The Lion King

The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd Disney animated feature film, and the fifth animated film produced during a period known as the Disney Renaissance. The Lion King was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and has a screenplay credited to Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Its original songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with a score by Hans Zimmer. The film features an ensemble voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Madge Sinclair (in her last film role), Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings. The story takes place in a kingdom of lions in Africa and was influenced by the Biblical stories of Joseph and Moses, and William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The Lion King tells the story of Simba (Swahili for lion), a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands; however, after Simba's paternal uncle Scar murders Mufasa to seize the throne, Simba is manipulated into thinking he was responsible and flees into exile. After growing up in the company of the carefree outcasts Timon and Pumbaa, Simba receives valuable perspective from his childhood friend, Nala, and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and take his place in the Circle of Life as the rightful King.

Development of The Lion King began in 1988 during a meeting between Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney, and Peter Schneider while promoting Oliver & Company in Europe. Thomas M. Disch wrote a film treatment, and Woolverton developed the first scripts, while George Scribner was signed on as director, being later joined by Allers. Production began in 1991 concurrently with Pocahontas, which wound up attracting many of Disney's top animators. Some time after the staff traveled to Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya to research the film's setting and animals, Scribner left production, disagreeing with the decision to turn the film into a musical, and was replaced by Minkoff. When Hahn joined the project, he was dissatisfied with the script and the story was promptly rewritten. Nearly 20 minutes of animation sequences were produced at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Florida. Computer animation was also used in several scenes, most notably in the wildebeest stampede sequence.

The Lion King was released on June 15, 1994, to critical acclaim, praising the film for its music, story, themes, and animation. With an initial worldwide gross of $763 million, it finished its theatrical run as the highest-grossing film of 1994 and the highest-grossing animated film. It is also the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, as well as the best-selling film on home video, having sold over 30 million VHS tapes. On release, the film drew some controversy in Japan for its perceived similarities to Osamu Tezuka's 1960s anime series Kimba the White Lion. The Lion King garnered two Academy Awards for its achievement in music and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The film has led to many derived works, such as a Broadway adaptation in 1997; two direct-to-video follow-ups—the sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), and the prequel/parallel, The Lion King 1½ (2004); two television series, Timon and Pumbaa and The Lion Guard; a 3D re-release in 2011; and a photorealistic remake in 2019, which also became the highest-grossing animated film at the time of its release.

In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is, as of December 2019, the only Disney film to have been dubbed in Zulu, the only African language aside from Arabic to have been used for a feature-length Disney dub.

Cast

 * Matthew Broderick as Simba, a lion and the son of Mufasa and Sarabi and the protagonist of the film.
 * Joseph Williams as Simba's singing voice
 * Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Young Simba
 * Jason Weaver as Young Simba's singing voice
 * Moira Kelly as Nala, Simba's childhood friend and later love interest.
 * Sally Dworsky as Nala's singing voice
 * Niketa Calame as Young Nala
 * Laura Williams as Young Nala's singing voice
 * James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Simba's father and Scar's brother.
 * Jermery Irons as Scar, Simba's uncle and Mufasa's brother and the main antagonist of the film.
 * Jim Cummings as Scar's singing voice
 * Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as Timon and Pumbaa, Simba's friends.
 * Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, Mufasa's handmaiden.
 * Robert Guillaume as Rafiki, a baboon.
 * Madge Sinclair as Sarabi, Simba's mother.
 * Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings as Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, the three spotted hyenas and Scar's henchmen.

Songs

 * Circle of Life (performed by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M.)
 * I Just Can't Be Wait to Be King (performed by Jason Weaver and Laura Williams)
 * Be Prepared (performed by Jermery Irons and Jim Cummings)
 * Hakuna Matata (performed by Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver and Joseph Williams)
 * Can You Feel the Love Tonight (performed by Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Joseph Williams and Sally Dworsky)
 * Morning Report (performed by Jeff Bennett) (Platinum Edition only)
 * Can You Feel the Love Tonight (End Title version) (performed by Elton John)
 * Circle of Life (performed by Elton John) (not in feature film)
 * I Just Can Be Wait to Be King (performed by Elton John) (not in feature film)
 * Circle of Life (performed by Disney Channel of Stars) (Platinum Edition only)