The Lion King is everything. It is indeed the 'circle of life'. It is something that all children grew up watching, it is something so iconic and so memorable that even after 19 years, it is still beloved by not only kids but also adults alike. Released in 1994, The Lion King became an instant classic and has since then being regarded as one of the best animated films and the Disney classic! They are clearly both legitimate facts as even now, The Lion King looks as amazing as it had been.The Lion King centers around a lion by the name of Simba whose life turns for the worst when his father, Mufasa, is brutally murdered by a pack of hyenas. Fleeing for his life, The Lion King follows Simba's adventure as he meets two friends, Pumba and Timone as he must once more become the king that everyone, including his best friend believes he is. Yes, it is a classic coming of age story and truly one of the best there is. Despite being an animated film and having some unrealistic sequences, the movie as a whole and the character development of Simba is done so realistically, some emotionally and just so wonderfully that it truly using the brilliance of character and plot development as the core of the film.
Jeremy Irons is the perfect choice for Scar, Mufasa's brother, who throughout his life has dreamt of becoming king after his brother but upon the birth of Simba, realizing that Simba will indeed be the next king, Scar hatches a plan to capture and kill Mufasa and Simba and take the throne for himself. Yet another classic villain plot. Yet that said, it doesn't feel overused. Scar's voice is incredibly powerful, thanks to an amazing performance by Jeremy Irons. The rest of the cast including James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader, as Mufasa make for the strong cast. James Earl Jones has such a powerful and such an inspirational voice that there could be no better Mufasa. Jonathan Thomas as young Simba was great, clearly demonstrating the adventurous Simba and illustrating how Simba's life falls down a well extremely well but it is indeed the adult Simba played by Mathew Broderick who ensures that we buy the fact that Simba is to be king. He nails the character as do everyone else.
Much like the original Star Wars trilogy, The Lion King features an incredible villain and absolutely nailbiting conflict. The term 'conflict' doesn't necessarily mean action but simply the character conflict. In this case, Simba's conflict is that he feels guilty for the death of his father, as said by his uncle. By the end, in one of the most iconic showdowns in movie history, Simba does take on his evil and treacherous uncle in a one on one fight scene, which is full of family conflict. Questions would circle Simba's mind, whether or not to kill his uncle or not. Not only a strong villain but a great Disney animated film needs to have great songs and The Lion King has possibly the best ever. Songs such as 'Hakuna Mata..What a wonderful phrase!" and "It's the circle of life!" are amongst the very best of Disney and are incredibly powerful, catchy and iconic...which is always great!
All the character development falls perfectly in place by the end of the film. Simba's rise through a young cub guilty of his father's death to an escaped and adventurous cub to a brave, friendly and eventually, a kingly lion are portrayed perfectly as they should be in a coming of age tale! It's similar to the rise of Luke Skywalker, except here it is done all in the one film.
In fact, in many ways, the rise of Luke Skywalker is extremely similar to the rise of Simba. In the first Star Wars film, Luke is a determined and keen young farmer boy who wants to join the Rebellion. In the opening thirty minutes, Simba is a cub who is determined to become the same king as his father. In 'Empire Strikes Back', Luke is put to the heavy test of whether or not he will eventually succumb to the power of the Dark Side. In the second act of the film, Simba is put to the test because Scar feeds to him that he may be the one guilty of the death of his father. Not only this, but the test is more difficult than it appears as the real question is laid: will Simba become the king needed? In 'Return of the Jedi', Luke returns one last time to Vader to try and bring him back to the good side and destroying the Sith and thus, bringing peace to the galaxy and thus, the end of the Galactic Civil War. In the last act of the film, Simba doesn't necessarily try to turn Scar back to the good side but does what is needed and that is to stop Scar and return peace to his world.
Everything about The Lion King is great, whether it be the way the characters fall in place, the plot and character development, the amazing voice acting, the classic protagonist vs antagonist story, the songs and the direction taken. In the end, The Lion King is most definitely a classic coming of age tale that has been loved by the younger generation as well as the older generations and still to this day, continues to bring joy to people as they re-watch it.
Grade- A+
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