The Lion King
Cast
Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Young Simba the Lion (voice)
Matthew Broderick as Adult Simba the Lion (voice)
Jeremy Irons as Scar the Mountain Lion (voice)
James Earl Jones as King Mufasa the Lion (voice)
Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa the Warthog (voice)
Nathan Lane as Timon the Meerkat (voice)
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Rater #2 has description and review
Rater #1
Has Not Seen Movie
Rater #2
9/10. Released Christmas Day in 2002 to IMAX and large format screens, The
Lion King makes a triumphant return to the screen after eight years.
Its every bit as majestic and great as it has been before.
The Lion King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) just had a baby cub named
Simba. All of the animals come to the ceremony, except for Mufasa's
brother Scar (Jeremy Irons). Scar desperately wants to be King, but
can't. As long as Mufasa and Simba are there. Soon Simba is able to
walk and talk and is voiced by Jonathon Taylor Thomas. After hearing
about an elephant graveyard from Scar, he and his friend Nala (Niketa
Calame) visit it. They meet three bumbling hyenas: Banzai (Cheech
Marin), Shenzi (Whoopi Goldberg), and Ed (Jim Cummings), but they
manage to leave unhurt. Scar is upset that the hyenas didn't do the
job, so he orders a stampede to wipe out both of them, but it only
takes care of Mufasa. Scar convinces Simba that he killed Mufasa, not
Scar. So Simba flees into exile.
The Lion King really benefits from the larger screen. Its lavish
landscapes will be able to capture you more, and you can really savor
the animation. Disney didn't need any humans, so they could spend all
of the time on a great story and lush landscapes. In fact, its camera
movement was so majestic that you actually felt like you were part of
the pride of lions.
The music boomed and really created the atmosphere. Although I had
seen this picture before, I still was tense because of the way the
music played out. Most of the time, I would just roll my eyes at the
attempt to make me nervous. But Hans Zimmer's music really bowled me
over and made my heart do calisthenics. Unlike such new Disney pics
like Lilo and Stitch, the songs actually did some good. They took you
out of a somewhat dreary mood and put a smile on your face and made
your feet want to tap along. There were only a few, but they were
very entertaining. And the Circle of Life song at the beginning was
beautiful, with its perfect pictures and perfect sound.
I really like James Earl Jones (he's pretty diverse), and this time
was no exception. He seemed to act like he didn't want to do this
role, but he couldn't contain his excitement for wanting to do voice-
overs again (he had done some work in The Simpsons before). Matthew
Broderick redeemed himself for me (after the atrocious Ferris
Bueller's Day Off) by showing a strong voicing as the adult Simba.
Cheech Marin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jim Cummings really had good
chemistry together, even though they didn't have much screen time.
Irons was really good and creepy as Scar (one of those who you can't
help but hate), and if that is him really singing, brava!
Be warned, The Lion King isn't really for youngsters. It had intense
thematic elements that should have warranted a PG, instead of those
that don't deserve it (Lilo and Stitch, again). The mood that the
music and the script brought out could damper your day, so be warned.
This is one movie where you can feel for the characters. You don't
say "haha, he's dead", you say "Gasp! I'm so sad!" If it weren't for
the gifted scriptwriters, this movie would be kaput and a nothing,
not the best Disney movie ever made.
The Lion King is a majestic movie, not without humor, that is for
almost all to see.
Rater #3
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #4
9/10 Probably the greatest animated film of the '90s decade. I remember seeing this movie in theatres when I was younger. I thought it was so cool. I couldn't wait until McDonald's would come out with those stupid plastic toys of the movie characters. I liked the meercat the best. I think his name was Timone. The Lion King is the perfect Friday night film for kids 5-10 with humor that is perfect for that age category.The good vs. evil plot is easily understood and uncomplicated. The part where the good lion dies might be a tear-jerker for the youngest kids, most can still handle its intensity. The evil lion may be a little too evil for a lot of kids and the part where he falls into the fire and is incinerated could provoke some to run out of the room scared. This is why the movie should've been rated PG. I first saw the movie when I was six and it didn't really scare me, but then again, I saw Speed when I was three.
Rater #5
9.5/10 Excellent! This movie was great before and now putting on the IMAX, ingenious! You feel like you're in Africa (Sounds corny but hey!). The sound is everywhere, it's beyond words.
Rated G for intense thematic elements.
Running time: 89 minutes
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