I have long been a fan of Disney, from classic Disney when I saw Bambi at the cinema as a child, all the way through to their recent collaborations with Pixar. But one of the Disney films I had never seen was The Lion King. This has shocked a lot of people I know as The Lion King is not only regarded as one of the best Disney films, it's also all about lions. Which I love.
So when I heard that The Lion King was being re-released at the cinema in 3D I knew I had to take the opportunity to finally see it.
*synopsis contains spoilers*
The story, for those unfamiliar, is of Simba, a lion cub born to the lion king Mufasa on Pride Rock in Africa. He is a mischievous cub, always getting into scrapes, until one day his father is killed trying to save him from a wildebeest stampeed. Convinced by his uncle Scar that he should leave Pride Rock to avoid the shame of his actions, Simba runs away vowing never to return. He soon collapses from the heat in the wastelands and is rescued by a meerkat named Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa who teach him their philosophy of 'hakuna matata' which means no worries. All is well with the three of them until one day when a lioness called Nala tries to kill Pumbaa. Simba soon realises this is the lioness he grew up with and she convinces him to return to his homeland and face up to his uncle who has run the kingdom into the ground.
I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed with The Lion King. I wanted to see it for so many years and I really wanted to love it. I thought the animation was excellent but the story left something to be desired. And considering my love of lions I feel that says quite a lot. I thought the middle section with Timon and Pumbaa was the most aimed at children and as such, the least enjoyable for me. I couldn't help but feel if I'd seen it when I was younger I might've liked it more.
I also found the voice actors very distracting. Whereas Disney/Pixar tend to go for unknown or character actors now, it seems back then they went for the most recognisable voices possible. *If you don't know who the voice actors are and don't want to know, don't read the rest of this.* The most recognisable of all the voices is James Earl Jones as Mufasa, the whole time I was waiting for him to say "Luke, I am your father". I mean who casts Darth Vader as a voice in a Disney film? The next was Rowan Atkinson as Mufasa's advisor Zazu, a very odd choice for a mostly American cast. And of course, the villain of the piece had to be English didn't he? Jeremy Irons seemed to relish his role as Scar, and did a wonderful job, but again, he has a very recognisable voice. *Okay, now you're safe to read on.*
Aside from playing spot the voice actor I just found the film to be a little on the boring side. Knowing that Elton John wrote the songs for the film I was also a bit disappointed that there weren't that many songs in it. I'd expected there to be lots more. And finally, I don't think the 3D really added anything. Even my friends who were fans of the film said the same.
Having said all that, I think if you're already a fan, it will be nice to see on the big screen again. If you haven't seen it, try to keep your expectations low. And if you don't like it, well then why are you reading this? 6 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 8th October 2011
UK Release Date - 7th October 2011
Cast Overview:
(If you don't want to know, don't scroll down!)
Young Simba ~ Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Adult Simba ~ Matthew Broderick
Young Nala ~ Niketa Calame
Adult Nala ~ Moira Kelly
Mufasa ~ James Earl Jones
Timon ~ Nathan Lane
Pumbaa ~ Ernie Sabella
Scar ~ Jeremy Irons
Zazu ~ Rowan Atkinson
Shenzi ~ Whoopi Goldberg
Director(s) ~ Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Writer(s) ~ Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton (Screenplay),
Brenda Chapman (Story Supervisor),
Burny Mattison, Barry Johnson, Lorna Cook, Thom Enriquez, Andy Gaskill, Gary Trousdale, Jim Capobianco, Kevin Harkey, Jorgen Klubien, Chris Sanders, Tom Sito, Larry Leker, Joe Ranft, Rick Maki, Ed Gombert, Francis Glebas and Mark Kausler (Story),
J.T. Allen, George Scribner, Miguel Tejada-Flores, Jenny Tripp, Bob Tzudiker, Christopher Vogler, Kirk Wise and Noni White (Additional Story Material).
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