The sold out theater erupted into applause as this incredible movie came to an end. I don’t know if it was the spectacular settings and background, the animation (which is the best I have seen) or the musical score featuring Beyonce. In all likelihood, it was a combination of the three. Director Jon Favreau adds to his list of credits, including the Iron Man series, Chef and The Jungle Book, which utilized the same “photorealistic” look used in The Lion King.
It’s likely that many of you have seen this story in one format or another. There was the original Disney film released in 1994, which did well over $700 million at the box office, becoming the second largest-grossing film in history at the time. Maybe some of you have seen one of the many live productions. The stage show has been running in New York since 1997, over 8,000 performances and still counting. No matter how you “slice it,” this is one of the most beloved musical stories of all time. It’s hard to imagine improving on a “product” that has had the success of Lion King, but believe me this film accomplishes just that.
The Lion King
Entertainment Rating: ★★★★
Rating: PG: Several scenes of animal fighting and violence. I would not recommend for pre-schoolers
Possible Oscar Nominations: Best Movie, Jon Favreau Director, Visual Effects, Art Direction, Cinematography, Musical Score
There is of course a story involved in all of this. Young Lion cub Simba, heir to the throne, develops a sense of adventure and wanders away from the pride to do some exploring on his own, despite strict instructions from his father Mufasa, the king, to stay close to home. One thing leads to another and eventually our young hero runs into danger, resulting in him being permanently separated from his family. He meets some new friends, survives quite well and in a few years becomes a full grown adult. In the meantime Simba’s uncle, Scar, a very nasty dude, becomes the new king. Obviously, at some point, you know Simba will finally return home to claim his throne, the resulting scenes, as the “transition” takes place, are mesmerizing.
I can’t emphasize enough, if you are or aren’t a movie goer, you MUST see this one. The buzz in the theater as the credits were rolling beats anything I have seen or heard in a long time.
In closing I wanted to mention an exceptionally good film I saw on TV recently. Murder in the First, an extremely compelling story starring Kevin Bacon and Christian Slater. (1995 R). It is Slater plays a young, inexperienced lawyer, defending Bacon, already an inmate at Alcatraz, on first degree murder charges against a fellow inmate. The resulting court battle eventually began the process by which Alcatraz was shut down. This is a fascinating story, great acting by both Bacon and Slater. I saw it on Starz, then found I could pull it up on Amazon Prime.
