The Lion King (1994) Review

Before ‘Frozen’ became a mega hit for Disney in 2013 there was another mega hit musical long before it. It was ‘The Lion King’…which was so popular that it spawned several sequels and tv shows including a hit Broadway musical (less said about the horrible “live action” remakes the better) as well as the ridiculously challenging MegaDrive/SNES game.

The story centers around Simba; a young and adventurous lion cub always getting into trouble. That is until his uncle Scar banishes him from his Pride after the tragic death of Mufasa, Simba’s dad.

There were many comparisons to a old anime called ‘Kimba’ (which I’ve not seen) as well as Shakespear’s ‘Hamlet’ but despite all of that, ‘The Lion King’ became an instant hit as well as its soundtrack…which kids today are still singing.

There is much to like about this film; from the animation to the visuals, to the fantastic soundtrack (instrumental score provided by Hans Zimmer none the less) as well as the talented voice cast (Jeremy Irons steals the show as Scar and lets not forget the late and great James Earl Jones as Mufasa).

There is a reason why ‘The Lion King’- unlike its “live action” remakes- is still wildly popular thirty years later. Disney should be ashamed of tainting the film’s (as well as James Earl Jones’) legacy with the up and coming horrible ‘Mufasa’ prequel film…that nobody asked for!