The Lion King is an animated movie released in 1994. It spawned a big franchise of television and direct-to-video films, short films, two animated series, books, toys, theme park attractions, The Legend of the Lion King stage play, two musicals, and several video games, and associated soundtracks. In 2019, a remake of the 1994 movie premiered.
This article is about the 1994 movie.
The 1994 movie The Lion King
The 1994 animated English-language musical drama The Lion King was the 32nd animated feature film created by Disney, and it was produced during an era of the late 20th century known as the Disney Renaissance. This was an epoch when Disney returned to taking inspiration from well-known stories and adapting them into musical films. (The Lion King was inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet.) Other films released during the Disney Renaissance were The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998), and Tarzan (1999). A notable feature of the movies created during the Disney Renaissance is that they were both lauded by critics and loved by the movie-going public, with all of them becoming big box office successes both within and outside the United States.
In 2016, The Lion King was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. This registry is for films deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress.
Plot
The Lion King is set in Africa, where the lions rule the animal kingdom. When King Mufasa is murdered by his brother Scar, Simba – Mufasa´s son and heir to the throne – is manipulated by Scar into thinking he is responsible for his father´s death. The young Simba flees into exile, and Mufasa takes the throne. In exile, Simba befriends two animals that also live outside the animal society: Timon (a meerkat) and Pumbaa (a warthog).
Simba grows up in exile, but there comes a day when he must assume his responsibilities to the animal kingdom and return to challenge Scar.
Success
- After its premieer, The Lion King recieved a lot of praise for its animation, themes, story, characters, and music.
- The initial worldwide gross reached 763 million USD, and The Lion King finnished its theatrical run as the highest-grossing film of 1994. It also became the second-highest-grossing film of the time, outranked only by Jurassic Park (1993).
- The Lion King remained the highest-grossing animated film until it lost that position to Finding Nemo (2003). It is still the highest-grossing traditionally animated film.
- Selling over 55 million copies around the world, The Lion King is the best-selling film on home video.
Academy Awards
The Lion King recieved two Academy Awards:
- To Hans Zimmer for Best Original Score
- To Elton John and Time Rice for Best Original Song, for their song Can You Feel the Love Tonight
The two songs Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata, also by Elton John and Time Rice, were also nominated in the category Best Original Song
Grammy Awards
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John
Best Musical Album for Children: The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocals: “Circle of Life” – Hans Zimmer and Lebo Morake
Other examples of accolades
- American Music Awards – Top Soundtrack – The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soudntrack
- Annie Awards: Best Achievement in Voice Acting – Jeremy Irons
- Annie Awards: Best Achievement in Story Contribution – Brenda Chapman
- Chicago Film Critics Association Awards – Best Original Score – Hans Zimmer
- Golden Globe Awards – Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – The Lion King
- Golden Globe Awards – Best Original Score Motion Picture – Hans Zimmer
- Golden Globe Awards Best Original Song Motion Picture – “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John and Tim Rice
- Nickelodeon Kids´ Choice Awards – Favorite Movie – The Lion King
Short facts about The Lion King (1994 movie)
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Feature Animation
Producer: Don Hahn
Distribution: Buena Vista Pictures
Editor: Ivan Bilancio
Music by: Hans Zimmer
Release date: June 15, 1994 (USA)
Running time: 88 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: $45 million
Box office: $968.5 million
Screenplay:
- Irene Mecchi
- Jonathan Roberts
- Linda Woolverton
Story by:
- Brenda Chapman
- Barry Johnson
- Andy Gaskill
- Kevin Harkey
- Tom Sito
- Rick Maki
- Burny Mattinson
- Lorna Cook
- Gary Trousdale
- Jorgen Klubien
- Larry Leker
- Ed Gombert
- Mark Kausler
- Thom Enriquez
- Jim Capobianco
- Chris Sanders
- Joe Ranft
- Francis Glebas
Voice actors in The Lion King
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas
- Matthew Broderick
- James Earl Jones
- Jeremy Irons
- Moira Kelly
- Ernie Sabella
- Nathan Lane
- Robert Guillaume
- Rowan Atkinson
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Cheech Marin
- Jim Cummings
- Madge Sinclair