV laserdisc Deluxe Edition also contained the film, six concept art lithographs and The Making of The Lion King, but also included storyboards, character design artwork, concept art, rough animation, and a directors' commentary that the VHS edition did not have, on a total of four double sided disks. These home video versions of The Lion King all went into moratorium in 1997. [22]
On October 7, 2003, the film was re-released on VHS and released on DVD for the first time as The Lion King: Platinum Edition, as part of Disney's Platinum Edition line of animated classic DVDs. The DVD release featured a remastered version of the film created for the 2002 IMAX release and a second disc with bonus features. The film's soundtrack was available in its original Dolby 5.1 track or in a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix. The DVD was the first of Disney DVDs to include the Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix. [23] By means of seamless branching, the film could be viewed either with or without a newly-created scene — a short conversation in the film replaced with a complete song, "The Morning Report". A Special Collector's Gift Set was also released, with the DVD set, five exclusive lithographed character portraits (new sketches created and signed by the original character animators), and an introductory book entitled The Journey.[22] More than two million copies of the Platinum Edition DVD and VHS units were sold on the first day of release. [21] A DVD boxed set of the three Lion King films (in two-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. In January 2005, the film went back into moratorium. [24]
The Platinum Edition of The Lion King was criticized by fans mainly for its false advertising: producer Don Hahn had earlier stated that the film would be in its original 1994 theatrical version, but it was confirmed after release that it was the "digitally enhanced" IMAX version instead, which is slightly different than the original theatrical cut. [25]
[edit] Musical
The film was adapted into an award-winning Broadway stage musical with the same title, directed by Julie Taymor, and featured actors in representational animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The stage show first opened on July 31, 1997 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, and was an instant success. After opening on Broadway, the show was nominated for eleven Tony Awards; it won six, including Best Musical and Best Director.
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Story origin
The Lion King was originally advertised as being the first animated Disney film not based on an already-existing story. However, elements of the film bear a resemblance to a famous 1960s Japanese anime television show, Kimba the White Lion.[26] The similarities include that the protagonist's name (Simba/Kimba, including the fact that Simba was once referred to as Kimba by Roy Disney[27]), that most characters in Kimba have an analogue in The Lion King, and that various individual scenes are nearly identical in composition and camera angle. Disney's official stance is that any resemblance is coincidental, and directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff stated that they were well into the development process before the Kimba similarity was identified. Despite the resemblances between the film and the series, neither Disney nor the family of Osamu Tezuka, Kimba's creator, has filed a lawsuit for any reason whatsoever.
The filmmakers, however, admitted that the story of The Lion King was inspired by the 1942 Disney animated film Bambi, the Joseph and Moses stories from the Bible, and William Shakespeare's Hamlet.[4] Christopher Vogler, in his book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers, described Disney's request that he suggest how to improve the plot of The Lion King by incorporating ideas from Hamlet.[28]
Interestingly, the plot also bears a resemblance to the Ancient Egyptian myth of Osiris and Set. According to the myth, Set murdered his brother, Osiris, out of jealousy. Horus, Osiris' son, later battled and defeated Set in a fight for the crown of Egypt. The plot also has certain elements of the African story of Sundiata.
[edit] Alleged subliminal message
In one scene of the film's original VHS release, it appears that the word "SEX" was embedded into several frames of animation,[29] which conservative activist Donald Wildmon asserted was a subliminal message intended to promote sexual promiscuity. However, the films' animators have stated that the letters spell "SFX" (a common abbreviation of "special effects"), and was a sort of innocent "signature" signed by the effects animation team to the work they did.[30]. Due to the controversy it caused, the image has been taken out of the 2003 DVD and VHS editions.
[edit] "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The use of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in a scene with Timon and Pumbaa has led to disputes between Disney and the family of South African Solomon Linda, who composed the song (originally titled "Mbube") in 1939. In July 2004, the family filed suit, seeking $1.6 million in royalties from Disney. In February 2006, Linda's heirs reached a legal settlement with Abilene Music, who held the worldwide rights and had licensed the song to Disney for an undisclosed amount of money.[31]:)
[edit] Impact on popular culture
Due to its popularity, The Lion King has been referenced in various media. For instance, in the animated TV series The Simpsons spoofed the film in the episode, "'Round Springfield". Towards the end of the episode, the ghost of Mufasa appears in the clouds with Bleeding Gums Murphy, Darth Vader and James Earl Jones, saying: "You must avenge my death, Kimba... dah, I mean Simba," a reference to the Lion King/Kimba the White Lion controversy.[32]
Disney has also referenced The Lion King in its own films. In the Disney-released, Pixar-produced 1995 computer animated film Toy Story, the song "Hakuna Matata" can be heard playing in Andy's car during the film's climax.[33] Pumbaa made brief appearances in The Hunchback of Notre Dame[34] and Aladdin and the King of Thieves,[35] both released in 1996. The 1997 animated film Hercules paid homage to both The Lion King and the Nemean Lion, in that Scar's skin is worn by Hercules while he is posing for a painting on a Greek vase[36]
[edit] Video games
Two video games based on the film have been released. The first, entitled, The Lion King, was published in 1994 by Virgin and was released on NES, SNES, Game Boy, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, PC and Amiga. The second, entitled The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure, was published in 2000 by Activision and was released on PlayStation and Game Boy Color.
A third game was published in 2004 simply called "The Lion King" for Game Boy Advance in Europe and Asia, but was in fact a game based on the direct-to-video prequel/midquel The Lion King 1½ with Timon and Pumbaa as the playable characters.
Part of the main plot of The Lion King is retold in the 2006 Square Enix PlayStation 2 game Kingdom Hearts II. The characters of the film appear in "Pride Lands", one of the many Disney "worlds" in the game. The plot is altered and new dialogue was recorded to accommodate the presence of the three main protagonists (Sora, Donald, and Goofy.)
[edit] See also
- The Lion King: Six New Adventures, a boxed set of books released after the film's success. The books provide some backstory for the film (such as how Scar received his scar) and chronicle events that take place between the film and Simba's Pride.
- The Lion King: The Brightest Star, a book and cassette tape set telling the story of Simba's great-grandfather Mohatu.
- Kingdom Hearts II, a video game that features The Lion King as one of its worlds.
[edit] References
- ^ The Lion King business data. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on August 22, 2007.
- ^ Adams, Cecil. Did Disney's The Lion King rip off an old Japanese TV series?. straightdope.com. Retrieved on September 16, 2007.
- ^ Andersen, Craig. Remake of Tezuka's Popular Story Turns Into Denial?. kimbawlion.com. Retrieved on September 24, 2007.
- ^ a b Don Hahn, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff. The Lion King: Platinum Edition (Disc 2) [DVD]. Walt Disney Home Video.
- ^ The Lion King - 1994 Academy Awards. boxofficemojo.com- 1994 Academy Awards. Retrieved on September 17, 2007.
- ^ The Lion King (1994). The Lion King (1994). Retrieved on September 12, 2007.
- ^ The Lion King: Platinum Edition DVD, (2003) Disc 2, 'Production Research Trip'
- ^ The Lion King: Platinum Edition DVD, (2003) Disc 2, 'Computer Animation'
- ^ The Lion King: Platinum Edition DVD, (2003) Disc 2, 'Origins'
- ^ a b Rotten Tomatoes - The Lion King. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on September 24, 2007.
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes - Pocahontas. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on September 17, 2007.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. The Lion King review. Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved on August 31, 2007.
- ^ Hinson, Hal. The Lion King review. The Washington Post. Retrieved on September 24, 2007.
- ^ Mapes, Marty. Movie Habit: Review of The Lion King. Movie Habit. Retrieved on February 5, 2007.
- ^ a b The Lion King awards. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.
- ^ All-Time Worldwide Box Office. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on September 17, 2007.
- ^ Highest grossing movies of 1994. movies.com. Retrieved on September 18, 2007.
- ^ a b The Lion King box office. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on July 30, 2007.
- ^ The Lion King: Platinum Edition DVD, (2003) Disc 2, 'Music: African Influence'
- ^ Golden Globe Awards. HFPA. Retrieved on November 8, 2007.
- ^ a b The Lion King home video selling figures. ComingSoon.Net. Retrieved on June 7, 2007.
- ^ a b TLK on Home Video. Lionking.org. Retrieved on September 24, 2007.
- ^ The Lion King Special Edition DVD features. disney.go.com. Retrieved on September 18, 2007.
- ^ Out of Print Disney DVDs. UltimateDisney.com. Retrieved on September 24, 2007.
- ^ The Lion King: Platinum Edition DVD Review (Page 2) which shows the differences between the film presented on the DVD and the original theatrical cut. UltimateDisney.com. Retrieved on August 23, 2007.
- ^ Comparison screen-shots of The Lion King and Kimba the White Lion. Kimbawlion.com. Retrieved on June 7, 2007.
- ^ Transcript. Kimbawlion.com. Retrieved on February 5, 2007.
- ^ Vogler, Christopher (1998). The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers.
- ^ The alleged "SEX" frame in The Lion King. Snopes. Retrieved on July 1, 2007.
- ^ Internal Disney sources (e.g. animators) claim that the word is not "SEX" at all, but "SFX". Lionking.org FAQ: Hey! I saw "SEX" in the clouds!. Retrieved on August 3, 2007.
- ^ Disney settles Lion song dispute. BBC news. Retrieved on August 31, 2007.
- ^ A clip from the Simpsons episode 'Round Springfield' which parodied The Lion King. TV.com. Retrieved on August 23, 2007.
- ^ Toy Story easter eggs. Easter Eggs. Retrieved on February 10, 2007.
- ^ The Hunchback of Notre Dame trivia. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.
- ^ Aladdin and the King of Thieves in-jokes. Disney Animation Kingdom - Jokes. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.
- ^ Hercules in-jokes. Disney Animation Kingdom - Jokes. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.
[edit] External links
- The Lion King at the Internet Movie Database
- The Lion King at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- The The Lion King Wiki
| The Lion King | |
|---|---|
| Films | The Lion King | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride | The Lion King 1½ |
| Characters | Ahadi | Kiara | Kopa | Kovu | Ma | Mohatu | Mufasa | Nala | Nuka | Rafiki | Sarabi | Sarafina | Scar | Shenzi, Banzai and Ed | Simba | Timon and Pumbaa | Tojo | Uncle Max | Uru | Vitani | Zazu | Zira |
| Songs | "Circle of Life" | "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" | "Be Prepared" | "Hakuna Matata" | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" |
| Books | The Brightest Star | Friends In Need | Six New Adventures |
| Games | The Lion King | Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games |
| Other media | Original motion picture soundtrack | Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable | Rhythm of the Pride Lands | The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa | Broadway musical | Festival of the Lion King | Festival of the Lion King soundtrack |
| Misc | Kings of the Pride Lands | The Lion King family | In popular culture |
| See also | "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" | Kingdom Hearts II | Kimba the White Lion controversy |
| Preceded by Mrs. Doubtfire |
Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy 1994 |
Succeeded by Babe |
| Preceded by Aladdin |
Walt Disney Pictures 1994 |
Succeeded by Pocahontas |
Categories: 1994 films | Best Song Academy Award winners | Annie Award winners | Disney animated features canon | English-language films | Films about animals | Films featuring anthropomorphic characters | Musical films | Shakespeare on film | Swahili-language films | The Lion King films | Xhosa-language films | Zulu-language films
