The Lion King (1994)

On an evening in which I got home from a rehearsal for Romeo and Juliet, we turn to a Disney movie that is loosely inspired (among other sources) by another Shakespeare play, Hamlet.  That movie would be one of Disney's crown jewels, The Lion King.

The Movie:

The Lion King is the 32nd film in the Disney Animated Canon and the last of the big four films of the Disney Renaissance.  (Technically it is the fifth film of the Renaissance era because The Rescuers Down Under came out between The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.)  It is the highest grossing traditional animated film of all time and consistently listed as one of Disney's best movies.

The Lion King tells the story of the Simba, the young lion cub of Mufasa, the king of Pride Rock.  Young Simba just can't wait to grow up and become king himself, but between his nefarious uncle Scar and a pack of hyenas, danger looms on the horizon.  Along the way, Simba interacts with Nala, his childhood sweetheart, the comic pair of Timon and Pumbaa, and several other memorable characters.

What is there to say about this movie that people haven't already said.  The story is well told with well-written and memorable dialogue.  The animation is epic and at times absolutely gorgeous.  And at times, the movie is absolutely heart-wrenching.  It is one of the few movies that will without fail make me cry, and if you have seen the movie, you know which scene does it.  And just think, this movie was done primarily by Disney's "B" team," as most of the animation staff chose to work on Pocahontas, which most felt was going to be the more prestigious film.

Then there's the music - five iconic songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice and a hauntingly beautiful score by Hans Zimmer.  Elton John was brought on by Tim Rice because Disney stalwart Alan Menken was working on, you guessed it, Pocahontas, and the results are one of the best Disney soundtracks ever.  "Circle of Life" is so powerful, that the first trailer for the film was just that opening sequence of the movie.  "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata" are memorably fun, and "Be Prepared" is the perfect villain song.  The weakest of the five in the movie is probably the Oscar-winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," and that is just because the song works so much better in Elton John's performance that is used in the closing credits.

This movie also launched the long-running Broadway musical.

Presence in the Parks:

As to be expected, a film that has been as popular as The Lion King has had a significant presence at Walt Disney World since the movie opened.

Less than a month after the movie opened in 1994, the show The Legend of the Lion King was installed at the Fantasyland Theater in the Magic Kingdom.  This was a show that retold the events of the movie using extra large puppets.  The attraction it replaced was the 3-D movie Magic Journeys, and in 2002 The Legend of the Lion King closed and was replaced by another 3-D movie, Mickey's PhilharMagic.  A same-named show ran at the Paris park from 2004 to 2009, but was more similar to a Broadway production.

The Land, May 2015

In 1995, a Lion King themed film was placed in The Land pavilion at Epcot.  This 12 1/2 minute show was called Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable.  It used the characters of Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa to tell about various dangers to the environment caused by human development of natural lands, including deforestation and pollution.  This movie replaced the pavilion's original film, Symbiosis, and used some footage from that movie.  Circle of Life closed in early 2018, and the space is currently being used for groups performing as part of the Disney Performing Arts program.

Given the natural connection, elements of The Lion King can be found around Animal Kingdom.

When Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, there was a land called Camp Minnie-Mickey.  This was the area originally set aside for Beastly Kingdom, which was never built.  One of the attractions in this area was a revue show called Festival of the Lion King.  This show reused floats from the Disneyland parade The Lion King Celebration, which ran 1994-1997.  It was originally set in a covered but open air theater, with the audience divided into four different sections named after different animals, splitting the audience into different cheering "teams."

Festival of the Lion King, May 2015

The show closed for a period in 2014 when construction began on Pandora, the World of Avatar.  It then reopened in the newly-constructed and completely closed in Harambe Theater in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom, where the show runs.

Rafiki, July 2002

Another land in Animal Kingdom is named for a Lion King character.  Rafiki's Planet Watch is a small land connected to the Africa section by the Wildlife Express Train.  It has character meets, conservation exhibits, and a petting zoo.

Rafiki's Planet Watch, May 2015

Rafiki's Planet Watch, May 2015

Petting Zoo, Rafiki's Planet Watch, May 2015

Rafiki's Planet Watch, May 2015