The Lion King
2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Films
| The Lion King | |
|---|---|
 Movie Poster for The Lion King by John Alvin |
|
| Directed by | Roger Allers Rob Minkoff |
| Produced by | Don Hahn |
| Written by | Irene Mecchi Jonathan Roberts Linda Woolverton |
| Starring | Matthew Broderick Jeremy Irons James Earl Jones Jonathan Taylor Thomas Nathan Lane Ernie Sabella Moira Kelly Robert Guillaume Rowan Atkinson Whoopi Goldberg Cheech Marin Jim Cummings |
| Music by | Elton John & Tim Rice (music & lyrics) Hans Zimmer (original score) |
| 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 Special Edition) |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $79,300,000 (estimated) |
| Gross revenue | Domestic: $328,541,776 Foreign: $455,300,000 Worldwide: $783,841,776 |
| Followed by | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, released in theaters on June 15, 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd film in the Disney animated feature canon. The film was the highest grossing animated film of all time until the release of Finding Nemo (a Disney/Pixar computer-animated film). The Lion King still holds the record as the highest grossing traditionally animated film in history. This movie belongs to the successful Disney Renaissance.
The story, influenced by the Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III and Disney's 1942 classic Bambi, focuses on a young lion in Africa named Simba, who learns of his place in the great "circle of life" and overcomes many obstacles to claim his place as the rightful king.
A musical film, The Lion King garnered two Academy Awards for its achievement in music. Songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with an original score by Hans Zimmer. Disney later produced two related movies: a sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride; and a part prequel/part midquel, The Lion King 1½.
Plot
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, a wise old mandrill shaman, (commonly mistaken as a baboon), anoints Simba ( Swahili for Lion), the newborn cub of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, and presents him to a massive gathering of animals at Pride Rock (" Circle of Life"). Meanwhile, Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, upset that he is no longer the heir to the throne, plots to kill Mufasa and Simba in order to usurp it.
When Simba has grown into a young cub, Mufasa takes him on a tour of the Pride Lands, teaching him about the Circle of Life, the delicate balance affecting all living things, which the king must maintain. The tour is cut short when Mufasa's adviser, the hornbill Zazu, alerts him of hyena sightings in the Pride Lands, and Mufasa sends a disappointed Simba home while he deals with the threat. Back at Pride Rock, Scar piques Simba's curiosity about the elephant graveyard, a place beyond the northern borders of the Pride Lands, where Mufasa has forbidden Simba to go. Simba, trying to prove his courage, takes his best friend Nala to the elephant graveyard, fooling Zazu along the way (" I Just Can't Wait to Be King"). At the graveyard, the cubs are greeted by Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, Scar's hyena minions who attempt to kill the cubs. Fortunately, they are rescued by Mufasa at the nick of time.
Mufasa scolds Simba on the way home and orders Zazu to escort Nala back to Pride Rock, and explains to Simba that being brave does not mean looking for trouble. When Simba asks if his father will always be with him, Mufasa tells his son that the great kings of the past watch from the stars, just as he will watch over Simba one day when the sun sets on his time. Meanwhile, Scar becomes furious, as he intended for the hyenas to kill the cubs. Plotting further, Scar gathers more hyenas and buys their loyalty by claiming that if he becomes king, they'll never go hungry again (" Be Prepared").
Some time 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. Alerted by an insincerely dramatic Scar, Mufasa races to rescue his son from the stampede. Mufasa successfully saves his son, but struggles to bring himself to safety. As Mufasa helplessly clings on to a steep cliff, he asks Scar for help, but Scar flings his brother into the raging stampede below, after mocking him with the words "long live the king." Simba, who sees his father fall, (but not the reason for the fall) rushes down to his father's body, and tries to wake up the dead king to no avail. An approaching Scar convinces Simba that the young cub was responsible for his father's death, and recommends that he flee the Pride Lands, never to return. As Simba is running off, Scar sends his hyena henchmen to kill Simba again, but as Simba flees through a thornbush-covered embankment, the hyenas break off pursuit and let him escape. Hurling threats that he will be killed if ever seen again, the hyenas return to Scar and lie that they have murdered the cub. Informed that both Mufasa and Simba were killed, the pride regretfully allows Scar to assume the throne as the closest of kin. Still mourning, they are told the hyenas are now part of the pride.
In a distant desert Simba is found unconcscious by Timon and Pumbaa, a comical meerkat- warthog duo who adopt and raise the cub under their carefree " Hakuna Matata" lifestyle. When Simba has grown into an adult, he is discovered by his childhood friend Nala, who relays that Scar's tyrannical reign has devastated the Pride Lands, turning it into a barren wasteland. She asks Simba to return and take his rightful place as king, but Simba refuses, still guilty about supposedly causing his father's death.
Simba then shows Nala around his home. During this, the two fall in love (" Can You Feel the Love Tonight"). But immediately afterwards, Nala tells Simba that she does not understand why he will not return to Pride Rock. The two become angry, confused, and end up in a quarrel. However, Rafiki shows up and indirectly persuades Simba to return home with a series of metaphors. Combined with an appearance of the ghost of Mufasa, Simba realizes his responsibility and heads back to Pride Rock, followed by Timon, Pumbaa and Nala.
Once back at Pride Rock, Simba is shocked finding out how true Nala's description of how the once-majestic kingdom he remembered turned out to be. Convinced of what must be done, he decides to find Scar, encouraging Timon and Pumba to distract the hyenas and Nala to rally the lionesses. Meanwhile, after seeing his mother struck by Scar for criticizing him, Simba steps in. A bewildered Scar falsely believes that Mufasa has come back. However, Simba has announced his return to his battered mother, while confronting Scar. Afraid of losing the throne, Scar announces to the pride that Simba was responsible for Mufasa's death. He then corners Simba at the edge of Pride Rock with his hyenas, resulting in a scene similar to Mufasa's death. At the same time, lightning strikes the dry brush, surrounding Pride Rock with flames. As Simba dangles over the edge of Pride Rock with flames below him, an over-confident Scar reveals the truth about Mufasa's death. Enraged, Simba leaps up and pins Scar to the ground, forcing him to admit his wrongdoings. A fierce battle between the lionesses and the hyenas ensues. Rafiki, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa join the fray as well.
Atop Pride Rock's peak, Simba finally corners Scar. Attempting to gain Simba's mercy, Scar tries to surreptitiously blame everything on the hyenas, but Shenzi, Banzai and Ed overhear this betrayal. Simba demands that Scar leave the Pride Lands and never return, like Scar told Simba to do years earlier. Scar pretends to leave, but promptly attacks Simba, resulting in a violent final duel. Simba triumphs over his uncle by kicking him over a low cliff. Scar manages to survive and staggers to his paws, but finds himself surrounded by the now resentful hyenas. The hyenas approach their fallen leader and devour him alive, just as everything is seemingly enveloped by the fire.
A downpour extinguishes the brushfire, however, and Simba subsequently reconciles with his family. Rafiki then directs Simba to Pride Rock's overlook with the words "it is time". As Simba reaches the top of the overlook, he see the stars shining down on him and hears the voice of his father booming, "Remember..." Emboldened, Simba roars to signify that he is now king of the Pride Lands. With Simba and Nala as the new king and queen, the Pride Lands become green with life again. The movie concludes with Rafiki lifting Simba and Nala's newborn cub high into the air for all the animals to see, thus continuing the circle of life.
Characters
- Simba, voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a cub and Matthew Broderick as an adult, is the protagonist of the movie and the prince of the Pride Lands. His singing voice is provided by Jason Weaver as a cub and Joseph Williams as an adult. He struggles after being exiled from the Pride Lands in the jungle, but also grows up there.
- Scar, voiced by Jeremy Irons, is the film's antagonist and King Mufasa's scheming brother, who desires the throne. Scar is named so because of the scar he has across his left eye.
- Mufasa, voiced by James Earl Jones, is the King of the Pride Lands and Simba's father. His death causes Simba to leave the Pride Lands, but Mufasa also helps him, making appearances in the clouds.
- Timon and Pumbaa, voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella respectively, are the comical meerkat and warthog sidekicks who live as outcasts in the jungle under the philosophy of " Hakuna Matata" (no worries). They become Simba's provisional guardians during his exile. They also provide comic relief for the movie and become his best friends, teaching him for most of his adolescent life.
- Nala, voiced by Niketa Calame as a cub and Moira Kelly as an adult, is the childhood friend and intended mate of Simba. She goes to the jungle, this bringing Simba back to the Pride Lands to realize his destiny.
- Rafiki, voiced by Robert Guillaume, is a wise mandrill who presents the newborn prince of the lions. Rafiki lives in a tree and acts almost as a shaman. He is also the mediator between childhood and adulthood for 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 as his "second-in-commands".
- Sarabi, voiced by Madge Sinclair, is Simba's mother, the Queen of King Mufasa and the leader of the lionesses.
- Sarafina, voiced by Zoe Leader, is Nala's mother. Her name is given only in the end credits of the film.
Production
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.
Over 600 artists, animators and technicians contributed to the "The Lion King" over its lengthy production schedule. In the end, more than one million drawings were created for the film, which is made up of 1,197 hand-painted backgrounds and 119,058 individually colored frames of 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 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. While both films were commercial successes,The Lion King received a greater amount of positive feedback and larger grosses than Pocahontas.
The main locations for the film, including Pride Rock and the Gorge, are modeled after Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya. This animated film was created and recorded at a studio in Burbank, California.
Months prior to the film's release, the Walt Disney Company's Chief Operating Officer Frank Wells died in a helicopter crash. A statement in remembrance of Wells was added to the beginning of the film as a result.
Reaction
The Lion King garnered critical acclaim, and currently has a 92% "fresh" rating at RottenTomatoes.com. Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert called the film "a superbly drawn animated feature" in his print review. However, on the program Siskel & Ebert the film received a mixed reaction from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, despite a "Thumbs Up" from both critics. Siskel said that it wasn't on par with earlier films like Beauty and the Beast and was "A good film, not a great one". Meanwhile, The Washington Post called it "an impressive, almost daunting achievement".
Box office performance
| Source | Gross (USD) | % Total | All Time Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | $328,541,776 ($312,855,561 initially) | 41.9% | 17 |
| Foreign | $455,300,000 | 58.1% | N/A |
| Worldwide | $783,841,776 | 100.0% | 22 |
| Domestic Adjusted (2008) | $531,354,700 | N/A | 24 |
The Lion King became the highest grossing motion picture of 1994 worldwide, and the second highest in the USA (the first being Forrest Gump). The film initially made US$312,855,561 domestically, but including its 2002 IMAX re-release the domestic amount totaled to $328,541,776. The initial gross includes the film's short return to theaters in November 1994.
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. Shrek 2 further surpassed Nemo's gross in 2004, but The Lion King still remains the most successful non- CGI animated feature. 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).
Awards
The film got several nominations for different awards:
- Academy Awards
- Best Original Score (Won)
- Best Original Song for " Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (Won)
- Best Original Song for Circle of Life (Nominated)
- Best Original Song for Hakuna Matata (Nominated)
- Golden Globe Awards
- Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Won)
- Best Original Score (Won)
- Best Original Song " Can You Feel the Love Tonight " (Won)
- Best Original Song Circle of Life (Nominated)
- Annie Awards
- Best Animated Feature (Won)
- Best Achievement for Voice Acting to Jeremy Irons for voicing Scar (Won)
- Best Individual Achievement for Story Contribution in the Field of Animation (Won)
- Best Individual Achievement for Artistic Excellence in the Field of Animation (Nominated, lost against The Nightmare Before Christmas)
- Saturn Awards
- Best Fantasy Film (Nominated, lost against Forrest Gump)
- Best Performance by a Younger Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Nominated, lost against Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles - Kirsten Dunst)
- Best DVD Classic Film Release in 2004 (Nominated, lost against The Adventures of Robin Hood)
- British Academy Film Awards
- BAFTA Award for Best Sound (Nominated, lost against Speed)
- Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music (Nominated, lost against Backbeat)
- BMI Film & TV Awards
- BMI Film Music Award " Can You Feel the Love Tonight " (Won)
- Most Performed Song from a Film "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (Won)
- Grammy Award
- Best Vocal Performance Male for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" Elton John (Won)
- Song of the Year for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (Nominated, lost against Streets of Philadelphia from Philadelphia)
- Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (Nominated, lost against Streets of Philadelphia from Philadelphia)
- Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for "Circle of Life" (Nominated, lost against Streets of Philadelphia from Philadelphia)
- Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television (Nominated, lost against Schindler's List)
- MTV Movie Awards
- Best Villain Jeremy Irons (Nominated, lost against Dennis Hopper from Speed)
- Best Song From A Movie for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (Nominated, lost against Big Empty by Stone Temple Pilots from The Crow)
- Kids' Choice Awards
- Favorite Movie (Won)
In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. The Lion King was acknowledged as the fourth best film in the animation genre.
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.
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, during the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub.
- "The 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 that he and Nala 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. The song encompasses a montage sequence during which Simba grows into a young adult.
- " 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 67th Academy Awards.
The compilation Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic includes " Circle of Life", " I Just Can't Wait to Be King", and " Hakuna Matata" on the red disc, " Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" on the blue disc, and " Be Prepared" on the green disc. The compilation Disney's Greatest Hits also includes " Circle of Life" on the blue disc, " Hakuna Matata" on the green disc, and " Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" on the red disc.
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 of sorts 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 The 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. However, it was re-released in 2003 and included in some international versions of The Lion King's special edition soundtrack with an additional track.
Additionally, a long-lost "Lion King Expanded Score" containing never-before-released instrumental music from Hans Zimmer's original score has been available on eBay.
Sequels and spin-offs
The success of the film led to several spin-offs, the 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 Theatre 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, human world than the film's.
In addition, a direct-to-video sequel called The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride was released in 1998, focusing on Simba and his daughter Kiara as she falls in love with Kovu, a former member of Scar's pride. Finally, a direct-to-video prequel/midquel, The Lion King 1½ (also known as The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata), was released in 2004, showing the timeline of The Lion King from the perspective of Timon and Pumbaa as well as some background on these two characters.
Several characters from The Lion King including Timon, Pumbaa, Simba, Nala, Rafiki, Zazu, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, Scar and Mufasa appear in the Disney Channel series, House of Mouse. Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki and Zazu also appear in the movie Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed also appear in the movie Mickey's House of Villains. Simba and Nala also make a quick appearance.
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. 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.
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 two versions of the film on the first disc, a remastered version created for the 2002 IMAX release and the original 1994 theatrical version. A second disc with bonus features was also featured on the DVD release. The film's soundtrack was available in its original Dolby 5.1 track or in a new Disney Enhanced Home Theatre Mix, one of the first Disney DVDs to do so. 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. More than two million copies of the Platinum Edition DVD and VHS units were sold on the first day of release. A DVD boxed set of the three The Lion King films (in two-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. In January 2005, the film went back into moratorium.
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. One of the most noticeable differences features re-drawn crocodiles in the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence.
Although Disney has not announced a date for a Blu-ray Disc re-release of The Lion King yet, the studio has publicly shown clips of the film on Blu-ray at CES 2008.
Musical
The Lion King was adapted into a successful Broadway stage musical in 1997, which garnered 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical.
Controversies
Story origin
The Lion King was the first Disney animated feature to be an original story, rather than being 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. One similarity between the two is that the protagonists' names (Kimba and Simba) are very similar—although the word "simba" means "lion" in Swahili. Other parallels include 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. Early production artwork on the film's Platinum Edition DVD even depicts a white lion, but later it was found to be Taka, a lion that was to be in the film but was cut short (Taka was later revealed to have been Scar's birth name). 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.
The character designs and scenes are the only things that have been speculated to be taken from Kimba; the two stories are rather different from each other. The filmmakers, however, did say that the story of The Lion King was inspired by the Joseph and Moses stories from the Bible and William Shakespeare's Hamlet. 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.
The plot is also noted as sharing some striking elements with the West African Epic of Sundiata.
It also bears striking resemblance to the ancient Egyptian Legend of Osiris and Isis. Osiris (Mufasa) is the king of the land, but the jealous brother Set (Scar) wants the crown for himself. So he kills Osiris and blames Horus (Simba) for the death. Horus is outcast, but found by Hathor (A mix between Timon, Pumbaa and Nala). He returns to the kingdom and defeats the evil Set.
Alleged subliminal messaging
In one scene of the film's original VHS and LaserDisc releases, it appears that the word "SEX" was embedded into the dust flying in the sky when Simba flops down, 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. Due to the controversy it had caused, the scene was edited in the film's 2003 DVD and VHS releases, in which the dust no longer formed any words.
"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.
Hamas' propaganda
In August 2007, the Hamas organization produced an animated propaganda film that allegedly mimicked the style of The Lion King. The program was aired via their television station, Al-Aqsa TV. Hamas was portrayed as a lion that chased and killed rats that bore the likenesses of members of the secular Fatah organization in Gaza. The program was briefly aired but was pulled off the air for revision.
Impact on popular culture
Because of its popularity, The Lion King has been referenced in various media. For instance, 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 (who voiced both Mufasa and Darth Vader), saying: "You must avenge my death, Kimba... dah, I mean Simba," a reference to the Lion King/Kimba the White Lion controversy.
Disney also frequently referenced The Lion King in its own films. For example, 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. This could also be referencing the fact that Tim Allen, who voiced Buzz Lightyear, was in Home Improvement with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who voiced Cub Simba. Pumbaa made a cameo in Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), while Hercules (1997) paid homage to both The Lion King and the Nemean Lion: Scar's skin is worn by Hercules while he is posing for a painting on a Greek vase.
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 NES version, however, was only released in Europe, and was not identical to the SNES version. The second game, entitled The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure, was published in 2000 by Activision and was released on PlayStation and Game Boy Colour.
In 1996, Disney Interactive and 7th Level released Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games for the PC. It was later seen on the SNES. Games include one where Pumbaa uses his gas to destroy fruits and bugs (and even a kitchen sink) that fall out of trees, a variation on a pinball game, a game where you use a peashooter to hit enemy creatures in the jungle, a game where Timon has to jump onto hippos over a river to deliver bugs to Pumbaa, and a variation on Tetris called Bug Drop.
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.
In the Disney and Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts, Simba appears as an ally that Sora can summon during battles. He also appears again as a summon character in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. In Kingdom Hearts II, the Pride Lands becomes one of the playable worlds. Several characters from the film appear, including Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, Nala, Mufasa, Rafiki, Scar, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. Zazu is absent from the game entirely, though this may be to prevent any confusion between zazu and a disguised Donald Duck (Donald is disguised as a zazu-like bird in the level)