The Lion King

***The Lion King*** is a 1994 American animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the TBD Disney animated feature film, and the TBD animated film produced during a period known as the Disney Renaissance. *The Lion King* was directed by Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff and Richard Rich, produced by Don Hahn, and has a screenplay credited to Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Its original songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with a score by Hans Zimmer. The film features an ensemble voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Ernest Borgnine, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Madge Sinclair (in her last film role), Julie Kavner, Jerry Stiller, Kevin Schon, Beau Black, Dee Bradley Baker, John Finnegan, Danny DeVito, and Jim Cummings. The story takes place in a kingdom of lions in Africa and was influenced by William Shakespeare's *Hamlet*.

*The Lion King* tells the story of Simba (Swahili for lion), a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands; however, after Simba's paternal uncle Scar murders Mufasa, Simba is manipulated into thinking he was responsible and flees into exile. Now a young adult, Simba receives valuable perspective from his childhood friend, Nala, and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and take his place in the Circle of Life as the rightful King. The film also follows a meerkat named Timon who leaves his home to live in a better place and befriends a warthog named Pumbaa.

Development of *The Lion King* began in 1988 during a meeting between Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney, and Peter Schneider while promoting *The Land Before Time* and *Oliver & Company* in Europe. Thomas M. Disch wrote a film treatment, and Woolverton developed the first scripts, while George Scribner was signed on as director, being later joined by Allers. Production began in 1991 concurrently with *The Pebble and the Penguin* and *Pocahontas*, which wound up attracting many of Disney's top animators. Some time after the staff traveled to Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya to research the film's setting and animals, Scribner left production, disagreeing with the decision to turn the film into a musical, and was replaced by Minkoff. When Hahn joined the project, he was dissatisfied with the script and the story was promptly rewritten. Nearly 20 minutes of animation sequences were produced at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Florida. Computer animation was also used in several scenes, most notably in the wildebeest stampede sequence.

*The Lion King* was released on June 15, 1994, to a positive reaction from critics, who praised the film for its music, story, themes, and animation. With an initial worldwide gross of $766 million, it finished its theatrical run as the highest-grossing release of 1994, the highest-grossing animated film and the second-highest-grossing film of all time. It is also the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, as well as the best-selling film on home video, having sold over 30 million VHS tapes. On release, the film drew some controversy in Japan for its similarities to Osamu Tezuka's 1960s anime series *Kimba the White Lion*. *The Lion King* garnered two Academy Awards for its achievement in music and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The film has led to many derived works, such as a Broadway adaptation; a 1998 direct-to-video sequel, *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride*; a 3D re-release in 2011; a television series, *The Lion Guard*; a midquel short series starring Timon and Pumbaa shown as a recurring segment on the TV series *An American Tale* (based on other Disney film with the same name); and a photorealistic computer-animated remake in 2019, which also became the highest-grossing animated film at the time of its release.

In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is, as of December 2019, the only Disney film to have been dubbed in Zulu, the only African language aside from Arabic to have been used for a feature-length Disney dub.

## Plot

In the Pride Lands of Africa, a pride of lions rule over the animal kingdom from Pride Rock. King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi's newborn son, Simba, is presented to the gathering animals by Rafiki the mandrill, the kingdom's shaman and advisor. Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, covets the throne and is angered by the birth of the new prince. This is the subject of an argument with first Mufasa's majordomo, the hornbill Zazu, then Mufasa himself.

Meanwhile, a meerkat named Timon is a social outcast in his meerkat colony on the outskirts of the Pride Lands due to frequently messing things up by accident. Though he is unconditionally supported by his mother Ma, Timon dreams for more in life than his colony's bleak existence hiding from predators. One day, he is assigned as a sentry in an attempt by his mother to get him accepted, but his daydreaming leads to the near death of Uncle Max and other meerkats by Scar, who has gone to hunting as a way to get even for the argument. Now completely shunned and convinced that he will never fit in with the other meerkats, Timon decides to leave to find a better life. He meets Rafiki, who teaches him about the philosophy "Hakuna Matata" and advises him to "look beyond what you see". Timon takes the advice literally and ventures around the Pride Lands and encounters a warthog named Pumbaa on his way. The two quickly form a bond and Pumbaa accompanies Timon. They make multiple attempts to set up homes throughout the Pride Lands, but wind up being forced away every time.

A few years later, Mufasa shows a young Simba the Pride Lands and explains to him the responsibilities of kingship and the "circle of life", which connects all living things. Meanwhile, Scar plots to eliminate Mufasa and Simba, so he may become king. He tricks Simba and his best friend Nala (to whom Simba is betrothed) into exploring a forbidden elephants' graveyard by tricking Zazu. However, the cubs and Zazu are soon chased by a large clan of hyenas led by the ruthless Janja. Mufasa is alerted about the incident by Zazu, and rescues the cubs. Though upset with Simba, Mufasa forgives him and explains that the great kings of the past watch over them from the night sky, from which he will one day watch over Simba. Meanwhile, Scar visits the hyenas and convinces them to help him overthrow Mufasa in exchange for hunting rights in the Pride Lands.

Scar sets a trap for his brother and nephew, luring Simba into a gorge and having the hyenas drive a large herd of wildebeest into a stampede that will trample him. Timon and Pumbaa are caught in the stampede as well, and are thrown off a waterfall in their attempt to escape. Scar informs Mufasa of Simba's peril, knowing that the king will rush to save his son. Mufasa saves Simba but ends up hanging perilously from the gorge's edge. Scar refuses to help Mufasa, instead sending him falling to his death. He then convinces Simba that the tragedy was Simba's own fault and advises him to leave the kingdom and never return. He orders the hyenas to kill the cub, but Simba escapes. Unaware of Simba's survival, Scar tells the pride that the stampede killed Mufasa and Simba, steps forward as the new king, allows Janja's clan to live in the Pride Lands, exiles Zazu (presumably to silence him about Scar informing him and Mufasa about the stampede), and gives the majordomo job to Janja.

Exhausted, Timon decides to give up, until Pumbaa discovers a luxurious green jungle he tried to tell Timon about earlier. They finally settle there with the philosophy of Hakuna Matata. Eventually, Timon and Pumbaa encounter Simba in a nearby desert, nearly dead. They rescue him and decide to raise him in the oasis. Years later, now a young adult, Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a hungry lioness, who turns out to be Nala. She and Simba reunite and fall in love. Believing Hakuna Matata to be in jeopardy, Timon and Pumbaa attempt to sabotage the night, but comically fail. Nala urges Simba to return home, telling him that the Pride Lands have become a drought-stricken wasteland under Scar's reign. Still feeling guilty over his father's death, Simba refuses and storms off. He then encounters Rafiki, who tells him that Mufasa's spirit lives on in Simba. Simba is visited by the ghost of Mufasa in the night sky, who tells him that he must take his rightful place as king. Realizing that he can no longer run from his past, Simba decides to return to the Pride Lands.

Meanwhile, Nala explains to Timon and Pumbaa that Simba had run off to challenge Scar and reclaim the Pride Lands, so that they need their help. Upset that Simba left them, Timon unsuccessfully tries to persuade Pumbaa to stay, but Pumbaa follows Simba and Nala. Timon indulges in the jungle's luxuries by himself, but loneliness starts to overcome him. Rafiki appears again and indirectly helps Timon realize that his true Hakuna Matata is with the ones he loves, prompting Timon to take off after Pumbaa, Simba and Nala. He catches up and reconciles with Pumbaa, before they journey onward to Pride Rock.

Aided by his friends, Simba sneaks past the hyenas at Pride Rock and confronts Scar, who had just struck Sarabi and is surprised to see him alive. Scar taunts Simba over his role in Mufasa's death and backs him to the edge of the rock, where he reveals to him that he murdered Mufasa. Enraged, Simba pins Scar to the ground and forces him to reveal the truth to the rest of the pride. Meanwhile, Timon and Pumbaa run into Ma and Uncle Max, who came looking for Timon after Ma got angry at Rafiki for apparently leading Timon on a wild goose chase.

Timon proposes that they all help Simba by getting rid of the hyenas. While Simba battles Scar, Ma and Uncle Max are directed to construct a series of tunnels beneath Janja and his clan, as at the same time, Timon and Pumbaa use various tactics to distract them while the tunnel is being made. When the tunnels are finished, Max knocks down the support beams, breaking the ground under the hyenas. However, the last few get jammed, prompting Timon to dive underground and break them himself. The cave-in commences, and the hyenas are ejected through the tunnels.

Scar, attempting to escape, is cornered by Simba at the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs for mercy and attempts to blame his actions on Janja; Simba spares his life but orders him to leave the Pride Lands forever. Refusing to accept the act of mercy, Scar attacks again, but Simba throws him off the ledge to the ground below. Janja and his clan, who overheard his attempt to betray them, angrily maul him to death for it, as well as his broken promises and constant abuse.

With Scar gone, Simba accepts his place as the rightful king of the Pride Lands, thanking Timon and Pumbaa for their help, rehires Zazu as majordomo, and makes Nala his queen while Timon decides to return to his colony with Ma and Uncle Max and accompanied by Pumbaa. With the Pride Lands restored to its usual state, Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub to the assembled animals, continuing the circle of life.

## Cast

* Matthew Broderick as Simba, son of Mufasa and Sarabi, who grows up to become King of the Pride Lands. Rock singer Joseph Williams provided adult Simba's singing voice.
	+ Jonathan Taylor Thomas voiced young Simba, while Jason Weaver provided the cub's singing voice.
* Nathan Lane as Timon, a wisecracking and self-absorbed yet loyal bipedal meerkat who becomes one of Simba's best friends.
* Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa, a naïve warthog who suffers from flatulence and is Timon's best friend. He also becomes one of Simba's best friends
* Jeremy Irons as Scar, Mufasa's younger brother and rival, the film's main antagonist, who seizes the throne.
* James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Simba's father, King of the Pride Lands as the film begins.
* Moira Kelly as Nala, Simba's best friend and later his mate and Queen of the Pride Lands. Sally Dworsky provided her singing voice.
	+ Niketa Calame provided the voice of young Nala while Laura Williams provided her singing voice.
* Ernest Borgnine as Janja, a ruthless spotted hyena who participates in Scar's plot in the death of Mufasa and Simba.
* Robert Guillaume as Rafiki, an old mandrill who serves as shaman of the Pride Lands and presents newborn cubs of the King and Queen to the animals of the Pride Lands.
* Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, a hornbill who serves as the king's majordomo (or "Mufasa's little stooge", as TBD calls him).
* Madge Sinclair as Sarabi, Mufasa's mate, Simba's mother, and the leader of the lioness hunting party.
* Julie Kavner as Ma, Timon's caring mother. She is overly protective and attached to her son.
* Jerry Stiller as Max, Timon's paranoid, eccentric but kind-hearted uncle. He initially doubts Timon's ability, but warms up to him at the film's climax.
* Kevin Schon, Beau Black, John Finnegan, Danny DeVito, and Jim Cummings as the members of Janja's clan.
	+ Cummings voices Ed, a dimwitted hyena who does not talk, only communicating through laughter.
		- Cummings also voiced a mole that talks with Zazu and sang as Scar in place of Irons for certain lines of "Be Prepared".
* Zoe Leader as Sarafina, Nala's mother, who is shown briefly talking to Simba's mother, Sarabi.