The Lion King (1994)

Movie
German title	The Lion King
Original title	The Lion King
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1994
length	88 minutes
Age rating	FSK 0
Rod
Director	Roger Allers , ; Rob Minkoff
script	Irene Mecchi , ; Jonathan Roberts , ; Linda Woolverton
production	Don Hahn
music	Hans Zimmer (music), ; Elton John (songs), ; Lebo M (vocals, leader of the choir)
cut	Tom Finan
synchronization
chronology
	Successor → ; The Lion King 2 - Simba's Kingdom

The Lion King (Original title: The Lion King ) is the 32th full-length animated film of the Walt Disney Studios and was published in 1994 . Measured in terms of cinema revenue, it is the most commercially successful classic cartoon film worldwide to date. The plot of the film revolves around Simba the lion cub and the arduous search for his place in the circle of life.

In 2011 , the original film was released in 3D by Walt Disney and was released in German-speaking countries on November 10, 2011.

In 1998 and 2004 the sequels The Lion King 2 - Simba's Kingdom and The Lion King 3 - Hakuna Matata appeared . In 1997 the film was adapted for a musical . In addition, Disney produced a computer-animated remake , in which Jon Favreau was directing and in 2019 was released for the 25th anniversary of the original.

action

The opening sequence shows how all the animals of the “Consecrated Land” make a pilgrimage to the King's Rock to see Simba, the newborn son of the Lion King, Mufasa. The wise Rafiki (a Mandrill ) anoints the lion cub and presented to the people.

Some time goes by. Mufasa rules the kingdom with goodness and wisdom and teaches Simba the "circle of life" and that everything is connected in balance. Maintaining this balance would later be Simba's job. Mufasa's younger brother Scar, however, is jealous of his nephew's position as heir and therefore plans to usurp the throne. Scar teams up with some starving hyenas (Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed) to try to overthrow his brother from the throne. In a first attempt to kill Simba, he "accidentally" tells him about an elephant cemetery, knowing full well that it arouses the young lion's curiosity. Together with his girlfriend Nala, Simba escapes their guardian Zazu (a hornbill ) and the two get to the elephant cemetery. There, however, they meet Scar's hyenas and are pursued by them. At the last second they are saved by Mufasa, who was informed by Zazu. Mufasa is deeply disappointed with Simba's behavior and tells him that you should only be brave when you have to be and not put yourself in unnecessary danger.

The next attempt to cause Scars instructions towards the hyenas a Gnu - Stampede in a ravine, had been lured into the Simba ago by Scar, on the pretext that Mufasa had a surprise for his son. While Simba waits in the gorge for Mufasa, he practices his roar and, he believes, triggers the stampede. Scar insidiously informs Mufasa of the danger and he saves Simba, but is swept away by the stampede himself. However, Mufasa manages to cling to a ledge. As he climbs higher, Scar suddenly stands over him. Mufasa begs Scar for help, whereupon the latter puts his claws in Mufasa's paws. He looks deep into his eyes and scornfully says: "Long live the king!" Then he hurls Mufasa down the cliff and kills him. In the fog of a gigantic cloud of dust left by the wildebeest, Simba finally finds his dead father and mourns him. Scar arrives and persuades Simba that this is responsible for Mufasa's death and advises him to leave the kingdom and never come back: “Run away, Simba. Run! Run far away and never come back! ” When the desperate Simba flees, Scar orders the hyenas to kill him. However, the hunt for Simba ends for the hyenas at the foot of a steep slope on a ledge, because the thorn bushes below make further pursuit for the hyenas impossible after Banzai has been pushed into the undergrowth. However, Simba manages to cross the undergrowth, escape the hyenas and flee into the desert towards the setting sun.

The next day, Simba lies exhausted on the ground under the scorching desert sun. He is rescued from a flock of hungry vultures by Timon (a meerkat ) and Pumbaa (a warthog ) and taken to the shade of an oasis where they revive Simba. Then they take the young lion into their jungle home and teach him their philosophy Hakuna Matata (“No worries”). After growing into a stately lion in the care of the two, Simba meets his childhood friend Nala again one day when he wanted to protect the hunting Pumbaa from her. Nala says she escaped Scar's dictatorial rule to seek help. She wants Simba to see that Scar and the hyenas have destroyed the Consecrated Land and asks Simba to return and take his rightful place as king. But Simba refuses, because he is happy with his new philosophy of life. He is also still tormented by the false belief that he was responsible for his father's death. Under furious accusations that she could "just show up and turn his life around" , Simba turns away from her and wanders around in his mind torn in the night savannah.

In this difficult situation Mufasa's old friend Rafiki appears and shows Simba with the help of his reflection in a small water hole that Mufasa lives on in him. Mufasa appears to him as an apparition in the clouds and advises Simba to look inside and see that he is the rightful king. Rafiki makes it clear to Simba that he cannot suppress his past and run away from it. To explain, he hits Simba on the head with his stick and figuratively advises him to learn from the pain. ("Oh yes, the past can hurt. But as I see it, you either run away or you learn from it.") With that, Rafiki Simba opens his eyes and Simba finally decides to return home. Nala, who is now worried about Simba, wakes Timon and Pumbaa and wants to ask about him. But suddenly Rafiki appears and announces that Simba is on the way back, whereupon the three follow him.

Simba arrives in the Consecrated Land and realizes that Nala was right: the once living and prosperous kingdom has degenerated into a barren wasteland under Scar's cruel rule. Together with Nala, Timon and Pumbaa, who have caught up with him, he approaches the King's Rock. Timon and Pumbaa distract the hyenas so Nala can round up the lionesses and Simba can advance to Scar. However, this one remains confident and dominant as he has the hyenas on his side. Scar even gets Simba to admit responsibility for Mufasa's death. With this he shocked all lionesses, but above all Nala and his mother Sarabi. Scar describes Simba as a murderer and drives him towards the cliff of King's Rock until Simba, like Mufasa years before, hangs helplessly in front of Scar over the abyss. Lightning strikes in the dry grass in front of the King's Rock and sets it on fire. Scar remembers how Mufasa died and rams his claws into Simba's paws. Before Scar tries to push him down, he whispers the truth in Simba's ear: that he, Scar, it was who killed Mufasa back then. Enraged by this sudden realization, Simba manages to break free and throw the surprised Scar on the ground and hold onto him. In this situation, Simba forces Scar to tell the truth to everyone gathered.

A fight then breaks out between the lions and the hyenas on the King's Rock. Scar tries to use this as cover and flees, but Simba chases him to the top of the King's Rock. Once up there, Scar tries to blame the hyenas for everything and describes them as "the real enemies". Simba tells Scar, in the same words he was expelled, that Scar should leave the country and never return: “Run away, Scar. And never come back! ” Scar seems to agree, but suddenly he hurls glowing ashes in Simba's face. A final fight between Simba and Scar breaks out and Simba finally manages to plunge Scar from the top of the King's Rock into the depths. He survives the fall, but is already awaited below by the hyenas, who overheard Scar's betrayal, take revenge for it, and kill him. A heavy downpour then extinguishes the fire that had meanwhile spread over the entire Königsfelsen.

Simba is eventually declared king and leads the country back to peace and prosperity. He and Nala have offspring who are presented to the other animals at the end of the film, just as Simba was presented to the other animals at the beginning. Thus the circle of life closes again.

characters

Meaning of the name in Swahili in brackets

Mufasa ("King"): King of the Consecrated Land, father of Simba and companion of Sarabi. A wise and just ruler who follows the cycle of life. His reign is tragically ended by his brother Scar.
Nala ("gift"): Friend and future consort of Simba. According to co-director Rob Minkoff , it was assumed during production that either Mufasa or Scar was her father. This is not explained in more detail in the film, as this would make Simba and Nala either half-siblings or cousin and cousin, although this is quite normal in real prides of lions.
Rafiki ("friend")

Family tree of the lion family

(Mohatu)

(Asali)

(Ahadi)

(Uru)

Sarabi

Mufasa

Scar (Taka)

Zira

(Chumvi)

Simba

Nala

Nuka

Vitani

(Kopa)

Kiara

Kovu

Characters shown in italics will only be introduced in the follow-up film. Characters in parentheses are only mentioned in the Lion King comics, not the movies.

History of origin

production

The idea for The Lion King came up in 1989 when Disney first had plans to produce a film about lions set in Africa . The working title was King of the Jungle , until it was discovered that lions are not native to the jungle. Since the subject of the film was breaking new ground, the creative process was difficult, especially at the beginning. Originally, George Scribner was the director of the film, who already held this position at Oliver & Co. He wanted to implement the film in a very serious and realistic way. In the course of 1991, considerations arose to stage the film in a relaxed and musical way, which quickly took on concrete form through a positive assessment by Tim Rice and the contact with Elton John. Since the Disney leadership no longer saw Scribner as suitable to implement the new direction and he did not agree with the changes, he was replaced in October 1991 by Roger Allers, who was joined by Rob Minkoff in April 1992. To get a better feel for the scenario, six members of the production team traveled to Kenya for two weeks in November 1991 . The result was, among other things, a large number of photographs and drawings that served as templates for the design of many background images. Here the team members also got to know the saying Hakuna Matata from their African guide , which was then used in the film.

The story went through a number of changes during production. For example, Simba should have a brother named Meetoo and Timon and Pumbaa should grow up with him. Scar was originally a strange, roaming lion until it was decided that a threat from inside the royal family would be far more appealing. Since problems continued to make the story interesting, a two-day meeting of the creative leadership team took place in April 1992, which also included Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale , who had recently directed Beauty and the Beast . The story was almost completely rewritten and has not changed significantly since then. The most important difference was that Simba fled immediately after Mufasa's death, whereas before that he remained in Scar's care. This change formed the basis for Simba's inner conflict between responsibility and repression and the confrontation with Scar in the end.

During production, The Lion King was seen as a secondary project to Pocahontas , which was being produced at the same time. Many of the staff at the Disney animation studio preferred to work on Pocahontas, thinking that this film would be more successful and prestigious. So there was uncertainty about how the film would be received by the public. The final phase of production was also overshadowed by the death of then Disney President Frank Wells , who died in a helicopter crash about two months before the film was released. The beginning of the film therefore contains a dedication to him. When marketing the film, however, the studio noticed that the published teaser , which consisted of the full opening sequence with the song Circle of Life , generated rave reviews from the audience. The box office success ultimately confirmed that the film's potential had been underestimated. As is common with Disney productions of this magnitude, the film was released worldwide and translated into 32 different languages. The special thing about it was that this film was the first Disney film ever to be translated into Zulu , an African language.

Although the Lion King tells a very human story, it is the only masterpiece besides dinosaurs that does not contain any traces of human existence. Robin Hood and Zoomania show animals in human form that live like humans, while Bambi contains human characters acting out of sight. The film is also the first Disney cartoon to show the death of a non- villain main character so clearly and in picture.

Computer animation was also used during the production of the film . In this respect most famous scene is the stampede of wildebeest - herd through a canyon. The wildebeest are essentially computer-animated and seamlessly integrated into the drawn background. The design of the wildebeest and a simple running animation were created by Ruben Aquino in a conventional way and served as a template for the computer animation. A special collision avoidance program was developed for this purpose, whereby the wildebeest automatically move realistically without getting confused. So that the movements of the herd as a whole appear believable and not too uniform, there are different movement patterns that are randomly distributed to the individual wildebeest. Computer animation also helped with a few scenes in which objects e.g. B. subject to sharp changes in perspective due to tracking shots. The scene was computer-animated with simple models and then served as a template for the draftsmen. In addition, Disney's own CAPS ( C omputer A ided P roduction S ystem) was used, which completely digitizes the actual process of film production. So z. B. the hand-drawn figures are scanned and digitally colored. In films, the system is mainly used to create realistic light and shadow effects as well as for slow motion and frequently occurring focus effects. Multiplan camera effects are also generated virtually.

Film music

For the production of the film music , it was decided in favor of Hans Zimmer , as he already had experience with two worlds and In the shine of the sun with films set in Africa and traditional African music. The background music is an unusual mix of Classic (z. B. with borrowings from Mozart's Requiem and Ave verum corpus ) and traditional African sounds. These include, took a room Lebo M to the team with which he is already in The Power of One had worked . Lebo M and compiled by his Zulu - Choir had strong influence on the African elements of the film music, accordingly, several songs (background) included singing in Zulu. He also sings the first words at the beginning of the film.

Elton John was hired for the songs , who composed the melodies for the lyrics written by Tim Rice . He had previously worked for Disney at Aladdin . Elton John does not appear as a singer in the film, but only in separate versions of Circle of Life , I Just Can't Wait to Be King and Can You Feel the Love Tonight , the latter being played in the credits.

The film received two Oscars for the music : Hans Zimmer for the best film music and the duo Elton John / Tim Rice for the best film song for Can You Feel the Love Tonight . Until then, Tim Rice wrote 15 different versions of the song, which were always arranged differently. A more comedic variant was sung entirely by Timon and Pumbaa. When presented to Elton John, he suggested that instead focus on the tradition of classic Disney love songs and focus on the feelings of the lovers for one another. The finished version is therefore a combination of background vocals and the vocals of Simba and Nala, Timon and Pumbaa only sing the introduction or the end. In Circle of Life had similar problems. At first it was not possible to give the song the African style that was important for the opening of the film. The early versions composed by Elton John were more pop music-like and were followed by lines of dialogue introducing the characters. It was only when Hans Zimmer and Lebo M edited it that the song had the desired effect and convinced the producers to realize the entire opening of the film without dialogue.

The songs Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata were nominated for an Oscar, the soundtrack also won a Grammy Award . The soundtrack was a great success commercially, with more than ten million copies sold in the US alone, so that it was awarded a diamond record (10 times platinum). In Germany, the soundtrack was awarded 3 × platinum. From the American Film Institute was Hakuna Matata in the list AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs voted # 99 of the best film song.

In 1995 the music album Rhythm of the Pride Lands was released with songs in an African style that were either created during the production of the film or were inspired by it. Some of the songs were used in the sequels or in the musical.

The original soundtrack CD contains comparatively little of the film music, and the pieces of music have been cut together and do not correspond to the original sequence in the film. An unofficial bootleg version of moderate technical quality has been circulating on the Internet since 2005 and contains the entire film music. In 2014, for the 20th anniversary of the film, a legacy version with full music and previously unreleased pieces was released.

synchronization

The German synchronization of the film was done by Berliner Synchron in Berlin . Frank Lenart , who also played the role of the hyena Banzai, wrote the dialogue book and directed the dialogue. Andreas Hommelsheim directed the musical synchronous work.

role	Original speaker	German speaker	animal	Supervising Animator
Simba	Matthew Broderick	Frank-Lorenz Engel	lion	Ruben Aquino
Simba (vocals)	Joseph Williams	Cush young	lion	Ruben Aquino
Young Simba	Jonathan Taylor Thomas	Julius Jellinek	lion	Mark Henn
Young Simba (vocals)	Jason Weaver	Manuel Straube	lion	Mark Henn
Nala	Moira Kelly	Alexandra Wilcke	lioness	Anthony DeRosa
Nala (vocals)	Sally Dworsky	Alexandra Wilcke	lioness	Anthony DeRosa
Young Nala	Niketa Calame	Magdalena Turba	lioness	Aaron Blaise
Young Nala (vocals)	Laura Williams	Magdalena Turba	lioness	Aaron Blaise
Mufasa	James Earl Jones	Wolfgang Kühne	lion	Tony Fucile
Scar	Jeremy Irons	Thomas Fritsch	lion	Andreas Deja
Pumbaa	Ernie Sabella	Rainer Basedow	Warthog	Tony Bancroft
Timon	Nathan Lane	Ilya Richter	meerkat	Michael Surrey
Banzai	Cheech Marin	Frank Lenart	Spot hyena	Alex Kupershmidt
Ed	Jim Cummings		hyena	Alex Kupershmidt
Rafiki	Robert Guillaume	Joachim Kemmer	mandrill	James Baxter
Sarabi	Madge Sinclair	Rita Engelmann	lioness	Russ Edmonds
Sarafina	Zoe Leader	Nikki Rabanus	lioness
Shenzi	Whoopi Goldberg	Hella out of her mind	hyena	Alex Kupershmidt
Zazu	Rowan Atkinson	Eberhard Prüter	Red Schnabeltoko	Ellen Woodburry

The title melody for this film was sung by the American jazz singer Jocelyn B. Smith in the German version , and by the actress and singer Carmen Twillie in the original American version .

Visual style

Due to the unfamiliar scenario, there was initially uncertainty as to how Africa could be portrayed in an appealing way without looking too boring or over-the-top. The impressions of the trip to Kenya helped to give the general appearance of the film a mixture of realism and stylization . The majority of the film therefore values a largely realistic depiction of the African landscape and wildlife. An exception is the song I want to be king right now , at the beginning of which the picture suddenly changes to a style with abstract shapes and saturated colors. The depiction of the animals is also much more comic-like here than in the rest of the film. Production designer Chris Sanders was commissioned to present Simba's childishly naive view of the world the song is about in a visually striking way and to visually separate this part of the film from the rest. He found inspiration for this in the bold colors of African art and textiles with unusual patterns.

When designing the animal protagonists, great importance was attached to a realistic representation. In the Bambi tradition , live animals, especially lions, were brought into the studio to study their appearance and movement processes up close. The draftsmen often visited zoos and studied the anatomy of animals in order to achieve the highest possible level of realism.

The film contains some visual symbolism. After Simba and Nala were chased by the hyenas as children and rescued by Mufasa, Simba steps into the much larger paw print of Mufasa a short time later. This is a sign that he is not ready to take on the role of his father and is overwhelmed. When Simba finds his home in a dilapidated state at the end of the film, this is intended as a symbol of Scar's bad rule and is reinforced by the gathering dark clouds and a storm. The producers used a stylistic device used in classical narratives, according to which the type of rule in a kingdom has an influence on nature. Fittingly, rain sets in shortly after Scar's death and the landscape soon blooms again in its old splendor.

In addition, the method is used to repeat individual events in a visually similar or opposing manner and thereby strengthen their effect. This is most evident at the beginning and end of the film, when a new generation is presented each time. When Simba is driven away by the hyenas, he fights his way through thorn bushes from left to right and then escapes into the desert. Later in the film, he follows Rafiki to see his father's ghost and struggles through the dense jungle from right to left, before returning home through the desert. When Simba and Nala playfully fight each other as children, she always defeats him by throwing him on his back and holding him. When they meet again later, they do not recognize each other at first and a fight ensues. Nala wins it in a familiar way, which is how Simba recognizes her. These cinematic means of repetitions underline the central theme of the film regarding the cycle of life.

background

Influences from literature and film

During the song Be Ready, there is a passage in which Scar is enthroned on a ledge and an army of hyenas marches in front of him at goose-step . This scene is inspired by Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film Triumph des Willens and accordingly depicts Scar as a dictator. When Scar breaks the ground, the hyenas dance and the interior of the earth spreads out, one feels reminded of classic depictions of Hell: Scar is portrayed as Satan, who is amused by the behavior of his demons, the hyenas. Its fur changes accordingly from brown to red. Further clues are the many animal bones.

The film borrows some of the well-known Disney films. The middle sequence of the film, in which Simba escapes into the jungle and grows up there, has some parallels to the Disney cartoon classic The Jungle Book . For example, Disney oriented itself for the passage with the song Hakuna Matata , a casual foray through the jungle, on the well-known song from the jungle book, Try it with comfort . Inhabitants of the jungle show a "child" who has come to see the advantages and pleasures of life in the jungle. There are further similarities with Bambi , with whom The Lion King shares the basic theme of the cycle of life and the assumption of responsibility. In addition, the structure of the film is similar, as both begin and end with the birth of a new generation. Further parallels are the division into childhood and young adulthood, the reunion of a childhood sweetheart and the loss of a parent. In character, Scar also resembles Prince John from the Disney cartoon Robin Hood . As king, neither of them want to hear their brother's name anymore.

While Zazu is held captive by Scar, the latter tells him to sing a happy song. Zazu then agrees It's a small world , which Scar acknowledges with an annoyed reaction. This is a self-deprecating allusion to this song from the Disney theme park attraction of the same name and its status as one of the most played songs in the world with a striking catchy character.

There are also allusions that are far outside the children's film area. Towards the end of the film, Pumbaa catches a group of hyenas in a cave and drives them to flight. He partly uses Robert De Niro's choice of words in Taxi Driver in a scene in which the latter practices self-confidently provocative appearance in front of a mirror (“Are you talkin 'to me?”).

The main features of the plot are very similar to the drama Hamlet by Shakespeare : the king (Mufasa as King Hamlet) is killed by his brother (Scar as Claudius), whose death goes unpunished by the prince (Simba as Hamlet). After the ghost of his father appears to the prince, he becomes aware of his duty and eventually kills his uncle. Since the film is also roughly based on Bambi, "Bamblet" was mentioned jokingly during production. In a similar, albeit weaker form, there are parallels to Macbeth and Richard III. The producers were also inspired by Joseph Campbell's The Hero in a Thousand Figures and his Hero's Journey .

Further parallels for set pieces of the plot can be found in the Bible . The story of Simba shows similarities to that of Josef . Josef lived far away from his family for years and when he finally returned he was not recognized by his family members. When Simba returns towards the end of the film, Scar and Sarabi do not recognize him and initially mistake him for Mufasa. Moses sees God in the form of a burning bush, Simba sees the spirit of his father in the “burning” starry sky.

Effects

Since the film is very well known and loved, it affected other media in many ways.

The Lion King is officially the first Disney film that is not based on a template. In 1994, when it was released, there were suspicions that the film was inspired by the mid-1960s Japanese anime television series Kimba, the White Lion . First and foremost, similarities between the characters and individual scenes are indicated, whereas the actual plot differs significantly from one another. According to an official statement from Disney, nothing was known about this television series when production began, but only became known when the development was already well advanced.

In the episode In Honor of Murphy of the animated television series The Simpsons, there is a scene in which Mufasa, Darth Vader and a CNN announcer appear as an apparition in the clouds. Mufasa speaks the words: "Avenge my death, Kimba ... uh, Simba." This is an allusion to the Kimba dispute and the fact that James Earl Jones in the English original includes Mufasa, Darth Vader and the jingle "This is." CNN “speaks.

The Kimba Dispute is also used in an episode of the NBC crime series Life . Detective Crews, his partner Dani Reese, and their mutual boss, Tidwell, visit a suspect who has a pet tiger named Fluffy. After Reese's owner is asked why the tiger is called Fluffy, he replies whether he should have called him Kimba. Crews then replies that Kimba was a lion. Tidwell adds: "That was Simba", to which Crews replies: "Kimba came first."

Further allusions can be found mainly in Disney's own productions. In Toy Story , an excerpt from Hakuna Matata is played on a radio . In Hercules , Scar appears as a lion skin worn by Hercules. Andreas Deja was the chief draftsman in the film for both characters . Pumbaa appears in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Aladdin and the King of Thieves . George - He came from the jungle parodies the scene in which Rafiki Simba presents to the other animals. A poster of the musical version of The Lion King can also be seen in Wild Animal (2006) .

In one scene of the film it appears that the word "SEX" can be seen in some individual images, which led to protests by, among others, the American Life League , but without far-reaching consequences. According to Disney, however, it should be called “SFX” (short for special effects ) and represent a kind of “signature” of the team responsible for the special effects in the film. In the version published on DVD, the areas in question are markedly darker and therefore no longer recognizable. The subject is taken up in Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code.

The use of the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight led to a dispute between Disney and the family of the South African Solomon Linda , who composed the song in 1939 (original title: Mbube , Zulu for lion). In 2004, the family filed a lawsuit and agreed with Disney on a payment of 10 million rand (about 1.2 million euros).

Songs

The endless circle
Grasslands chant
The morning report
Lioness hunting
I want to be king right now
Clean away
they live here
Be ready
The ravine
Rafiki's lament for the dead
Hakuna Matata
One by one
The madness of King Scar
Shadowland
Endless night
Can it really be love
He lives in You
Battle for the King's Rock
The King Returns / The Eternal Circle (recapitulation)

DVD publications

In 2003 the film was released for the first time on a double DVD edition. As a special feature, this version optionally contains an additional scene called The Morning Report , which extends a conversation between Mufasa, Simba and Zazu with a singing number that comes from the musical. The scene was re-animated especially for the DVD, with part of the old team working on it. Evan Saucedo appears here as the singing voice of Simba, while Jeff Bennett sings Zazu.

While reviews praise the technically excellent picture and sound quality of the film, the bonus DVD has been criticized. The menu navigation is confusing and redundant, and the bonus material is divided into many small parts and there is no extensive, coherent documentation. In addition, it does not contain all of the bonus material that was published on the Laserdisc Deluxe edition.

The film was also published in a collector's edition, which also contains a book with background information and nine reproductions of lithographs showing the main characters and made by the original draftsmen.

In the meantime, the DVD and the box with parts 1 to 3 are “out of print” and can only be obtained very expensively on online marketplaces. The reason for this is that the 14 most important Disney titles (see Platinum Edition ) are only published digitally revised on DVD for a short time. The DVDs will then be taken off the market again and will not be released again until years later; there are two new releases per year from this “ Platinum ” series. This marketing strategy, known as “Disney Tresor”, is intended to increase sales when the DVDs are released. A re-release on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc took place on November 10, 2011, as the "Diamond Edition". The Blu-ray version was offered in two versions: one contained the Blu-ray and the main film on DVD; the second box contained the 3D version of the film on Blu-ray Disc instead of the DVD. In addition, the film was released both on DVD and Blu-ray as a limited-edition box, which together with the first film also contained the two sequels.

Sequels and offshoots

In 1995 the television series Adventure with Timon and Pumbaa appeared as an offshoot , which revolves primarily around the eponymous duo, but also includes guest appearances by some other characters.

In 1998 the second part, The Lion King 2 - Simba's Kingdom , appeared directly on video, which tells the story of Simba's daughter Kiara. The last part for the time being, The Lion King 3 - Hakuna Matata , was also only released on video and DVD in 2004. The film tells the story of Timon and Pumbaa as well as their experiences, which take place parallel to the first part.

On November 10, 2011, the first part came digitally revised and again in the cinemas in 3D.

In 2015 the TV series The Lion Guard was released as an offshoot , including a pilot film that revolves around Simba's son Kion.

Remake

In 2016 a remake using photorealistic animation was announced. Directed by Jon Favreau based on a script by Jeff Nathanson . Hans Zimmer and Elton John are again responsible for the music . James Earl Jones will speak again at Mufasa. Other voice actors are Donald Glover , Beyoncé Knowles-Carter , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Alfre Woodard , John Kani , John Oliver , Seth Rogen , Billy Eichner , Florence Kasumba , Eric André and Keegan-Michael Key .

The planned US theatrical release is July 19, 2019.

computer game

In the publication brought Virgin Interactive one of the Westwood Studios developed Jump 'n' Run to the market, which was based on the content of the film. It appeared primarily for the game consoles Super Nintendo and Mega Drive , but was also ported to Amiga , DOS , Windows , Game Gear , Master System , Game Boy and NES . The game had sold around 4.5 million times by 2002.

musical

The Lion King in the musical theater in the port of Hamburg

The Lion King has been performed on Broadway since 1997 . In Germany you can watch the musical in the port of Hamburg all year round. The screening consists of a total of 19 songs sung by the characters in the film. The actors are mostly of African and Asian descent.

reception

Gross profit

The film premiered on June 15, 1994 in two major cinemas in the United States , including the world premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City , and was already very successful there with gross revenues of $ 1,586,753. The national official publication followed on June 24, 1994. On the opening weekend, the film grossed $ 40,888,194 and was so successful that it returned to cinemas on November 18, 1994 after a short break.

Worldwide it became the most successful film of the year and to this day the most successful classic cartoon. The film (2D and 3D versions) grossed 422,783,777 US dollars in the USA and 968.5 million US dollars worldwide, making it currently number 50 (as of August 8, 2020) of the world's most successful films all time lies.

The film was released in German cinemas on November 17, 1994. The 2D and 3D versions together attracted 11,888,184 visitors. Since the beginning of the visitor count in 1970, it has been in 6th place.

In retrospect, the film can be seen as the culmination of the resurrection of the Disney cartoon studio from the late 80s to the mid 90s. In the following years, the Disney studios produced a variety of cartoons, none of which, however, achieved the success of The Lion King . In addition, the film drew huge proceeds from merchandising items, with an estimated turnover of three billion dollars as early as 1998.

The 3D version of the film grossed 29.7 million US dollars on the first opening weekend in the USA in September 2011 and thus occupied first place in the US box office.

Reviews

source	rating
Rotten tomatoes
critic
audience
Metacritic
critic
audience
IMDb

The Lion King received mostly very positive reviews. The Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a high score of 90% based on 110 reviews and a score of 8.2 out of 10. He also has a very good rating in the IMDb (with 8.5 / 10). Metacritic gives the film an average rating of 83% based on 14 reviews.

Frank-Michael Helmke from filmszene.de praises the efficient, straightforward storyline and the remarkable character drawing for a Disney film, which gives the characters depth. By dealing with serious topics such as death or finding one's own path in life, the film is also interesting for an adult audience. The secret of the film's success lies in the fact that children and adults alike are entertained by this story with great emotion.

According to Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times , the film is a drama that is loosened up by comedic elements, and yet contains a surprising seriousness. However, it is good that children are prepared for life by dealing with such topics, even if the film can sometimes appear frightening. The story contains elements of Greek tragedy and Hamlet and is both an educational piece and entertainment.

The film magazine Cinema speaks in issue 11/94 of a guaranteed success, because the film adheres to the usual Disney success concept: “The eternal struggle of the apparently weak against the strong, loosened up with a lot of humor, a little tragedy, the tender love story between Simba and the lioness Nala and lots of musical catchy tunes. ”In addition, the young viewers should be given a handful of simple truisms without being instructive. As with Disney productions of course, this film also sets the highest technical standards.

Hal Hinson of the Washington Post criticizes the portrayal of one of the central themes of the film, the cycle of life, as gazelles, antelopes, etc. cheer the lions at the opening and closing ceremonies even though they are their prey. The scriptwriters were unable to explain this and tell an overall convincing story. Only the comic relief by Timon and Pumbaa makes the film bearable.

Jonathan Rosenbaum from Chicago Reader sees the film as a step towards multiculturalism and ecological correctness, but the film is not as entertaining as Ariel, the Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast . However, it is good that the film stays away from the xenophobia in Aladdin and that both the stylistic range and the topics covered are expanded.

Christiane Peitz considers the film to be an authoritarian propaganda work, a "Nazi Party Rally of the Animals": "The Song of Songs, garnished with world music, Africa impressions and a few funny interludes, illustrates a Führer fantasy that makes you shudder."

Awards

The Lion King received several awards in 1994 and 1995. In addition to the Oscar for the best film music and the best song Can You Feel the Love Tonight , these were awarded the Golden Globe , as well as a Golden Globe for the best film in the Comedy / Musical category. The film was named Best Family Film by the National Board of Review . In Germany it was awarded the Golden Screen with two stars for nine million viewers in 18 months.

The Lion King received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award , the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award, and the Annie Award for best cartoon film . There Jeremy Irons also received an award for “Best Achievement for Voice Acting”, and Brenda Chapman received an award for “Best Individual Achievement for Story Contribution in the Field of Animation”.

Hans Zimmer received awards for music at the Chicago Film Critics Association Award and the BMI Film & TV Award , where Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Elton John / Tim Rice) was also recognized as the most played song from a film. The Lion King received the Golden Reel Award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors as the best sound editor in the cartoon and music category.

The DVD Special Edition was awarded the DVD Champion in the Family Entertainment category in 2003 and a Golden Satellite Award for best youth DVD in 2004 .

The German Film and Media Assessment (FBW) awarded the rating particularly valuable .

literature

Christopher Finch : The Art of the Lion King. With a foreword by James Earl Jones . Hyperion, New York 1994, ISBN 0-7868-6028-6 .
Christopher Finch: The Lion King - A Giant Leap. With an introduction by Don Hahn. Disney Editions and Turnaround, New York and London 2003, ISBN 0-7868-5393-X .

Web links

Commons : The Lion King - collection of images, videos and audio files

The Lion King at theInternet Movie Database(English)

The Lion King in the online movie database

Lionking.org Biggest and oldest fansite

Production Information Official production notes with detailed background information

Background information on the musical version of the Lion King

trickfilmstimmen.de Illustrated overview of the voice actors
Comparison of the cut versions theatrical version - Special Edition of The Lion King at Schnittberichte.com

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Overview of worldwide cinema revenues
↑ Launch dates for The Lion King in the Internet Movie Database
^ ^A ^b "The Lion King" Tenth Anniversary Reunion Panel
↑ Entertainment Weekly, No. 230, July 8, 1994
^ The Art of The Lion King
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f DVD The Lion King , bonus material
^ ^A ^b Premiere - The Movie Magazine, July 1994
↑ ^a ^b ^c DVD The Lion King , audio commentary by Don Hahn, Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
↑ http://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=top_tallies&ttt=DA&col=artist&ord=asc#search_section
↑ https://www.musikindustrie.de/markt-bestseller/gold-/platin-und-diamond-auszeichnung/datenbank
↑ AFI's 100 Years… 100 Songs (PDF; 134 kB, English)
↑ hans-zimmer.com Lion King (Expanded Score - no FX) ( Memento from February 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
↑ German synchronous index: German synchronous index | Movies | The Lion King. Retrieved February 23, 2018 .
↑ In Remembrance: Leni Riefenstahl
↑ It's a small world song facts
↑ "SEX" controversy (English)
↑ heise.de Newsticker
↑ ^a ^b filmszene.de
↑ Top Lifetime big things. Box Office Mojo, accessed August 8, 2020 .
↑ Cinema goers in Germany
↑ Box Office spiegel.de, accessed on September 19, 2011
↑ ^a ^b lion king at Rotten Tomatoes , accessed May 2, 2015
↑ ^a ^b [1] at Metacritic , accessed on May 2, 2015
↑ The Lion King in the Internet Movie Database , accessed October 31, 2015
^ Chicago Sun Times
↑ Washington Post
↑ Chicago Reader ( Memento from September 21, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
↑ Christiane Peitz: "Triumph of Will" . In: The time. No. 48 of November 25, 1994, p. 68.
↑ Overview of the awards at the IMDb
↑ http://www.fbw-filmbeval.com/film/der_koenig_der_loewen_1

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on October 17, 2006 .

[Kinoerfolg_weltweit-1] Overview of worldwide cinema revenues

[2] Launch dates for The Lion King in the Internet Movie Database

[The_Lion_King_Tenth_Anniversary_Reunion_Panel-3] A ^b "The Lion King" Tenth Anniversary Reunion Panel

[Entertainment_Weekly-4] Entertainment Weekly, No. 230, July 8, 1994

[Art_Lion_King-5] The Art of The Lion King

[DVD-6] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f DVD The Lion King , bonus material

[Premiere-7] A ^b Premiere - The Movie Magazine, July 1994

[Audiokommentar-8] DVD The Lion King , audio commentary by Don Hahn, Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

[9] ttp://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=top_tallies&ttt=DA&col=artist&ord=asc#search_section

[10] ttps://www.musikindustrie.de/markt-bestseller/gold-/platin-und-diamond-auszeichnung/datenbank

[AFI-11] AFI's 100 Years… 100 Songs (PDF; 134 kB, English)

[Bootleg-12] s-zimmer.com Lion King (Expanded Score - no FX) ( Memento from February 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive )

[13] German synchronous index: German synchronous index | Movies | The Lion King. Retrieved February 23, 2018 .

[Riefenstahl-14] In Remembrance: Leni Riefenstahl

[Small_World-15] It's a small world song facts

[SEX-16] "SEX" controversy (English)

[heise.de-17] se.de Newsticker

[filmszene.de-18] szene.de

[vorlage-boxofficemojo-alltime-world-19] Top Lifetime big things. Box Office Mojo, accessed August 8, 2020 .

[Kinoerfolg_Deutschland-20] Cinema goers in Germany

[spiegel.de-21] Box Office spiegel.de, accessed on September 19, 2011

[rotten_tomatoes-22] ↑ ^a ^b lion king at Rotten Tomatoes , accessed May 2, 2015

[metacritic-23] [1] at Metacritic , accessed on May 2, 2015

[imdb-24] The Lion King in the Internet Movie Database , accessed October 31, 2015

[Chicago_Sun_Times-25] Chicago Sun Times

[Washington_Post-26] Washington Post

[Chicago_Reader-27] Chicago Reader ( Memento from September 21, 2005 in the Internet Archive )

[28] Christiane Peitz: "Triumph of Will" . In: The time. No. 48 of November 25, 1994, p. 68.

[29] Overview of the awards at the IMDb

[30] ttp://www.fbw-filmbeval.com/film/der_koenig_der_loewen_1