One
of the most popular Disney animated musicals, The Lion King presents the
story of a lion cub's journey to adulthood and acceptance of his royal
destiny. Simba (voiced first by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then by Matthew
Broderick) begins life as an honored prince, son of the powerful King Mufasa
(voiced by James Earl Jones). The cub's happy childhood turns tragic when
his evil uncle Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons) murders Mufasa and drives Simba
away from the kingdom. In exile, the young lion befriends the comically
bumbling pair of Pumbaa the warthog (voiced by Ernie Sabella) and Timon the
meerkat (voiced by Nathan Lane) and lives a carefree jungle life. As he
approaches adulthood, however, he is visited by the spirit of his father,
who instructs him to defeat the nefarious Scar and reclaim his rightful
throne. Borrowing elements from Hamlet, classical mythology, and African
folk tales, The Lion King tells its mythic coming-of-age tale with a
combination of spectacular visuals and lively music, featuring light,
rhythmic songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score by Hans Zimmer.
Embraced by children and adults alike, the film also spawned hit songs ("Can
You Feel the Love Tonight", "Circle of Life") and a hit Broadway musical. In
late 2002, The Lion King was re-released in the large-screen IMAX format.| Matthew Broderick | Simba [Voice] |
| Jeremy Irons | Scar [Voice] |
| James Earl Jones | Mufasa [Voice] |
| Moira Kelly | Nala [Voice] |
| Nathan Lane | Timon [Voice] |
| Ernie Sabella | Pumbaa [Voice] |
| Whoopi Goldberg | Shenzi [Voice] |
| Cheech Marin | Banzai [Voice] |
| Robert Guillaume | Rafiki [Voice] |
| Rowan Atkinson | Zazu [Voice] |
| Niketa Calame | Young Nala [Voice] |
| Jim Cummings | Ed [Voice] |
| Madge Sinclair | Sarabi [Voice] |
| Jonathan Taylor Thomas | Young Simba [Voice] |
| Jason Weaver | Young Simba (Singing) [Voice] |
| Frank Welker | [Voice] |
| Joseph Williams | Adult Simba (Singing) [Voice] |
| Cathy Cavadini | [Voice] |
| Philip Proctor | [Voice] |
| Judi M. Durand | [Voice] |
| David McCharen | [Voice] |
Genre/Type - Children's/Family, Adventure, Animated Musical, Children's Fantasy
Produced by - Buena Vista
Release - Jun 24, 1994 (USA) / Dec 25, 2002 (USA- IMAX)
Running time - 87 min.
Brother Bear (2003, Aaron Blaise, Bob Walker)
Dumbo (1941, Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney,
Bill Roberts, Ben Sharpsteen)
Bambi (1942, James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, David Hand, Graham Heid,
Perce Pearce, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Norman Wright)
The Legend of Johnny Lingo (2003, Steven Ramirez)
Finding Nemo (2003, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich)
Mulan (1998, Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft)
Ice Age (2002, Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha)
Dinosaur (2000, Eric Leighton)
The Lion King 1½ (2004, Bradley Raymond)
is followed by: Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998, Darrell Rooney, Rob LaDuca)