An emotional masterpiece for all ages

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2011)

Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, The Lion King (1994) is a Disney masterpiece. It provides a colorful and multi-emotional experience while subtly delivering an important life message, enjoyable for people of all ages. Not many films are so enveloping as to successfully simultaneously deliver an action-packed adventure, romance, and comedy. Throughout the entire film, the audience is entranced by the wondrous diegesis that is created, and so easily mourns when it is supposed to mourn and laughs when it is supposed to laugh. The Lion King uses animals as opposed to humans (as in Shakespeare's Hamlet), but this contributes to the experience and message rather than takes away from them. Under all the emotion, this charming film makes a social statement, that the circle of life must inevitably continue, and death should be accepted as long it is part of the natural cycle. As a perfect mix of an emotional experience and a moral message, it's no wonder that The Lion King raked in so much revenue and is seen as one of the best films in Disney history.
In many parts of the narrative, the audience is completely wrapped up by the magical atmosphere that the film creates, with help from its beautiful original score. In the scene where Mufasa dies, the audience follows Simba, both visually and emotionally, through the discovery of his father's limp body and the acceptance of his passing away. The audience feels the fear and desperation of the little Simba cub as he sees Mufasa motionless on the floor. The audience weeps for Simba as he tries to "wake up" his father. Later in the film, when adult Simba meets Nala, the musical accompaniment, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (composed by Elton John) (1994), really creates the romantic mood that devours the audience's heart. When Timon and Pumbaa break the audience out of that oneiric state with their funny antics, and even when they break the fourth wall, they offer a reprieve from the intense emotion present in the rest of the film. These reprieves strengthen the emotions created rather than diminish them. They are an asset to the deep emotions awakened by The Lion King.
The use of lions instead of humans might be expected to reduce the emotional intensity of the film, but instead it actually, in some ways, increases it. With animals, the audience experiences defamilarization, as the death of a lion, although still sad, is less taboo and tragic than a death of human. If human Scar had murdered human Mufasa, the audience would experience boundless hate for Scar, rather than experiencing the sadness of Simba as it was supposed to. Using animals also made the diegesis much more colorful and kid-friendly. Using human characters would have created a whole other unwanted experience.
Aside from the emotional aspect of the film, The Lion King also disguises a powerful social statement. At the end of the film, the child of Simba and Nala is declared the heir of the pride, as Simba was at the beginning of the film. This metaphorically completes "The Circle of Life" (also composed by Elton John) (1994), the title of the opening score. The audience learns that Mufasa's death was inevitable, and sooner or later Simba will die too. Death must happen to complete the cycle, and the past should not be clung on to. This important message is what makes The Lion King more than a simple narrative and a delight for 5-year-olds and 50-year-olds alike.
The Lion King was made 17 years ago, yet still stands as an artful classic, despite it being an animation movie. This is a result of the intense emotional experience that an audience can't help but be enveloped by, and a powerful life lesson that is delivered flawlessly. Throughout the action, romance, and sudden comedy, the audience follows without any difficulty at all, and at the end, learns a valuable lesson. The choice to use animals also benefited the film. Aside from making the film more kid-friendly, it precisely manipulated the audience's feelings. The Lion King is a shining gem in film history, a gem that will truly stand the test of time.
The Lion King will remain one of my favorite films for a long time, and if you haven't seen it yet, you definitely should.